A History of the Mishnaic Law of Women, Part 5: The Mishnaic System of Women (Studies in Judaism in Late Antiquity) 9781556353598, 1556353596

Table of contents :
TABLE OF CONTENTS
THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE
THE FORMATION OF THE TRACTATES

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A HISTORY OF THE MISHNAIC LAW OF WOMEN PART FIVE

STUDIES IN JUDAISM IN LATE ANTIQUITY EDITED BY

JACOB NEUSNER

VOLUME THIRTY-THREE

A HISTORY OF THE MISHNAIC LAW OF WOMEN PART FIVE

A HISTORY OF THE MISHNAIC LAW OF WOMEN BY

JACOB NEUSNER University Professor Professor of Religious Studies The Ungerleider Distinguished Scholar of Judaic Studies Brown University

PART FIVE

THE MISHNAIC SYSTEM OF WOMEN

Wipf&Stock PUBLISHERS Eugene,Oregon

Wipf and Stock Publishers 199 W 8th Ave, Suite 3 Eugene, OR 97401 A History of the Mishnaic Law of Women, Part 5 The Mishnaic System of Women By Neusner, Jacob Copyright©1980 by Neusner, Jacob ISBN 13: 978-1-55635-359-8 ISBN 10: 1-55635-359-6 Publication date 3/20/2007 Previously published by E. J. Brill, 1980

For Professor Johann Maier Professor Peter Schafer Professor Hermann Greive University of Cologne

Professor Carsten Golpe Free University of Berlin

Professor Graham Stanton King's College, University of London

Dr. Philip Alexander University of Manchester

Dr. Geza Vermes Oxford University

in thanksfor cordialhospitalityin nry lecture-tourof October,1977.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Abbreviations and Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Transliterations Introduction

II.

III.

THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE

The Mishnaic System of Women.................. 1. Mishnah's System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. Scripture's Rules and Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. The System of Mishnah in Relationship to the Systems and Rules of Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . II.

xvn XXIV

1

I. I.

XIII

THE FORMATION

13 13 21 28 40

OF THE TRACT ATES

Yebamot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. Establishing the Marital Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. The Special Marital Bond: Marriage into the Priesthood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv. Severing the Marital Bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ketubot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. The Material Rights of the Parties to the Marital Union: (1) The Wife . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. The Material Rights of the Parties to the Marital Union: (2) The Father and the Husband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv. Reciprocal Responsibilities of Husband and Wife v. Cessation of the Marriage: Collection of the Marriage Settlement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

45 45 47 64 69 83 86 86

86

90 94 99 105

TABLE OF CONTENTS

VIII

IV.

Nedarim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . u. The Language of Vows .... , ..... ;............ iii. The Binding Effect of Vows................... 1v. The Absolution of Vows...................... v. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

107 107 108 113 118 123

V.

Nazir..................... .................... 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . u. The Vow to Become a N azirite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. The Nazirite's Offerings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1v. Effects of the Nazirite's Vow: Restrictions....... v. Conclusion......... .. . .. . . .. . . . . . •. ... . . . . .

125 125 125 132 135 138

VI.

Sotah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . u. Rules of the Ordeal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. Narrative of the Ordeal....................... 1v. Rites Conducted in Hebrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

140 140 141 145 148 149

VII.

Gittin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Introduction ............... ,............... 11. Delivering and Preparing a Writ of Divorce...... m. Agency in Writs of Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1v. Stipulations in Writs of Divorce................ v. Invalid Writs of Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vi. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

151 151 151 157 159 161 165

VIII.

Qiddushin..................................... 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . u. Betrothal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. Caste . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iv. Conclusion.................................

167 167 167 173 175

III. IX.

THE UNFOLDING

OF THE LAW

Before 70: Sectarian Rules in the Time of the Temple . 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. Survey of the Law of Women before 70.......... 1. The Formation of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Levirate Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

179 179 182 183 183

TABLE OF CONTENTS

X.

