...This chapter investigates another genre of literature concerning the Maiden of Ludmir: biographical accounts that straddle both history and hagiography. It is demonstrated that each account reflects the distinct ideological orientation and cultural context of its author. Moreover, the works...

...Hannah Rochel fell into coma due to a traumatic experience while at her mother's grave. Rochel does not challenge the traditional position of women within the spiritual and social hierarchy of Hasidism. Moreover, the Maiden of Ludmir's incarnational claim in light of kabbalistic theories...

...Hannah Rochel Verbermacher, a Hasidic holy woman known as the Maiden of Ludmir, was born in early-nineteenth-century Russia and became famous as the only woman in the three-hundred-year history of Hasidism to function as a rebbe—or charismatic leader—in her own right. This book follows the traces...

...This chapter addresses the scenes in the dybbuk trilogy, first examining Stella Klein's recollection of Bela-Risha's possession. It then explains Ansky's Between Two Worlds: The Dybbuk. The third scene is S. A. Horodezky's 1909 Russian-language article on the Maiden of Ludmir...

...This chapter shows that Heller's curse did find its way into the Maiden of Ludmir's story. Hannah Rochel was born during a period of intense crisis for Jews throughout the Russian Empire. There are two basic versions of the events leading up to her birth, both involving the intervention...

... devotion and her passionate longing for her fiancé. Charles Raddock offers one of the most detailed and imaginative reconstructions of the Maiden of Ludmir's romance. After his wife's death, according to Raddock, Monesh Verbermacher informed his only child that she was now the woman of the house. Rochel...

...This chapter investigates the possibility that instead of merely imitating male behavior in constructing her social and religious identity, the Maiden of Ludmir drew on male and female influences alike, and in so doing went beyond dichotomous constructions of gender. It addresses...

...This chapter examines the possible link between the Maiden of Ludmir and the Frankist movement. It also investigates the role that Uniate women's monastery may have played in the Maiden's story. The accusations of dybbuk possession made about her by her opponents in Ludmir are explained...

... of Ludmir as a historical and cultural figure lies not only in what she actually did but also in how people have transformed her story to reflect their own interests. The pages of this book are haunted by the ghosts of wonder-workers, storytellers, and, most of all, the unique woman known as the Maiden...

... of the Maiden of Ludmir during her lifetime. One of the most striking features of Klein's account is her claim that the Maiden of Ludmir was an emissary of the messiah. The earliest possible evidence of the spread of oral traditions concerning the Maiden outside her own community is represented in two texts...

...This chapter argues that Moshe Gottlieb must have played a significant role in the Maiden of Ludmir's life. It demonstrates that Mordechai of Chernobyl apparently visited Ludmir in the early 1830s. The Maiden married Moshe David, but later divorced him because she believed that the entire wedding...

...This chapter investigates the theological doctrine and how it may have influenced the Maiden of Ludmir's decision to remain celibate. The Maiden's subsequent experiences in the Holy Land constitute the final phase of her long and rich life. Instead of portraying her as playing a passive role...

...This chapter addresses the traces made in writing by the Maiden of Ludmir. Throughout the process of writing, the Maiden has remained an elusive subject. It is tempting to see her as a pioneer in the struggle for Jewish women's spiritual empowerment. One of the most striking and, for the biographer...