Exploring the Lives of Women in Tanach


The purpose of this book is to present you with a cast of characters who are defined by the Torah as your role models. Their voices are in the Text, the Midrash, the Talmud, the works of the earlier and later scholars, and the fruit of the pens of greats of the last centuries. 

Will we ever understand their true greatness? The answer is, of course, no. The women depicted will always remain beyond your reach and mine; their spiritual stature places them beyond our limited vision. Nonetheless, the Torah presents them for us to learn from their lives. To do so, you must learn to listen and then to step back with the recognition that you have at best heard the echo of their voices.

A Distant Mirror is structured to give you the information presented in the text under the heading, "What Does It Say?" Next, you will find a taste of what the commentators tell you, under the heading, "What Does It Mean?" And finally, essays on practical ways in which you can bring these women into your lives as your role models under the heading, "What Does This Mean for You?" along with true stories of how other women did just that.


Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, popular teacher, lecturer, and Hamodia columnist, is the author of Battle Plans (with Sara Yocheved Rigler), Return, You Are Here, Let's Face It!, Our Bodies Our Souls, The Balancing Act, This Way Up, and More Precious Than Pearls.


"A Distant Mirror, by Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, is a guidebook for life, with many wonderful insights and messages for women as well as for men on how to deal with life's various situations.

The book is full of profound insights into the human personality and conveys a tremendous optimism and belief that people can reach their potential for greatness."

- Rabbi Hershel Reichman, President, Naaleh.com