Miriam Shapira-Luria
| Miriam Shapira-Luria | |
|---|---|
| Born | Konstanz |
| Other names | Rabbanit Miriam |
| Ethnicity | Jewish |
| Known for | Woman Talmudic scholar |
| Spouse(s) | Yochanan Luria |
| Parent(s) | Solomon Shapira |
Miriam Shapira-Luria, also known as Rabbanit Miriam, was a Talmudic scholar of the Late Middle Ages. According to academic Lawrence H. Fuchs, she was one of the "most noted" women Talmud scholars.[1]
Family
Miriam Shapira-Luria was born sometime in the late 14th early 15th centuries[2][3][4][5][6][7] in Konstanz, on the southern German border.[5] Her father was Rabbi Solomon Shapira, a descendant of Rashi, the renowned 11th century commentator.[3][4][6] Shapira-Luria's brother was the noted rabbi, Peretz of Konstanz.[6] Her husband, Yochanan Luria[3] was a rabbi who was known to interpret the Talmud liberally.[1]
Talmud teacher
Shapira-Luria, also known as Rabbanit Miriam,[2] taught in Padua, Italy.[8] She conducted a yeshiva (a higher institution for the study of central Jewish texts) and gave public lectures on Jewish codes of law.[4][5] She was thoroughly conversant in rabbinical writings,[6] and Nahida Ruth Lazarus writes that her "Talmudic disputations with other distinguished scholars of her time created a great sensation."[9] Female community teachers were rare in Jewish tradition but "not unheard of", according to Norma Baumel Joseph, who lists as other examples Huldah, Bruriah, Asenath Barzani, and Nechama Leibowitz.[10]
Shapira-Luria was also known for her beauty, and she taught Talmud to elite young men from behind a curtain so that they would not get distracted by her appearance.[2][5]
Despite her standing as a scholar, Shapira-Luria was never given an aliyah (called up to a Torah reading) or included in a minyan (the quorum of ten male Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations).[1]
Descendants
Shapira-Luria was the ancestress of the Luria rabbinical family,[6] notably the grandmother of Solomon Luria (Maharshal), the renowned posek (Jewish law decisor).[3]
References
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- ↑ Baumel Joseph, Norma. "The Feminist Challenge to Judaism: Critique and Transformation", in Joy, Morny; Neumaier-Dargyay, Eva K.; Gerhart, Mary (1995). Gender, Genre and Religion: Feminist Reflections. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. p. 63.
