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Rahab

Rahab, the Broad, Symbolizes Israel’s Conquest of Canaan

The only named character in the story of the spies whom Joshua sends to Jericho holds the key to the story’s message.

Prof.

Leonard Greenspoon

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The Protective Red Thread

As Tamar gives birth to twins, the midwife ties red thread around Zerah’s wrist. The spies instruct Rahab to tie a red cord in her window. What is the significance of the red thread?

Dr.

Rosanne Liebermann

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Women’s Connection to Shabbat

Israelite women are conspicuously absent from the Decalogue’s Shabbat law. Three stories in the Prophets featuring female characters—Rahab the prostitute, the great woman of Shunem, and Queen Athaliah—each tie to Shabbat in some unconventional way.

Prof.

Hagith Sivan

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Rahab the Faithful Harlot

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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Were Rahab’s Sisters Saved?

Dr.

Shira Golani

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Judaism’s First Converts: A Pagan Priest and a Prostitute

Linked by words and acts of chesed (lovingkindness), Jethro and Rahab are rabbinic exemplars of true converts.

Dr. Rabbi

David J. Zucker

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Rabbi

Moshe Reiss

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