IX

B. Marriage Effected by Man.............. C. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. The Duration of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Marital Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Property Arrangements................. C. The Ordeal of the Accused Wife.......... 3. The Severance of a Marriage............... A. Dissolving the Levirate Connection: l;lali;ah B. The Right of Refusal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. The Writ of Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. The Death of the Husband.............. E. Property Arrangements................. 4. Vows................................... A. Vows in General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. The Nazirite Vow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . iii. Tractates before 70 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Yebamot................................ iv. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

184 184 184 184 185 185 185 185 186 186 186 187 187 187 187 187 187 188

From 70 to 140: The Mishnaic System of Women in the Time ofYavneh............................. 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. Survey of the Law of Women from 70 to 140..... 1. The Formation of a Marriage,.............. A. Levirate Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Marriage Effected by Man.............. C. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. The Duration of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Marital Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. The Ordeal of the Accused Wife . . . . . . . . . . 3. The Severance of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Dissolving the Levirate Connection: l;lali;ah B. The Right of Refusal................... C. The Writ ofDivorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. The Death of the Husband.............. E. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Vows................................... A. Vows in General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. The Nazirite Vow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

193 193 198 198 198 199 199 200 200 201 202 202 202 203 203 204 204 205 205 206

TABLE OF CONTENTS

X

iii. Tractates of Yavneh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Nedarim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Nazir .......... ,........................ 4. Sotah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. Gittin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1v. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . XI.

From 140 to 170: The Mishnaic System of Women in the Time of Usha............................... 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ii. Survey of the Law of Women from 140 to 170 . . . . 1. The Formation of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Levirate Marriage..................... B. Marriage Effected by Man.............. C. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. The Duration of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Marital Relationships . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. The Ordeal of the Accused Wife . . . . . . . . . . 3. The Severance of a Marriage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A. Dissolving the Levirate Connection: /Jalifah B. The Right of Refusal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C. The Writ of Divorce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D. The Death of the Husband . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E. Property Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4. Vows................................... A. Vows in General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B. The Nazirite Vow..................... iii. Tractates of Usha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6. Ketubot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7. Qiddushin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1v. Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IV.

XII.

207 207 207 208 208 208 214 214 217 217 218 218 220 221 222 223 224

224 224 225 225 227 228 229 229 230 232 232

232 232

THE SYSTEM IN CONTEXT

Contexts and Comparisons: The Quest for Meaning . . 1. Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . n. Thematic Description and Interpretation . . . . . . . . iii. Systemic Description and Interpretation . . . . . . . . . iv. Synchronic Comparisons of Systems............ v. Diachronic Comparisons of Systems . . . . . . . . . . . .

239 239 244 249 251 255

TABLE

OF CONTENTS

XI

vi. Extra-Contextual Contrasts: Ways Not Taken. . . . vii. The Mishnaic System of Women in Particular: Its Context and its Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1. Context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2. Character . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. Meaning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

256 259 259 262 267

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

273

PREFACE This book answers four questions which study of the tractates of the division of Women raise in our minds. First, how do the seven tractates fit together to form a complete statement about women, and what statement do they make? Second, in what historical sequence did the principal conceptions and ideas of the seven tractates take shape? Third, how shall we relate the history of the laws of the seven tractates, viewed as a whole, to the history of the period in which the laws of these tractates unfolded? Finally, what place and meaning does Mishnah's system of women take in the larger world-view expressed by Mishnah as a whole? Behind these four questions is a theory of what is important about the facts we have studied in the first four parts of the present work. In my judgment what is important is the historical unfolding of the laws and the relationship between the inner issues and tensions of the laws, which led to the formation of a given conception or fact, and the larger setting in which the Mishnah's sages did their work. Behind that judgment of the centrality of history and context in the interpretation of the materials we have studied is yet a further, deeper conviction about the way in which the work of description and interpretation should take place. Stated simply, the governing proposition is that the work of description and interpretation must be focused upon a system. It is to be defined within a carefully delineated context, a world-view. That is why we do not speak about women in general. We are concerned with the system of women within Mishnah's larger frame of meaning and order, that is, as a subset of Mishnah's total system, viewed as a whole. Our purpose, achieved through systemic description and analysis, remains the discovery of the structure and history of Mishnah, down to 200. We seek to locate the correct framework for the interpretation of the Judaism of the two Torahs, Scripture and Mishnah, which has predominated for two thousand years and which continues to constitute the normative version of Judaism. Self-evidently, Mishnah draws upon a sizable antecedent corpus of facts and even of conceptions, materials shaped within prior kinds of Judaism. But these it makes its own. That is the very nature of a system. All things are drawn together and reshaped into what Mishnah wants to make of them and arc made to say what

