Through a series of letters from a father to his college-age daughter, Dr. Walter Orenstein traces the role and the history of women in the Torah and shows, through text and commentary, that in traditional Jewish society the status of women is equal to that of men, though their function is often quite different.

Letters to My Daughter: A Father Writes about Torah and the Jewish Woman introduces the reader to the Oral Law, to the exciting realm of Halakhah, and to some of the essential principles of Jewish philosophy.

Although this work is addressed to a college student, it is meant for all women and men regardless of their backgrounds. Those who have a limited background in Jewish studies and seek an understanding of the principles of Jewish belief and the way that these principles impact upon her or his life will find this book a useful beginning to the world of Jewish scholarship.

Those students whose Jewish education has taken them far beyond the rudiments of Torah knowledge but who are concerned with the status of women in Orthodox Judaism and lack the training to probe the sources on their own will find this book enlightening. This book also addresses itself to the Jewish man or woman who was raised in the secular world but who now searches for truth, meaning, and purpose in the Torah, hoping that its words will provide spiritual guidance, personal insight, and divine wisdom.