Judith: One Of The Baddest Biblical Babes
By Sarah Klegman
Sarah Klegman was once our Head of Creative Content, and works on At The Well’s brand voice and digital strategy. She does everything from developing blog submissions with network members, to cooking up content collaborations with peer organizations, to crafting our thumb-stopping instagram posts. She's a creative writer, storyteller, podcaster, and challah master living in Brooklyn.
Hanukkah is on the way and you know what that means: Sexy spies, women warriors, and decapitation! And here you were thinking we’d go all miracles, light, and latkes. TRY AGAIN.
This year, we’re talking about one of the baddest biblical babes around: JUDITH.
With its themes of resistance and audacity, the story of Judith has been incorporated into the Hanukkah tradition by those who care to talk about women’s roles in Jewish history (which we do. Hi, have you met us?).
HER STORY
One day, Judith heard rumors of an Assyrian siege on her walled city. But she saw inadequacies in her people’s ability to protect themselves, so she took matters into her own hands by finding her way to the enemy army.
Wielding her beauty as a weapon, after the general Holofernes passed out from drinking, Judith straight CHOPPED OFF HIS HEAD.
Then! She low key walked out - carrying his head - and went back to her city. When she arrived, the guards chastised her and called her a whore (oh no they didn’t). Whiiiiiiich was when Judith pulled the head out all GOT style for all to see that she saved the Jewish people.
Boom.
Judith was on a mission, used her strengths, and followed through. In honor of Hanukkah, a holiday that asks us to bring light to dark places and to think about how we rekindle a quenched flame, what elements of Judith’s life can we now bring to light? How do we carry ourselves under threat? How are we using our power to better the world?
Learn more about bringing light to dark places with our Tevet Moon Manual. Click here for instant access!