Rabbanit Sharon Rimon is a highly accomplished educator, the editor of the innovative website hatanakh.com, a frequent contributor to HaMizrachi magazine and the author of Prisms: Perspectives on the Parasha. A mother of eight, she is married to Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon, head of Mizrachi’s Educational Advisory Board and one of Israel’s leading rabbis.
You recently published a two-volume commentary on the weekly Torah portion titled Prisms: Perspectives on the Parasha. Who is this book written for, and what makes it unique?
The book is written for anyone interested in studying topics from the weekly parasha in depth. Each topic in the book is dealt with at length and takes the reader through an orderly process of learning. I begin with the peshat (the simple understanding), pose questions on the text, review the different answers offered by the commentators, and culminate with a synthesis of the various opinions and a meaningful lesson for the reader. Each parasha also provides a summary that allows the reader to review the main idea easily and quickly, if they prefer to skip the lengthy study.
What do you find most interesting in your role as the editor of hatanakh.com?
My work as an editor of a website is interesting and diverse. It’s exciting to learn a wide variety of ideas and opinions about each chapter in Tanach, and to then make those ideas accessible to the general public by accurately sorting them by chapters and topics and by shortening and summarizing the articles into short and clear ideas. Most of all, I enjoy working with fascinating people who love Tanach!
You balance an incredibly busy life as an educator, mother and community leader. What advice would you offer to young women aspiring to become leaders in the Religious Zionist community?
I have no advice for other people… I never had any ambitions to become a Religious Zionist leader! It just happened; it came to us. Every woman simply needs to be herself. First and foremost, to take care of her family, because the family is the foundation of everything. Beyond that, to open her eyes to what is happening around her, to be sensitive to other people and their needs, and to do what is possible to help them within her capabilities, with love.