Resumen de The symbol of Rebekah in the Zohar
The matriarchs play a major role in thirteenth-century Kabbalah. Biblical heroines are portrayed as historical figures, sefirotic symbols, and exemplars for proper behavior. Catalonian and Castilian Kabbalists' interest in the matriarchs is a new development in theosophical Kabbalah. I propose that this shift is in part a kabbalistic response to both external and internal stimuli: (1) the Jewish communities' battle with intermarriage and sexual licentiousness; and (2) the cult of the Virgin Mary. This article will explore how thirteenth-century Kabbalists polemicize against these threats by casting the matriarch Rebekah in a role that satisfied the need of the Iberian Jewish community
