| |
| |
| Preface | |
| |
| |
| Introduction | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Historical Background | |
| |
| |
| |
| Sources | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Chronological and Geographical Framework | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Image of the Woman: Partner or the "Other"? | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Creation and the Superiority of Man | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Temptation in the Garden of Eden and the Superiority of Man | |
| |
| |
| |
| Characteristics of Woman and the Superiority of Man | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women and Sorcery | |
| |
| |
| |
| The "Medical Inferiority" of Women and the Superiority of Men | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Obligation to Perform Mitzvot and the Superiority of Man | |
| |
| |
| |
| Expressions in Praise of Women and their Perception as "Partner" | |
| |
| |
| |
| Between Image and Reality | |
| |
| |
| |
| Age at Marriage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Babylonia in the Eighth and Ninth Centuries | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Non-Jewish Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Jewish Society during the Tenth through Thirteenth Centuries | |
| |
| |
| |
| Factors Causing the Large Number of Childhood Marriages | |
| |
| |
| |
| Results of Early Marriage | |
| |
| |
| |
| Engagement, Betrothal, and the Choice of a Marriage Partner | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Ceremonies and their Development | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Ban in Ashkenaz against Cancelling Engagements | |
| |
| |
| |
| Choice of Marriage Partner | |
| |
| |
| |
| Consensual Marriage in Christian Europe | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Institution of Matchmaking and Its Place in Jewish Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Monogamy and Polygamy | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Biblical and Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Ashkenaz | |
| |
| |
| |
| Polygamy in Spain | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Atmosphere in the Polygamous Family | |
| |
| |
| |
| Levirate Marriage and Bigamy | |
| |
| |
| |
| Feminine Modesty and Women's Role in Supporting the Family | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Talmudic Tradition | |
| |
| |
| |
| Modesty in Muslim Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Modesty in Jewish Society in Muslim Countries | |
| |
| |
| |
| The "Miqveh Rebellion" in Egypt | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Jewish Society in Spain | |
| |
| |
| |
| Feminine Modesty and Women's Work in Christian Europe | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Ashkenazic Jewish Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Changes in the Legal Status of Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| Woman as Wife and Mother and Her Economic Status | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Woman within Her Home | |
| |
| |
| |
| Prostitution and Concubinage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Woman's Economic Status | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women's Culture and Education | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Muslim Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Christian Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Stance of the Jewish Sages in the Middle Ages | |
| |
| |
| |
| Learned Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| Education of Women in Jewish Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Girls' Education and Erudition in Ashkenaz | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Spain | |
| |
| |
| |
| Education of Jewish Women in Italy and Sicily | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Role of Women in Religious Life and in Family Ceremonies | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Biblical and Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Role of Women in Religious Life in Christian Europe | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Performance of Time-Linked Positive Commandments | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women in the Synagogue | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women in the Celebration of Passover | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women Circumcisers | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women as Ritual Slaughterers | |
| |
| |
| |
| Fast Days and Acts of Charity by Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| Refraining from Eating Meat During the Season of Mourning | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women as Bearers of Halakhic Traditions | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Role of Women in Family Ceremonies | |
| |
| |
| |
| Women's Role in Jewish Martyrdom in Europe in the Eleventh to Thirteenth Centuries | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Descriptions of Women in Chronicles about the Pogroms | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Historical Reliability of the Descriptions in the Chronicles | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Role of Women in Jewish Martyrdom According to Christian Sources | |
| |
| |
| |
| The "Beauty" and "Purity" of the Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| Kiddush Hashem and the Cultural and Social Status of the Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Description in the Chronicles and the Public Image | |
| |
| |
| |
| Between the Chronicles of 1096 and Sefer Zekhirah | |
| |
| |
| |
| Violence Toward Women | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Talmudic Tradition | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Christian and Muslim Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Position of the Babylonian Geonim | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Position of the Spanish Sages | |
| |
| |
| |
| Maimonides' Position | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in France and Italy | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Germany | |
| |
| |
| |
| Wife Beating for "Education" | |
| |
| |
| |
| Summary: Between Theory and Reality | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Divorcee and the "Rebellious Wife" | |
| |
| |
| The Divorcee | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Biblical and Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Attitude of Medieval Jewish Sages to Divorce | |
| |
| |
| |
| Grounds for Divorce | |
| |
| |
| The "Rebellious Wife" | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Change at the Beginning of the Geonic Period | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Retreat from the Taqqanah of Moredet during the Twelfth Century | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Proliferation of Divorce in Ashkenaz in the Thirteenth Century and Thereafter | |
| |
| |
| |
| "Rebellion" of Women in Christian Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Divorce in Spain | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Attitude to the Divorcee | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Widow and the "Murderous Wife" | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Large Number of Widows | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Biblical and Talmudic Heritage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Non-Jewish Society | |
| |
| |
| |
| Life Expectancy in Europe | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Situation in Jewish Society: The Attitude to the Widow's Remarriage | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Commonness of Widowhood and its Social Significance | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Widow's Economic Rights | |
| |
| |
| |
| The "Murderous Wife" (Qatlanit) | |
| |
| |
| |
| Summary: Woman's Status in Historical Perspective | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Positive Changes | |
| |
| |
| |
| Negative Changes | |
| |
| |
| |
| The Silencing of Creativity | |
| |
| |
| |
| Between "Pious" and "Rebellious" Women | |
| |
| |
| Notes | |
| |
| |
| Glossary | |
| |
| |
| Bibliography | |
| |
| |
| Index | |