By Rabbi Rachel Esserman

Most of the women who appear in the Talmud weren’t considered important enough to be named or given distinguishing features. In her fascinating “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic: Rereading the Women in the Talmud” (Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies/Maggie Books), Gila Fine notes that these women “are generally marginal and almost always anonymous, named after the important rabbi in their life; they are mothers of, daughters of, sisters of, wives of. In all of rabbinic literature, there are just fifty-two named women, as opposed to over a thousand named men. Of these fifty-two, only a half a dozen are heroines of their own talmudic narrative: Yalta, Homa, Marta, Heruta, Beruria, and Ima Shalom.” 

Fine looks carefully at the stories of these six women to uncover their true meaning. The women were often maligned by commentators who labeled them with anti-feminine archetypes, for example, a shrew, femme fatale, prima donna, madonna/whore and more. However, the author believes”upon a second reading, that this is not at all the case; once the heroine’s story is reread, more closely and in context, her archetype systematically breaks down, and in its place emerges the character of a complex, extraordinary woman, as misunderstood by her own world as by generations of readers.” Fine is not claiming that the ancient rabbis were feminists or that the Talmud does not have misogynist content. However, she does believe that these women’s stories can be read in a way that shines a positive light on their behavior. Whether this was what the rabbis intended (which Fine does believe is true), readers will delight in her interpretations. 

These rereadings of the talmudic stories are difficult to summerize since, after presenting the text, Fine offers a careful, detailed analysis that slowly unpacks its meaning. Noting the traditional interpretations of the story, she then uses a different approach to explain what occurred. For example, Yalta, the wife of Rabbi Nachman, is treated as a shrew by traditional commentators because when Ulla, a visitor to her house, sees no need to share the wine offered in the Grace after Meals with Yalta, she breaks 400 jars of wine kept in the family’s wine storehouse. Before explaining the story through Yalta’s eyes, though, Fine offers literary examples from ancient texts to 19th century literature to put the image of a shrew in context, showing how these women were described as ill-tempered, irrational creatures who often terrorized their innocent, suffering spouses. 

What Fine sees as the defining detail to understanding Yalta’s reaction is Ulla’s explanation as to why she doesn’t need to drink the wine. His claim that “the fruit of a woman’s body is blessed only through the fruit of man’s body” focuses on her role in the reproduction process, meaning she is only the vessel through which her husband has children. The author notes that “for much of the ancient world, the power of procreation belonged exclusively to the man. It was the man who produced life through the generative force of his seed, whereas woman merely carried that life inside her.” Yalta feels insulted because she sees Ulla as denigrating women, calling them unimportant vessels, something that denies her role in childbearing. Destroying the wine vessels is her way of showing Ulla that vessels do matter because without them, there would be no wine to drink. Fine notes that Yalta proves to Ulla that “for any real act of procreation, both woman and man, vessel and seed, are necessary. Women might be vessels, but they are no less essential to the creation of life.”

It’s impossible to do justice to Fine’s discussion of this story and others, but her interpretations of the five other women include: 

• Homa, a femme fatale, twice widowed, who is treated poorly by her neighbors because she demands what she is rightly owed as a widow. Rather than a sexualized single woman, as she is viewed by the town, she seeks a legitimate settlement so she can live the rest of her life in dignity. 
• Marta, a prima donna, who speaks to the need to take action during difficult times, even if we make mistakes. The story, which takes place during the destruction of the Second Temple, shows a rich woman trying to understand how to survive during the siege.
• Heruta, a madonna/whore, who shows the difficulty some men had understanding sexual desire during the rabbinic period. The story opens with Heruta hearing that her husband still desires sex, although he has forbidden himself from sleeping with her. She had denied herself that satisfaction because she thought her husband no longer wanted sexual activity. But she sees no need for that to continue. Unfortunately, after Heruta seduces him in disguise, he fasts until he dies, showing that he was never able to accept the reality of his bodily needs.
• Beruria, the overreacherix (a woman who overreaches her station), who, in the Talmud, was considered as learned and wise as any man. However, commentators through the centuries wrote about her as a supposed adulteress. Fine looked for the original of this story and discovered that it was not found in the Talmud itself, but added centuries later. This discovery restores Beruria to her rightful place as a righteous woman.
• Ima Shalom, the angel in the house, is the wife of Rabbi Elizier, who was excommunicated for reasons too complex to explain in this review. Fine notes their role reversal in the public and private spheres, and the difficulties caused by Rabbi Elizier’s refusal to accept the authority of his fellow rabbis.

The interpretations featured in “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic” are far more complex and interesting than these simple summaries suggest. Her careful rereadings of the text are intriguing and exciting, even if not always completely convincing. Readers may wonder if Fine is reading more into the stories than the rabbis originally meant. However, as she notes in the chapter on Ima Shalom, the rabbis declared that the Torah is no longer in heaven: it is rabbinic interpretation of the text that matters. The same could be said of interpreting the talmudic text. “The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic” would be a perfect study text for individuals and groups interested in learning more about the Talmud.