XIV

PREFACE

Mishnah wants to express through them. That is why the critical issue of the historical work is the character of Mishnah's system as a whole. In the concluding chapter I explain why I think this discussion of Mishnah may be deemed to constitute a system and to define a world-view worthy of sustained inquiry. But it is only after each of the principal comissues, ponents of the system has been analyzed as to its chief traits-its has been described in its themes, and recurrent, generative inquiries-and historical unfolding that the systemic question is raised and answered. The important questions are the obvious and simple ones. The truth lies in the most fundamental propositions. The most troublesome question in the study of Mishnah is why Mishnah chooses to deal with the six topics on which it does its work, and not some other set of six topics, or one, or three, or twenty-four topics. In this connection the system of women is no more interesting than systems of laws concerning priests, Levites, rabbis, or gentiles, which we do not have, or systems oflaws concerning torts, appointed seasons, and purities, which we do. What provokes and demands the systematization represented by a system of laws, unfolding through the massive exegetical labor required for the formation of a division, with its tractates and chapters? It is, to begin with, a principle of selection, operative throughout and applicable everywhere. Until that principle of selection is clarified, all else remains not fully explained or properly interpreted. The topic of this division is of greater current interest than elsewhere. The field of women's studies is taking shape even now. I enjoyed the advice of scholars familiar with the theoretical Iiterature of women's studies, particularly Professor Barbara Sobieszek, University of Rochester, and Ms. Elizabeth Weed, Sarah Doyle Women's Studies Center, Brown University. My rather limited frame of interest and set of questions did not do full justice to the breadth of knowledge and sophistication of perspective put forward by these generous colleagues. Professor Richard S. Sarason read the manuscript of this part of the work and made important observations, which I have printed as footnotes in his name. My dear friends, Professors Jonathan Z. Smith, The University of Chicago, Baruch A. Levine, New York University, Vvendell S. Dietrich, Brown University, and William Scott Green, University of Rochester, kindly discussed with me various problems and propositions and, as always, gave me the benefit of their ideas. If this book makes some modest contribution to the field of women's studies, as well as to the field for which it is intended, which is the study of Judaism within the history of religions, I shall be very proud.

PREFACE

xv

This work is dedicated to colleagues and their wives in those several universities in Germany and Britain which received me on the occasion of my tour of October, 1977. After presenting my Jubilee-lectures at the University of Tiibingen, I went where I was invited during the following week. Colleagues showed cordial hospitality and gave my ideas a critical and warm hearing. I am grateful for both. I write these concluding lines to the book in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, during the quarter in which I serve as Hill Professor at the University of Minnesota. I thank my hosts for bestowing upon me the honor of the Hill Professorship and express my gratitude, in particular to Professor Tzvee Zahavy for his hospitality during my stay in Minnesota. Minneapolis-St. Paul and Providence October 1, 1978 29 Elul 5737 The fifthyahrzeit of my father-in-law and friend, Max Richter, of Paterson, New Jersey and Jerusalem.

J.N.

ABBREVIATIONS AND BIBLIOGRAPHY AE Ah. Albeck

-

Ar. Arthur A.Z.

B.

-

B.B. B.M. B.Q. Baer

-

Bailey

-

Beauvoir Ber. Berger Berlin, 1968 Berlin, 1972 Berlin, 1971 Bert. Bes. Bik. Blackman

Cohen Cohen,Law Cohen, Roman Law Corbett

Daly Dem. Deut.

