They Called Her Rebbe : The Maiden of Ludomir Paperback – January 1, 1991

And struggled with the circumstances of time, place and tradition, always desiring to be faithful. Well worth the time. Touching, troubling, meaningful.

"They Called Her Rebbe" is an extraordinary book. Many individuals know of the movie "Yentl" starring Barbra Streisand. If you have enjoyed that movie, you will adore this book. Chana Rochel's story is about a woman who lived in the early 1800's in Eastern Europe (Russia) in a common Jewish shtetl (small village). She was unlike many other women of her time or even of today in the fact that she desired to study Torah and Talmud. This is uncommon to the degree that she desired within the Orthodox Jewish community. Women have a different place when it comes to Torah study than men. Chana Rochel was not content to remain in the "customs" of the people. Her argument being that neither the Torah nor the Talmud actually forbids the study of Torah or the observances of mitzvos (commandments) by women. They merely discourage it, as a woman has other preoccupations. Chana Rochel took her guidance from God Himself. As He directed her in her studies and later in her spiritual guidance of others, both men and women, she defied custom and followed the Lord. Chana Rochel's story is strong when it is put up against the background of customs. She followed the Spirit of the Lord, staying within Halakhah (Jewish Law), she stretched her God-given rights as a Jewish woman to serve Him in every capacity to which He had called her. Many Rabbis of her time and even since, have dismissed her by saying she possessed the soul of a great Rabbi, a MALE Rabbi. Many individuals who sought her guidance could not comprehend that a woman was being given this direct guidance from the Lord, so to ease their minds they also agreed with "soul of a great Rabbi" theory. I invite everyone to examine this story of an extraordinary woman who lived her life in an ordinary way. I recommend this book to every individual - male or female - Jew or Gentile - religious or non-religious. May you find the riches and blessings of the Holy Torah in the life of Chana Rochel as I have the privilege to experience.

Let me state from the outset that I have enjoyed reading many of Gershon Winkler's books, and that they have had a profound influence on my overall Hashgafah (world overview/way of seeing the world). I also enjoyed reading this book as well...up to a point. But beyond that point my reaction became very mixed -- hence, the 3 star rating. Whether or not R' Gershon presented a factual and historically accurate account of Channah Rochel, or a more fictionalized/literary account (a "docu-drama", in current parlance), the net result for me was that I found myself increasingly disliking Channah Rochel as the story unfolded. And that surprised me, since I consider myself to be a Lilithite -- an Israelite/son of Israel who feels that the world as we know it was perverted from the very beginning -- as a direct result of Hashem's (G-d's) failure to direct Adam to recognize Lilith's legitimate equal status. Hashem abandoned his first daughter by acquiescing to Adam's whiny, ungrateful, chauvinistic nature, and men have been conspiring to perpetuate that Original Injustice ever since.So, rightfully or wrongfully, I expected to find in Channah Rochel a shining example of a female Jewish role model infused with the living spirit of Lilith (which never died, unlike Adam and Eve) that would inspire women (and men) to see the fundamental falsehood, rooted in feminiphobia, of this broken Adam-dominated world. What I found instead was a one-winged bird whose flight pattern was erratic and less than commensurate with the insights she exhibited with regard to the Torah and to other people. The beauty of the Torah, at least for me, lies in its insistence that spirituality be balanced between the duties and obligations of this world, and an understanding that this world is not the end all and be all of reality. Even Lilith herself was not interested in going beyond what she considered to be a fair and equal balance in her relationship with Adam; it was Adam who arrogantly insisted on perpetrating a dominating role over Lilith, which she (rightfully) rejected. By contrast, that sort of balance is sorely lacking in Channah Rochel's life, at least as it's presented by R' Gershon.Now, whether that's the result of R' Gershon's rendering of the story, the reality that that really WAS an accurate depiction of Channah Rochel's life, or because of my own filters that colored/clouded my ability to grasp the true essence of The Maiden Of Ludomir, or some combination of the three, I'm not really sure. (Okay...that's not 100% true...I'm SURE it's some combination of the three, I'm just not sure which factor is the most dominant factor.) All I know is that I kept waiting to see Channah Rochel apply (i.e. put into action, not just think about) the same level of insight into herself that she applied to others, and it just didn't happen.For me, the hallmark of a true Rebbe is a righteous individual whose self-awareness and worldly awareness are one, flaws and all, and who does not fundamentally withdraw from the world in order to accomplish great achievements. In fact, it's the very ability to achieve holiness through the so-called mundane world that elevates such spirituality to the highest rungs. In the case of Channah Rochel, I saw too much distance from, and antagonism towards, loved ones. According to this book, she engaged in extreme acts of injustice and unfairness to those closest to her, which she then intellectualized and rationalized. As such, it was impossible to really differentiate between her noble selflessness and her almost maniacal selfishness. Consequently, I'm not really sure quite what to glean from the life of Channah Rochel as presented in this book.Nevertheless, I thank R' Gershon for all the work he put into writing this book, and I wish him continued success in all future endeavors.

The real history book on the Maid of Ludmir has since been written by Nathaniel Deutsch - highly recommended. Rabbi Winkler's book may be entertaining (I don't think, in fairness, he intended it to be regarded as history), but it should not be taken as telling the real story of this strange womean.