But God Remembered: Stories of Women from Creation to the Promised Land

By Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Bethanne Andersen

A lively collection of stories that gives voices and names to women from biblical and ancient times whom we seldom remember.

This lively collection of four stories is a modern reclaiming of the Bible, a celebration of courageous and wise women from ancient tradition. These stories invite children of all ages and all faiths to remember, and to bring their own faith to life.

With vivid prose and lush, full-color illustrations, this storybook introduces:

• Lillith, the first woman in the Garden of Eden, according to an ancient legend, shows her determination to have men and women treat each other as equals.
• Serach the musician, who, with her song, reveals to her grandfather Jacob that his son Joseph is still alive, and whose courage to speak out heals the wrongs of another generation.
• Bityah, who draws the baby Moses from the Nile and with a mother's bravery encourages him to become who he will be, proving that taking a risk to do what’s right can change the world.

• Daughters of Z, who struggle against discrimination with great daring—and extraordinary results.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: May 2, 2013
• ISBN: 9781580237482

Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso

Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso,a parent, spiritual leader, and storyteller, is the awardwinning author of God's Paintbrush, In God's Name, God In Between and many other inspiring books for children of all faiths and backgrounds. The second woman to be ordained as a rabbi (1974) and the first rabbi to become a mother, she and her husband, Dennis, were the first rabbinical couple to jointly lead a congregation—Beth-El Zedeck in Indianapolis. They have two children, David and Debora, and three grandchildren. Sasso, who holds a doctorate in ministry, is active in the interfaith community, and has written and lectured on the renewal of spirituality and the discovery of the religious imagination in children of all faiths. Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is available to speak on the following topics:/p> Nurturing the Spiritual Imagination of Children Tell Me a Story: Reading the Bible and the Religious Imagination of Children Filling in the Blanks: How Women Read the Bible Women and Judaism: A Personal Journey Midrash as a Tool for Spiritual Reflection

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FOR MY GRANDMOTHERS

FANNIE AND GOLDIE

WHOM GOD REMEMBERS

Before God created man and woman, God wanted to create Memory and Forgetfulness. But the angels protested.

The Angel of Song said, Do not create Forgetfulness. People will forget the songs of their ancestors.

The Angel of Stories said, If you create Forgetfulness, man and woman will forget many good stories.

The Angel of Names said, Forget songs? Forget stories? They will not even remember each other’s names.

God listened to the complaints of the angels. And God asked the angels what kinds of things they remembered.

At first, the angels remembered what it was like before the world was formed. Then as the angels talked about the time before time existed, they recalled moments when they did not always agree.

One angel yelled at another, I remember when your fiery sword burned the hem of my robe!

And I remember when you knocked me down and tore a hole in my wing, screamed another.

As the angels remembered everything that ever happened, their voices grew louder and louder and louder until the heavens thundered.

God said, FORGET IT!

And there was Forgetfulness.

All at once

Reviews for But God Remembered

[maowangvater · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

“This is a book of midrash: four stories about women from biblical and ancient times who are not well known. Almost no one remembers them, not even their names. These stories imagine and remember.” (page 6)Based on passing references about women, most of them unnamed in Genesis, Exodus, and Numbers, Rabbi Sasso’s stories imagine the women who are remembered by God, but have been forgotten by men: Adam’s first wife before Eve, Pharaoh’s daughter who rescues the baby Moses from the river, the daughter of Jacob, who soothes the old patriarch, so he won’t rage at the sons that sold his favorite Joseph into slavery in Egypt, and the almost disinherited daughters of Zelophehad, who reclaimed their birthright by a direct appeal to the Almighty. These are stories filled with wisdom to inspire justice and truth.