maiden

Article in the Forward: Maiden, Prophetess or Weaver: What Kind of Hebrew Priestess Are You?

The Kohenet Institute ordains Hebrew priestesses, drawing from the Goddess Judaism movement, which seeks to rethink Jewish prayer through a feminine lens.

Priestesses have their choice of many paths. At the completion of their three-year-course, women select the feminine archetype most fitting to their personality to inform and inspire their vocation.

Here are descriptions of several; for more, see the institute’s full course description.

The Maiden

According to the institute, the Maiden is the “archetype of presence, embodiment, action, dance, joy and fellowship.”

The Maiden has appeared throughout Jewish tales, the institute writes on their website: for example, as Rebekah, the “zealous and kind girl who draws water for a stranger and his camels,” and as Miriam.

She appears as the maidens “who dance at the sacred shrine of Shiloh to celebrate the harvest.” Maidens bring “the gifts of passion, commitment, and courage.