The death of beruriah and its afterlife: A reevaluation of the provenance and significance of Ma'aseh de-Beruriah

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Abstract

This essay challenges previous scholarship regarding the provenance and meaning of the story of Beruriah's downfall and death first attested in Rashi's Talmud commentary. I argue that, contrary to the recent scholarly consensus, there is good reason to believe that Rashi drew on a much earlier tradition and that his account represents the only attested explanation for the Bavli's reference to ma'aseh de-Beruriah. I further present a new reading of the story, viewing it not as a polemic but as a complex narrative that exposes the rabbis' own anxieties regarding women and their place within halakhic discourse and practice.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)383-411
Number of pages29
JournalThe Jewish Quarterly Review
Volume110
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2020

RAMBI Publications

  • RAMBI Publications
  • Beruriah -- active 2nd century
  • Rashi -- 1040-1105 -- Perush Rashi la-Talmud
  • Talmud Bavli -- Avodah Zarah -- 18b -- Commentaries

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