Treasures of the Heart: Holiday Stories That Reveal the Soul of Judaism - Hardcover

I have been working on Treasures for 8 years -- layer by layer! It is the culmination of my work with folk tales, sacred texts, Biblical, and Kabbalistic studies. By incorporating the ancient tradition of the midrash, oral teachings and legends, I am able to highlight the roles of women in the Bible, address questions of war and violence relevant to our modern lives, and renew the ancient stories of the Hebrew Bible for contemporary readers. So many people have become disillusioned with institutional religion and have lost contact with these great stories. Here they are for people of all faiths.

"In Treasures of the Heart, Diane Wolkstein writes with grace and
power, seamlessly weaving midrashic traditions into the Biblical
narratives. She illuminates her texts with profound spiritual
understandings of the past, nuanced so as to address the contemporary
reader. A master story-teller."
-- Avivah Zornberg, author of The Beginning of Desire: Reflections on Genesis

“Diane Wolkstein brings her poetic insight to the bible stories. We are present with Hannah, Judith, and Ruth, as we were with the stories of the forefathers. In her commentaries, she argues with God and faces the terrible questions of war and violence. Like Inanna: Queen of Heaven and Earth, which changed our perceptions of the ancient world, Treasures of the Heart is a daring and important book.”
--Grace Paley, author of The Little Disturbances of Man

"Diane Wolkstein's Treasures of the Heart is a heart opener -- authentic, current, and available to readers of all backgrounds. An inspiration!" -- Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, Author of Wrapped in Holy Flame and Lecturer, Naropa University
"Diane Wolkstein has woven biblical, rabbinic, Hassidic, and feminist Jewish stories into the cycle of Jewish festivals to give new energy and life to both the stories and the celebrations."
-- Rabbi Phyllis Berman & Rabbi Arthur Waskow, authors of Seasons of Our Joy
"Treasures of the Heart will be treasured by all those who seek to join the temporal with the spiritual in Jewish tradition. With her bold and deep understanding of our most compelling Biblical and rabbinic stories, Diane Wolkstein lets Jewish holy days shed a new light on how we live now -- and how we can live in the future."
-- Alicia Ostriker, author of The Nakedness of the Fathers: Biblical Visions and Revisions


"This book is aptly named -- Diane Wolkstein skillfully interweaves biblical text, midrash, Kabbalah, and her own inspired insights to reach into the heart of these stories that are the precious legacy of the Jewish soul. Wolkstein retells them to delight the spirit of young and old, beginner and scholar. These are stories to read aloud, to share with our children, to hug to ourselves for inspiration and comfort. Each generation is commanded to create its own midrash. Treasures of the Heart is a marvelous fulfillment of that mitzvah."
-- Professor Diane Sharon, Department of Bible and Ancient Semitic Languages Jewish Theological Seminary of America