Midrash Harabah and English translations by Rabbi Gail Shuster-Bouskila ©2021
MIDRASH HARABAH – 21st Century Rabbinic Pensieve
Traditional Midrashim are full of stories and fables and ideas that reflect the age in which they were written. In recent years, many people have written Midrashim about the contemporary era and that appealed to me because there were no limitations to the use of one’s imagination. Like any literature, Midrash speaks to those who are attuned to it.
Rabbi Gail Shuster-Bouskila has earned two degrees in education. She made Aliyah to Israel in 1978, and finished her rabbinic studies at Hebrew University. She was ordained at Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia in 1979. She was the first women rabbi in Israel. Since making Aliyah, as a free-lance rabbi, she has counseled many people on life cycle events, including women’s issues, marriage and Bar/Bat Mitzvah and has lectured around Israel about modern Midrash, liberal Judaism, women’s issues and the philosophy of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan. From 2005 to 2010, she held the position of Chair of the Israel Reconstructionist Foundation. She worked to deepen Israel – Diaspora Jewish relations among Liberal Jews through contact with individuals and groups. This website contains original midrashim written in English and translated into Hebrew.