Beyond My Sight

Liraz, a very Orthodox young woman, is devoted to two men: Aviv, the man she loves, and Naor, her twin brother. Born and raised in a secular family, she is not afraid to act unconventionally or to question common beliefs, and is in constant search of the secret key to love and spiritual fulfillment. In her youth, Liraz stands at a junction between two ways of life, two ways of realizing her potential. From here on, Emuna Elon juxtaposes two parallel worlds, and in each one Liraz lives a different life.

In the first, she becomes very religious. She marries Aviv, who is also Orthodox, becomes a mother, and together with her husband and brother, she establishes a revolutionary Hassidic seminary in the Galilee. But while the two men work to create a new Judaism in the spirit of the Talmudic period, sweeping youngsters from all over the country along with them, Liraz slowly gives up her intellectual aspirations.

In the other world, she meets Aviv during a trip to India but their love does not lead anywhere. She returns to Israel alone and remains single, devoting her life to study and writing. Eventually, she becomes an admired lecturer and influences many women. In the first story, Liraz is Eve, the mother of human life, created from Adam’s rib. In the second she is Lilith, Adam’s first partner, according to Jewish legend, who rejected him in favor of her independence. Emuna Elon makes these two ways of life into a compelling and contemporary story, constantly returning to Jewish sources and touching upon issues that challenge both women and men.