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Maggie,Thank you so much for the wonderful trilogy of Rashi's Daughters. We have a wonderful tradition of at each meeting taking time to discuss and debate elements of Torah and Talmud. We have agreed that it is profitable to discuss and debate what we share and embrace in common, rather than to argue differences. My background: I have been a male nurse for over 30 years, have many Jewish friends and I am Catholic. Of course I study Scripture as well but your books have brought to life the seasons of both faith and life in a manner that has allowed me to retain and understand as opposed to mere rote memorization of facts. Your books have provided me a greater understanding of the beautiful Jewish faith. I have read the first two and am anxiously awaiting arrival of the third book. Some were concerned or confused that I might be violating my faith and I explained that as children of Abraham we also embrace and hold sacred all Torah.
Without appearing vain, in our discussion my Jewish friends have been impressed with my knowledge of holidays, Torah, Talmud, and various interpretations of each. On some occasions I have even been able to answer their questions. I thank you for the wonderful books you have written which not only cover the religious aspects but also the social, political, economic, and cultural ones as well. Baruch atah Adonai ha-po-race sukkat shalom a-leynu v'al-kol a-mo yisrael v'al Yerushalayim Shalom,Donald
I received the 3 book set and am very pleased. The combination of wonderful stories, history and talmudic passages are not only entertaining but very informative.
We see the class struggles and we get the world of ideas. "Rashi's Daughters: Joheved: A Novel of Love and Talmud in Medieval France," Penguin Plume, 2005.A Human DramaAmos LassenIn 1608, Salomon ben Isaac returned home to Troyes, France so that he could take over the family business of winemaking. but from the point of view of a woman. He also began a journey of knowledge which still influences the way Judaism regards the sacred text, the Torah. She knows the politics and how to make parchment and soap and this is all given to us in great detail. Women were not to study so se had to keep her passion hidden. A daughter at that time was considered to be chattel and the only choice she really ever had was about her marriage.
When she eventually became engaged to Meir ben Samuel, she was forced to choose between happiness in marriage and being true to her love for Talmud.This is the first of a trilogy about the daughters of Rashi and is about a time when most women were illiterate. Joheved, the eldest of his daughters, discovered that this study awakened her mind but she was also aware that there was a risk involved. Rashi's daughters, however, were not only literate but they studied Talmud. This is a welcome addition to Jewish (and all) literature and the book is a compelling read.
Anton, Maggie. Joheved was strong-willed and she was an intellectual. When the time came for her to marry she wanted a man who matched her intellectually and who was not just someone to father her children.I understand that the author spent seven years in research for this book and she manages to put us into 11th century France. She brings in Talmudic discourse and the harvesting of grapes as she creates wonderful characters. Joheved's wish to study the Talmud was something unheard of at that time in France and what we read seems so real it is as if Maggie Anton had actually been there. We know he was perhaps the greatest of Jewish scholars but we do not know him as a father around the house. He wrote the first commentary of the Talmud and began to teach Talmud secretly to his daughters. As for the master himself, Rashi, he is larger than life and we see him as a son, as a husband, as a father and a grandfather as well as a great scholar.Anton writes in crisp language and she takes us back in time to give us a look into a fascinating world.
The author brings the age to life by being full of information and wonderful detail. She recreates the French community of the time and included details of Jewish ritual. Most of know who Rashi was but few of us know anything about Rashi, the person. We are drawn in and we stay there, knowing that another book is coming.
I am deeply impressed with the research that went into this book as well as Anton's ability to compile an enjoyable story from her research.Unfortunately, it is clear that Anton does not know enough about living the type of authentically observant life that Rashi and his family enjoyed to write about these people without over-laying them with a 21st century mentality.Those of us who follow the traditions given down from parent to child over the generations know that Rashi's daughters did not wear tefillin and learn Talmud because they were rebels. But so were most of the Jewish men. I am an Orthodox Jew who happens to deeply enjoy history and well-written historic fiction. E.g., the prohibition against mature, unmarried men and women touching at all (not to mention "making out" or "snogging" or what have you), along with the observance of the laws of married life, create an intense, passionate bond between husband and wife. Unfortunately, books which do not portray Torah true Judaism accurately tend to do more harm than good. On the contrary, they were very holy women who followed the law to the letter. - basically all of the accumulated studies) would be foolish enough to put themselves in a position such as the female characters in this book found themselves with their "beaux."To clarify what one of the other reviewers stated, yes, Jewish women at that time were mostly illiterate - especially as regards to Judaic studies.
And learning more than that was even harder to accomplish.On the other hand, Anton's portrayal of Rashi's mother as an active, educated intelligent woman who ran her own business is strikingly accurate. I have strongly mixed feelings about this book. Only the special few - those with outstanding mental abilities or those with the finances to pay for an education - were able to learn enough to read and/or write Hebrew. Judaism is, at its authentic pure level, NOT a sexist religion.Further, those of us who live the observant lifestyle are aware at a bone-deep level the benefits of abstaining from prohibited activites. No intelligent woman (or man) who has lived this lifestyle and learned significant amounts of Torah (the term Torah is often used to include the Talmud, Mishnah, Midrashim, etc. Plus, I enjoyed learning about the lifestyle and history of Jews living during the time of Rashi.I really would have preferred to give the book 3 1/2 stars or even 3.75 stars, because I do think it is very well-written and interesting. From the other reviews I have read, this already seems to be the case.
What a disgrace that this book ever saw the light of day.I have bought the book, and have thrown it into the bin. His daughters were known for their piety and generous natures. Rashi was one of the Jewish religion's holiest men of the Middle Ages. Even that was being kind on it. They are held up in many places as the prime example of how a Jewish woman should live.The disgusting distortion of the truth that appears in this book portrays them as sexual perverts and low-lives. The author admits that she made up most of the book, and only based it loosely on historical fact.Why on earth did anyone see fit to publish such an insult to these inspiring women. Don't waste your money on this rubbish.If you want cheap sexual stimulation, buy yourself some pulp fiction. If you want a historically accurate account of great women, but something based on the truth.On no account buy this appalling book.
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