Anna Leonard 12/11/11 Feminist Religion Essay #1 Revision Throughout Hinduism and Judaism, women rely on others, deities

or women, for love or community. When this occurs there is a wealth of love that pours from the reciprocal relationships that are able to grow. In Hinduism there is a very personal and loving relationship that is able to grow. The concept of women depending on the deities for the blessing of their family and world is considered the womans role because of her nature; but there is something deeper that happens. In contrast, Judaism does not give women much authority in the spiritual realm. Women have had to depend on each other and Shekinah for their spiritual support except in the house cleaning ritual. In Hinduism there has to be a recognition that gender roles require that women stay home and establish themselves as the spiritual matriarchs of the household, and that men handle the hard labor. Understanding this makes it easier to understand why women are able to become so close to the deities that they worship. Hindu women are so fastidious in their worship of the deities because if Hindu women fulfill their earthly duties well they will have better karma that is felt in this life and the next. For women, that means doing what the man says and fulfilling her dharma. Associated with that idea is relying on the deities for support to get to the next level and blessings in the present life. Out of fulfilling your expectations comes love for the deities. Hindu women grow to have a very personal relationship with their deities because of their natural devotion. Next is an example of the extent to which women devote themselves to their deities for 45-50 minutes every morning. The fact that women have the stamina to undergo this every morning is a testimony to their devotion. The woman

who is performing the puja is Anjali. She washes the feet of the images of the deities (murtis), and then she worships Ganesh, Durga, Krishna, and Shiva, followed by a brief period of meditation during which she silendy intones the mantra "aum." Then she says 108 mantras each for Ganesha, Durga, Krishna, Shiva, and for the sun and planets. She says a special prayer for Durga and Hanuman, the Gayatri mantra eleven times, afinalmantra for all deities, and closes with the shantipath (invocation for peace and auspiciousness). Time permitting, she also reads two verses from the Bhagavad Gita. The verses are being read sequentially, and when she reaches the end, she again starts at the beginning of the text. But even when she takes a shower, she noted, "the usual pattern is I say a couple of slokas (verses) that I remember; it just comes out of my heart. like my dad used to do. There are about five or six [verses] that just come out;" verses, she explained which had meant a lot to her father. "Each and every sloka of the Gita means a lot, but there are a couple of them which you keep as an example. So from him, I got it.1" A Hindu womans passion for her religion develops because she spends more time at home. Women develop their heightened spirituality because it is expected of them. Women might perform the puja every morning, but never know the significance of the verses. For example, Alpnas mother, Meena, doesnt know all of the Gita[bookish Hindu]. Like when the pandit speaks, it might go in one ear and out the other; I dont know if she necessarily analyzes it and says, I want to take this, but not this.2 Second generation Hindu women in Canada are analyzing the meanings and

Anne Mackenzie Pearson, Being Hindu in Canada: personal narratives from first and second generation Hindu women, Religious Studies and Theology 23, no. 1 (2004), 68. 2 Anne Mackenzie Pearson, Being Hindu in Canada: personal narratives from first and second generation Hindu women, Religious Studies and Theology 23, no. 1 (2004), 6667.
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intricacies of their religion. They are also studying the texts and developing a text based religion instead of an oral religion. They are not just accepting their spiritual role as women, they are using their role to learn more about their religion. Another daily ritual is dabbing ephemeral vermillion and white-gray powder design on the surfaces of doorways, thresholds, temples, foreheads, etc. The kolam, or designs, evokes and hosts the divine as guests.3 The kolam is designed to invite, host and maintain close relationships with the goddesses Lakshmi and Bhudevi, who in turn prevent harm, illness, and laziness from entering the household.4 The woman depends on the goddesses to protect the household, insects and birds benefit from the kolam as part of their daily diets. There is a cycle of giving that comes from venerating the deities. This cycle is dependent on recognition of each partys needs. The woman cares for the deities just as the deities care for the woman. In Hinduism there is the idea that everything that the woman is doing is for the family, but there is a very personal benefit from serving the goddesses and being blessed by them. A fairly new, contemporary Jewish ritual started by Rabbi and storyteller Lynn Gottlieb is an inner spring-cleaning ritual based on womens traditional thorough housecleaning rituals in preparation for Passover5. In similarity to the Hindu house rituals, it is based on a reciprocal action. Women or men clean their homes and YHWH will bless them during Passover. It is comparable to the idea that if they remember how G_d led

Vijaya Nagarajan, quoted in Fisher, Women in Religion (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Longman, 2007), 82. 4 Vijaya Nagarajan, quoted in Fisher, Women in Religion (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Longman, 2007), 82. 5 Fisher, Women in Religion (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Longman, 2007), 180.
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them out of Egypt and passed over their houses, they are G_ds chosen people, G_d will continue to bless them. The incorporation of spirituality into the house cleaning ritual brings Jewish women closer to G_d. When women are able to get closer to G_d through an otherwise menial task, their spirituality will grow to a level it couldnt in the institution of the religion. They will also be more receptive to G_d leading them. Unlike all other feminist Jewish rituals there is an inclusion of men in the house cleaning ritual. Because there is an inclusion of men in the house cleaning ritual, women can focus less on the patriarchal implications of women cleaning the house for Passover and more on the metaphor of cleaning their hearts for Passover and growing their relationship with G_d. This idea of relying on G_d relates to the idea of relying on other women. In 1975 three women in Haifa organized a feminist Seder that adds a part at the end in which women who were oppressed and are currently oppressed tell their stories and are encouraged on their path to independence and self-discovery6. Women who hear the stories, who have been through oppressive situations themselves, can use the stories from other women to push themselves forward. Feminist Jewish women have two journeys that they are remembering and making: they are Jews in a historically anti-Semitic world and they are women in a historically patriarchal religion. It is more important than ever for Jewish feminist women to remember where they came from and use each other to get where theyre going.

Fisher, Women in Religion (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Longman, 2007), 180.
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Many women that are tired of the patriarchy in the Jewish religion get together in womens groups to celebrate the feminine aspect of YHWH, Shekinah. These women have different reasons for their worship of the feminine aspect and a different connection to the goddess than Hindu women have. It was originally a problem for the Israelites so they changed the ritual to fit a monotheistic religion. Because of this it is not convenient for Jewish feminist women to worship the goddess every day. There is even conflict about whether Shekinah is a part of Adonai or a goddess in her own right. Once you say that Shekinah is a goddess in her own right, you are paganistic. Because of this conflict it is more difficult for Jewish women to form an intimate connection with the Goddess. The goddess or aspect is what draws these women together, but they have to rely on each other form a community that celebrates the goddess. Women are able to grow in their relationship with the goddess, but they are also growing in the relationship they have with each other. Ryiah Lilith, the author, felt that after she fellowshipped with other goddess/aspect worshippers she felt inspired to go to another Rosh Chodesh ceremony next month. Hinduism home rituals contrast with Jewish rituals because Hindu rituals focus on daily worship of feminine deities also Shiva and Krisha. There is a continual relationship of giving the deities worship or sustenance and them giving you blessings. For the Jewish feminists it is a little different, there are blessings from G_d, but for the main part the women are submitting themselves to each other and being blessed through the womens contributions.