The Women of the Talmud

Name: The Women of the Talmud
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ISBN: 9781568212838

By: Judith Z. Abrams

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Paperback Published: 1st March 1995
ISBN: 9781568212838
Number Of Pages: 224

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In this unique volume Judith Abrams, author of the highly regarded series The Talmud for Beginners, examines the episodes recorded in rabbinic literature that suggest the actions of the women of those times.

By overlooking what the sages thought about women, or what they believed women ought to do in theory, and by focusing upon the situational and behavioral patterns of these women, Abrams has constructed a credible and feasible account of what women belonging to the rabbinic era were actually like and the manner in which they conducted themselves on a daily basis.

Upon looking at the materials presented, the reader will find that women were every bit as varied a group then as women are today; some were pious and respectful of the sages and some disregarded them; some were poor and others rich; some longed to be married while others yearned for divorce. Perhaps the greatest surprise to the reader will be discovering the large amount of power and control women had over their own lives. Far from passive, these women were not the powerless figures the reader may have thought them to be.

Preface and Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Task at Hand
The Nature of Our Sources
The Sages' Agenda and Our Own
The Five Major Works of Rabbinic Literature
These Five Works as "People"
Some Notes on Style and Translations
Torah Transcends Gender: Women and Sages' Learning	p. 1
Beruriah's Law	p. 2
Beruriah's Lore	p. 6
A Woman Studies Weekly	p. 8
Rabbi's Maid: An Unexpected Expert	p. 11
Women Who Did Not Keep Kosher	p. 13
Women Who Intermarried	p. 14
The Matron: Jew or Non-Jew?	p. 17
Her Background	p. 17
A Role Model for Dealing with Rabbinic Rejection	p. 19
Good Relations between a Sage and Matrons	p. 22
Women's Study Groups Then and Now	p. 29
The Non-Jewish (?) Matron	p. 30
The Matron in the Bavli	p. 33
Why Did Scholars "Erase" the Matron?	p. 37
Entering and Exiting Relationships: Theory versus Practice	p. 39
Dealing with Anger at the Sources	p. 39
The Mishnah's Ideal	p. 40
Ancient Sexual Harassment	p. 42
Becoming Engaged	p. 45
Irregular Betrothals	p. 48
Irregular Betrothals Today	p. 53
Martha's Marriage	p. 54
An Ancient Prenuptial Agreement	p. 57
Divorce	p. 59
Chalitsah	p. 61
Virtue as Power I: Husband-Wife Relationships	p. 65
The Power of Virtue	p. 65
Rachel and Rabbi Akiba	p. 66
Beruriah and Rabbi Meir	p. 68
Imma Shalom and Rabbi Eliezer	p. 69
Other Wives and Husbands	p. 73
Laypeople Have More Virtue than Sages ...	p. 76
...Sometimes	p. 78
Virtue as Power II: Women and Power in Society	p. 85
Women, Virtue, and Power	p. 85
Rabbi's Maid	p. 86
Helene	p. 88
A Woman in Court	p. 96
A Woman and Her Bequest	p. 98
Virtue and Political Power	p. 100
Yalta and Rav Nachman	p. 102
Women Who Insult Sages	p. 104
The Truth Will Out: Women's Testimony	p. 109
Truth Telling and Rule Following	p. 109
Other Exclusions	p. 110
The Exclusion of Women	p. 111
A Woman Testifies	p. 113
The Daughters of a Sage Testify	p. 115
A Woman Testifies to Become Divorced	p. 117
A Woman and Her Witnesses	p. 119
Diffidence and Distance: The Sages and Childbirth, Nursing, and Motherhood	p. 123
Women's "Gemara"	p. 123
The Idealization of Motherhood: High Priests and Their Mothers	p. 125
Sons Honoring Mothers and Vice Versa	p. 127
The Sages in the Waiting Room: Childbirth, Nursing, and Women's Domain	p. 129
Abaye's Nurse and Her Teachings	p. 131
Pregnant Women and Fasting	p. 133
Nursing	p. 135
Judgment and Jealousy: The Sages, Sex, and Ritual Purity	p. 139
Ritual Purity and Impurity: The Basics	p. 139
The Sages and Women: Sharing Authority over Ritual Purity	p. 142
Intention and Ritual Impurity	p. 143
Ritual Purity and Jewish Diversity	p. 145
Yalta Shares Authority with Sages	p. 147
A Disabled Woman Acts as an Expert	p. 149
The Sages Shared Their Authority with Women	p. 151
Sexual Decorum	p. 152
Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Jochanan Take on the Essence of Womanhood	p. 154
Women and Loss: Role versus Reality	p. 171
A Woman's Role in Mourning	p. 171
Martha	p. 172
Beruriah	p. 176
Rabbi's Maid	p. 183
Notes	p. 185
Bibliography	p. 187
Index	p. 191
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.

ISBN: 9781568212838
ISBN-10: 1568212836
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 224
Published: 1st March 1995
Publisher: JASON ARONSON INC
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 22.86 x 15.42 x 1.52
Weight (kg): 0.32