Description
Book SynopsisThis work deals with the religious enigma of Beruria, the only female scholar mentioned in Talmudic literature. Although a well-known figure to educated readers, her scholarship has not been thoroughly investigated. Because Beruria was better known for her femininity than her literacy, many doubted her scholarship. Some maintain that she never existed, except in the imagination and libido of the Rabbis. The book fully exposes her character and her teachings with an atypical theological perspective of individual status. Comparing Beruria''s philosophical model in the Talmudic literature to her portrayal in the post-Talmudic, the book indicates a crisis in Jewish culture, which circles around the differentiation of the sociological versus theological perspective of individual status in general, particularly of women.
Trade ReviewDr. Dalia Hoshen has presented us with a delightful, refreshing and totally original study. It is a meticulously researched, deeply analyzed examination of the whole corpus of Beruria testimonia. While rejecting the feminist approaches she gives a penetratingly convincing philosophical-theological interpretation, revealing a unique doctrine of a unique female scholar of second century Palestine. -- Rabbi Prof. Daniel Sperber, President of Institute for Advanced Torah studies, Bar-Ilan University
Table of ContentsPart 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Introduction to a Talmudic Theory of Status Chapter 4 Beruria and the Theological Theory of Torah Chapter 5 The Teachings of Beruria the Tannait Chapter 6 The Post-Talmudic Beruria and Talmudic Culture: "The Beruria Incident" Chapter 7 The Talmudic Story of Beruria in Context Part 8 List of Abbreviations Part 9 Bibliography Part 10 Index
