Rahab is a Canaanite prostitute who becomes faithful to the God of Israel, hiding two Israelite spies when the king of Jericho sends men to capture them. The rabbis imagine her as a superhumanly seductive woman who knows the secrets of all the men in Jericho as well as the ultimate example of repentance. The biblical story, however, suggests a more complex character, who worked within the power structures around her.
Dr.
Amy Cooper Robertson
,
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Making sense of small differences between biblical lists: a look at the merit of different reading strategies.
Dr.
Shira Golani
,
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Linked by words and acts of chesed (lovingkindness), Jethro and Rahab (a pagan priest and a prostitute) are rabbinic exemplars of true converts.[1]
Dr. Rabbi
David J. Zucker
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Rabbi
Moshe Reiss
,