Blessed are You who separates between the holy and the profane: “Havdalah” and Judaism in contemporary narrative, between the UK and the USA

Abstract

The success of tv series such as Shtisel (2013) or Unorthodox (2020) is a clear symptom of an interest of the public for stories of scandal and liberation set in orthodox and ultra-orthodox Jewish communities. The same interest is mirrored in the contemporary novel in English, often led by the need to explore the border region between holy and profane, moral and immoral, oppressed and emancipated. The relationship between kodesh (holy) and hol (profane) is endemic to the Jewish tradition, so much that it is celebrated every week through the ceremony of Havdalah. The Havdalah, literally “separation”, is an old ceremony that marks the end of Shabbat and celebrates the distinction between light and darkness, Israel and other nations, holy and profane. The Havdalah, interpreted as separation, distinction, partition, is a principle that leads both the Jewish practice and the relationship between secularism and religious tradition. This essay explores the role of the Havdalah in three case studies: two novels Disobedience (2006) by Naomi Alderman and The Innocents (2012) by Francesca Segal and a tv series Unorthodox (2020). Particular attention will be dedicated to some of the most contested areas of the battle between hol and kodesh: women, the body and sexuality.