=

=

C

Daiches

=

&

Slotki

Tosafot R. Ahilot l;lanokh Albeck, Shiskah sidrl mishnah. Seder Nashim (Tel Aviv, 1954).

Baba> Me~i Baba' Qamma> Richard A. Baer, Jr., Phi/o's Use of the CategoriesMale and Female (Leiden, 1970). Derrick Sherwin Bailey, Sexual Relation in Christian Thought (N. Y., 1959). Simone de Beauvoir, The Second Sex. Translated and edited by H. M. Parshley (N.Y., 1953). Berakhot Isaiah Berger, ed., Analytical Index to The Jewish Quarter?),Review, 1889-1908 (N.Y., 1966). Charles Berlin, Harvard University Library. Catalogue of Hebrew Books (Cambridge, 1968), I-VI. Supplement (Cambridge, 1972), I-III. Widener Library Shelflist, 39. Judaica (Cambridge 1971). eb Yaskobitz (Lodz, 1929, Repr.: Bene Beraq, 1967) I-II. Maurice Simon, Gittin.. Translated into English with Notes, Glossary, and Indices (London, 1936). Israel W. Slotki, Yebamoth. Translated into English with Notes, Glos· sary, and Indices (London, 1936). Morton Smith, review, Boaz Cohen, Jewish and Roman Law, Journal of Biblical Literature 1967, 86: 238-241. Sotah David E. Y. Sarna, Lawrence H. Schiffman, David Wm. Sikt· berg, and Michael]. Strassfeld, A Computer-Aided Edition of the To· sefta Sotak. According to Codex Vienna. With variants from Codex

Suk. Swidler

-

T.

T

Ta. Tavard Tern. Ter. Toh. TR

T.Y. TYB TYT

TYY

-

Erfert and Editio Princeps (Venice, 1521) (Waltham, 1970). Sukkah Leonard Swidler, Women in Judaism. The Status of Women in For• mative Judaism (Metuchen, 1976). Uncritical, ignorant, and po· lemical. Nothing more than a collection of unanalyzed sayings, embellished with hostile sermons. Poorly written, poorly con· ceived, poorly executed. Tosefta Sidre Mishnah. Neziqin, Qodoshim, Tohorot. Ketab yad Yerushalayim, 1336. Ketab Yad beniqud left massoret Teman. (Repr.: Jerusalem,

1970). Introduction by S. Morag. Ta'anit George H. Tavard, Woman in Christian Tradition (Notre Dame, 1973). Temurah Terumot = Tohorot Saul Lieberman, Tosefet Rishonim. II. Seder Nashim, Neziqin, Qodoshim CTerusalem, 1938). Tebul Yorn Tife>ret Yisra>ei Bo'az. See TYY. Tosafot Yom Toh. Yorn Tob Lipman Heller, 1579-1654. From reprint of Mishnah, ed. Romm. Tife>ret Yisra>et, Ya/chin. Israel ben Gedaliah Lipschutz, 1782· 1860. (With supercommentary of Baruch Isaac Lipschutz = TYB.) From reprint of Mishnah, ed. Romm.

Unkrwwn

Mishnah. Sedarim Zeraim, Moed, Nashim. Unknown Edition. Printed in Pisaro or Constantinople. CTerusalem, 1970).

Uqs. V

'Uq~in

v•

Talmud Babli. Nidpas 'al yedi Daniel Bomberg bishenat 5282 [ = 1522]. Venezia. (Venice, 1522). Repr.: Jerusalem, 1971). Talmud Babli ... [as above]. Zeba{lim.

ABBREVIATIONS

Vat 130

Vat 110 Vat 112 Vat 111 Vermes, English Vermes, Perspective Wilson, Patterns Wilson, Sects Wolff

Wright, F. A. Wright, Helena Y.

Y.T. Yad. Yadin Varon Yeivin

Yeh.

z Zab. Zeb. Zinserling ZY

AND BIBLIOGRAPHY

XXIII

= Manuscripts