Prof. Aranoff delves into the profound connections between maternal care and Jewish spiritual traditions. She examines how the unwavering presence of a mother—or a motherlike figure—caring for a baby reflects a unique form of constancy. This constancy, she argues, is mirrored in the language and narratives of spiritual scripture, where the concept of “mother” is deeply embedded.

Drawing on Jewish texts and traditions, Prof. Aranoff explores what this model of care reveals about maternal subjectivity, offering fresh insights into how Jewish tradition conceptualizes maternal roles and relationships. Central to her analysis is the Hebrew term Emunah, often translated as “faith.” Prof. Aranoff challenges conventional interpretations by presenting Emunah not as belief in a proposition, but as a dynamic, intersubjective relationality—a relational faith grounded in steadfast presence and care.

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Deena Aranoff is assistant professor of medieval Jewish studies at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA. Her interests include rabbinic literature, medieval patterns of Jewish thought and the broader question of continuity and change in Jewish history. Deena is also a community educator and teaches Bible, rabbinics, and Jewish mysticism in a variety of adult education programs. Deena is also a recently certified yoga instructor and teaches yoga in San Francisco.

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