Historically, approaching a Torah has only been the prerogative of the male. Only in recent history have women obtained the freedom to stand in front of the Holy Torah. The significance behind this photograph is a contemporary idea that women are equal to learn and to study His Book.
A feminine, manicured hand lightly graces the hand of the scribe. A lovely jeweled bracelet rests upon her wrist as her other arm extends in back, framing his arm and lending a maternal protective presence. Her soft, sensual womanly presence is projected through her dress and décolleté blouse, framed by Queen Anne’s lace. It reveals her form. A fitted skirt reinforces this image of femininity. This unknowingly creates a tension between the idea of a woman approaching a Torah and the ancient argument against it. The restriction that women are not to approach a Torah, and the sensual reality that this female presence projects, reveal visually the ongoing conflict between this modern practice and traditional Judaism.