Read Online Rashi's Daughters, Book III: Rachel by Maggie Anton - Free Book Online
Authors: Maggie Anton
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sighed. “My situation was different. I loved my studies at the yeshiva, and when I came home for the festivals, I usually couldn’t wait to return to them.”
“You loved Talmud more than your family,” she accused him.
“I love Talmud and my family.” He gave her a quick hug. “But I knew I would only have a few years at the yeshiva, while I expected to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
“But Eliezer will always have to travel.”
“Will he?” Salomon turned to apply his full strength to cut through a thick branch. Only new wood was fruitful, so all the previous year’s growth had to be pruned away. “Your husband is the youngest child in his family; doesn’t he have some nephews who can take over for him eventually?”
“I suppose so, but that will be years from now.” Rachel’s frustration showed as she slashed at the vine in front of her.
“Be careful. Remember how my father died.”
“ Oui , Papa.” She blushed with shame. When she was little, Papa had often reminded her that his father had died of blood poisoning after he cut himself in the vineyard.
She decided to change the subject. “I’m glad that Joheved had a healthy baby boy, but I would have liked to name a son Salomon after you.”
He smiled at her. “There’s nothing to prevent you, ma fille . Meir’s father has two grandsons named after him.”
“ Oui , and now that they’re both studying here it’s confusing to have two Samuels, even if one does prefer to be called Shmuel.”
His expression clouded and his voice dropped. “Joheved’s baby seems well enough—may the Holy One protect him. But pairs are unlucky, and naming this boy Salomon after the previous one died of smallpox . . .” He stopped, reluctant to say anything to provoke the Evil Eye.
“I thought Miriam did the circumcision beautifully.” Rachel quickly found another topic to discuss.
Salomon shook his head. “She is adept at the procedure, but honestly I wish there were a qualified man in Troyes to be our junior mohel.”
Here was a topic they could debate all day. “But you have us sit in the sukkah and say the Shema; you bought us our own tefillin—you taught us Talmud. The Mishnah says that women are exempt from all these.”
He chuckled at her vehemence. “The Mishnah doesn’t say anything about women studying Talmud. But Tractate Kiddushin says:
A father is obligated to teach his son Torah . . . how do we know that a mother is not? Because it is written [in Deuteronomy]: v’limad’tem [you teach], which can also be read as ul’mad’tem [you study]. Thus a man, who is commanded to study Torah, is commanded to teach his son. And a woman, who is not commanded to study Torah, is not commanded to teach.
Because Hebrew is written without vowels, different words can be spelled identically—in this case ‘teach’ and ‘study.’ The Sages of the Talmud regularly used comparisons of this kind for exegesis.
“But this assumes that women are not commanded to study Torah,” Rachel objected.
Salomon smiled and raised one finger in the air as he made his point, quoting more of the Gemara.
“How do we know that she is not obligated to study and teach herself? Because it is written: v’limad’tem , which can also be read as ul’mad’tem . Thus a son, whom a father is commanded to teach Torah, is also commanded to study, and a daughter, not commanded to be taught Torah, is not commanded to study.”
“That argument is circular and you know it.” Rachel’s voice began to rise.
“True. This contention hinges on the premise that a father is not commanded to teach his daughter Torah.” He looked Rachel in the eye. “You know the next line as well as I do,” and they quoted the text together:
“How do we know that others are not commanded to teach her? Because it is written [in Deuteronomy]: ‘You shall teach them to your sons [ benaichem ].’ And thus not to your daughters.”
Rachel looked at him, an earnest
“You loved Talmud more than your family,” she accused him.
“I love Talmud and my family.” He gave her a quick hug. “But I knew I would only have a few years at the yeshiva, while I expected to spend the rest of my life with my family.”
“But Eliezer will always have to travel.”
“Will he?” Salomon turned to apply his full strength to cut through a thick branch. Only new wood was fruitful, so all the previous year’s growth had to be pruned away. “Your husband is the youngest child in his family; doesn’t he have some nephews who can take over for him eventually?”
“I suppose so, but that will be years from now.” Rachel’s frustration showed as she slashed at the vine in front of her.
“Be careful. Remember how my father died.”
“ Oui , Papa.” She blushed with shame. When she was little, Papa had often reminded her that his father had died of blood poisoning after he cut himself in the vineyard.
She decided to change the subject. “I’m glad that Joheved had a healthy baby boy, but I would have liked to name a son Salomon after you.”
He smiled at her. “There’s nothing to prevent you, ma fille . Meir’s father has two grandsons named after him.”
“ Oui , and now that they’re both studying here it’s confusing to have two Samuels, even if one does prefer to be called Shmuel.”
His expression clouded and his voice dropped. “Joheved’s baby seems well enough—may the Holy One protect him. But pairs are unlucky, and naming this boy Salomon after the previous one died of smallpox . . .” He stopped, reluctant to say anything to provoke the Evil Eye.
“I thought Miriam did the circumcision beautifully.” Rachel quickly found another topic to discuss.
Salomon shook his head. “She is adept at the procedure, but honestly I wish there were a qualified man in Troyes to be our junior mohel.”
Here was a topic they could debate all day. “But you have us sit in the sukkah and say the Shema; you bought us our own tefillin—you taught us Talmud. The Mishnah says that women are exempt from all these.”
He chuckled at her vehemence. “The Mishnah doesn’t say anything about women studying Talmud. But Tractate Kiddushin says:
A father is obligated to teach his son Torah . . . how do we know that a mother is not? Because it is written [in Deuteronomy]: v’limad’tem [you teach], which can also be read as ul’mad’tem [you study]. Thus a man, who is commanded to study Torah, is commanded to teach his son. And a woman, who is not commanded to study Torah, is not commanded to teach.
Because Hebrew is written without vowels, different words can be spelled identically—in this case ‘teach’ and ‘study.’ The Sages of the Talmud regularly used comparisons of this kind for exegesis.
“But this assumes that women are not commanded to study Torah,” Rachel objected.
Salomon smiled and raised one finger in the air as he made his point, quoting more of the Gemara.
“How do we know that she is not obligated to study and teach herself? Because it is written: v’limad’tem , which can also be read as ul’mad’tem . Thus a son, whom a father is commanded to teach Torah, is also commanded to study, and a daughter, not commanded to be taught Torah, is not commanded to study.”
“That argument is circular and you know it.” Rachel’s voice began to rise.
“True. This contention hinges on the premise that a father is not commanded to teach his daughter Torah.” He looked Rachel in the eye. “You know the next line as well as I do,” and they quoted the text together:
“How do we know that others are not commanded to teach her? Because it is written [in Deuteronomy]: ‘You shall teach them to your sons [ benaichem ].’ And thus not to your daughters.”
Rachel looked at him, an earnest
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