About
Andrea L. Weiss serves as the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Provost at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) and holds the position of Associate Professor of Bible at its New York campus. She maintains a dual professional identity as both Professor and Rabbi, reflecting her integration of academic scholarship with religious leadership.
Her research focuses on biblical interpretation with particular expertise in figurative language within Hebrew scriptures. Dr. Weiss specializes in metaphor analysis in biblical prose narrative, as demonstrated in her book on metaphor in the Book of Samuel. Her scholarly work bridges academic biblical criticism with contemporary Jewish faith perspectives, examining how ancient texts can inform modern religious understanding.
Analysis of her published articles reveals consistent exploration of literary devices in biblical texts, particularly metaphors and symbolic imagery. Her work examines how these devices convey theological concepts and ethical teachings across different biblical books including Deuteronomy and Jeremiah.
Dr. Weiss has held significant editorial roles, notably serving as Associate Editor of The Torah: A Women's Commentary, which provides feminist perspectives on the Pentateuch. She also coordinated the "American Values Religious Voices: 100 Days. 100 Letters" campaign, demonstrating engagement with contemporary social issues through a religious lens.
Her academic background includes a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Pennsylvania and Rabbinic Ordination from HUC-JIR's New York campus, establishing her dual credentials in academic scholarship and religious leadership.