Blessed Women: giving honor where it's due

Though I am a somewhat observant traditionalist, I in no way believe in limiting women to any particular roles. Here's some seldom discussed information on sagacious women mentioned in Talmud.

There could be many Beruria's among us today were it not for chauvinism cloaking itself in a false piety

Berurya, taught Talmud to the male talmidiym of her husband Rabbi Meir. Hers was a very difficult undertaking in the 2nd century CE where women with roles in the surrounding societies cultus were either virgins or initiatrices not teachers of future masters.

She had two halakhoth declared in her name. R' Yehudah ruled against R' Tarfon and other sages in her favor in a dispute on ritual purity. R' Yehudah b. Bava decided by her opinion in a debate involving either her brother or father. (Tosefta Kelim Bava Metziah 1:6 Bava Kama 4:17 Babylonian Pesachim 62b)

The status of women in the 21st century western world is such that there could be many Berurias among us today solving many difficulties were it not that chauvinism cloaks itself with a false piety in seeking to subordinate women.

Yalta bath Rabbah bar Avuha held her own against certain rabbis of her time in regards to women's honor (Berachot 59b Kiddushin 69b). She disagreed with her father on a point of law and her view is accepted (Niddah 20b). She was married to Rabbi Nachman.

The unnamed daughter of Elisha Ben Avuyah refuted the arguments of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and forced him to admit his mistake (Talmud Yerushalmi, Chagigah, 2:1). It's a great loss to us and a sorry reflection on the recorder of this incident that bath Elisha's name was not written down. It's of little consolence that this has also happened with males who too remain anonymous contributors to mesorah qabbalah.

Ima Shalom [to have her own page]

Awake, awake, Deborah;
awake, awake, utter a song;

Judges 5:12

They fought from heaven;
the stars in their courses
fought against Sisera.

Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the LORD,
curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof;
because they came not to the help of the LORD,
to the help of the LORD against the mighty.

Judges 5:20&23

Salome Alexandra saved rabbinic Judaism from extermination. Sh*lom-Sion haMalkah was the queen of Israel in 1st century B.C.E. She was a descendant of the Maccabees and was married to Judah Aristobolus, who was a high priest and king. Because she hadn't had children with Judah, Shlom Zion was compelled by Jewish law to marry her brother-in-law, Alexander Jannai.

Salome Alexandra's foresight made for the possibilty of the growth of rabbinic Judaism

When Alexander Jannai, her husband, died, Shlom Zion rose to greater prominence and lead her nation to peace and prosperity. First she reinstated Rabbi Shimon ben Shetach as head of the Sanhedrin, the religious parliament. He was one of the early defenders of women's rights as shown by his instituting protectionary clauses into the Jewish marriage contract. The Talmud reports that Shlom Zion's nine-year reign was a time of abundance and peace.

She assumed the monarchy at age 64 and reinstated Rabbi Shimon and the Sanhedrin, an act which led to many educational and religious reforms, including the development of the marital contract, the ketubah. The Sanhedrin had been banned and the Pharisees dispersed in fear of their lives through an act of misunderstanding by the king Alexander Yannai.

The way I see it, just because a woman is exempt from certain misswoth or duties does not mean she is banned from taking them on. The fact is that Hhaz"l has left on record the wearing of tefillin and ssiyssiyth by women:

Erubin 96a	Mikhal the daughter of King Saul used to wear tefillin, and the sages did not protest
Menachot 43a	Rab Judah attached the tzitzit to the aprons of the women in his house.
Rambam Hilkhot Tsitsit 3:9	Women and slaves who want to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so without a berakha. And so too with other such mitzvot from which women are exempt: if they want to perform them without a berakha, one does not protest

The Ba`alei Tosefot descend from Rashi's daughters. A Tosefot on Talmudic tractate Berachot(?) is the source for Rashi's daughter(s) wearing tefillin. I personally have not seen the Tosafot in question.

During the period of the Rishonim some sages, including posqim such as Rashi and Rambam, say that women may perform misswoth from which they are exempt but do so without reciting a berakha (blessing), since the berakha's phrase "who has commanded us" would not apply.

However, the largest group of sages of this period rule that women may perform such mitzvot and recite the berakha as do men. These sages include Rabbenu Tam (1100-1171) and Rabbi Zerahia haLevi (12th c. Provence) among many others.

The Rashba (1235-1310 Spain) states in a teshuva (responsum):

"I agree with those who say that if they desire they can do all such mitzvot and recite the blessings, on the basis of Mikhal bat Shaul who used to wear tefillin and they did not protest; indeed she did so with the approval of the sages (kirtzon hakhamim) and by the nature of the matter since she puts on tefillin she blesses."

Teshuva 123

Namnah bath haLevi of Persia was most unusual for her time. She taught men in the yeshiba of her father Rabbi Sh*muel ben Eli haLewi, the enlightened eleventh-century Gaon of Baghdad. Her erudition is described by Rabbi Petachiah this way:

"An expert in Scripture and Talmud, she gives instruction in Scripture to young men through a window. She herself is within the building whilst the disciples are below outside and do not see her."

Sixteenth century Amadiyah in Kurdistan held women in high esteem. Its Israelites claim descent from the original Assyrian exile. Their scholar poet Samuel Barazani had a daughter.

She was very pleasent in the eyes of Rabbi Jacob Mizrachi. Osnath Barazani was her father's only child. Being dear to him, her father Samuel would only permit the marriage of his learned daughter after stipulating a clause in her qetubah prohibiting her from housework.

So after the wedding she both taught in her husband's yeshiba and took over its administration. Unfortunately her husband died. Ribbiniyth Osnath Mizrachi was left not only the yeshiba expenses but also two young children. She managed to keep the yeshiba open on her limited funds drawn from pleaded support.

Her fundraising drafts for financial aid were, true to her upbringing, written in poetic Hebrew style. Her characteristic learning, humility, and courage flow in her eloquent appeals outlining the yeshiba's financial difficulties and her personal adversities. With God's help and by her and her son's hands the school managed to remain open for many years. Ribbiniyth Mizrachi answered sheoloth from talmidei hhakhomim and was accepted as a gedola.

The Maharshal reported that his grandmother, Rebbitzen Miriam, directed a yeshiva for many years . Also sitting behind a curtain, she would lecture advanced students. Ashkenazim developed a liturgy for women only. They call it tekhines, women's devotional prayers. The farzogerin is a woman who leads women in prayer and explains their meaning at the synagogue. Western Sephardim train women in all aspects of the regular liturgy and encourage women to have female only services.

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