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The daughters of Rashi; lives they might have led
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Reviewed by SORIYA DANIELS, Freelance Writer
Rashi’s Daughters: Book One — Joheved. By Maggie Anton. Banot Press. Glendale, Calif. 2005. $15.95.
First-time author Maggie Anton takes readers of Rashi’s Daughters: Book One — Joheved back to medieval 11th-century France on a journey exploring the personal lives, hopes, trials and tribulations of the great Talmudic sage Rashi and his immediate family. It’s a mesmerizing tale of part fiction and part fact. As the book title implies, Rashi’s Daughters: Book One is the first novel in what Anton anticipates will become a trilogy to explore the personal and intellectual lives of Rashi’s three daughters: Joheved, Miriam and Rachel.
Lacking sons, Rashi made the fateful decision to break tradition and teach his three daughters Talmud, despite objections from his wife and the radical departure from the religious-cultural norms of the time. For years, learning Talmud became Joheved’s and Miriam’s secret bedtime ritual.
Rashi’s private Talmud lessons to his eldest daughter Joheved is so engrossing, it’s easy to immerse yourself in each lesson as though being personally taught by Rashi himself. As intriguing as these lessons may be, it is but one facet of this thoroughly enjoyable, memorable and illuminating portrait of Rashi’s family and the dramatic lives they might have lived.
It is also a story of love, marriage, and family — and the timeless struggles these can bring, such as finding an appropriate spouse, dealing with infertility, caring for a parent with dementia, difficulties earning a living, and dealing with challenges within marriage, particularly communication problems.
Each character, so vividly and warmly portrayed, struggles in at least one of these areas. Rashi, an esteemed Torah scholar and founder of his own yeshiva, winemaker, son, husband and father, also comes vividly to life.
The author’s seven years of historical research coupled with a decade of Talmud study is well evidenced — she adeptly details the use of medicinal herbs and how they are gathered, not to mention well-researched descriptions of rituals practiced by medieval Jews who were ever-cognizant of demons and evil forces. Incorporating elements of magical thinking, Anton describes numerous magic potions and protective amulets from days of yore. Well-written and peppered with charming terminology of the day, the reader is transported to a time when moss was used in lieu of toilet paper, people stayed close to the hearth to keep warm, and stirabout was the staple food, while wine and ale were the only beverages to choose from.
From the early pages of the book, which quickly absorb the reader into the drama of Rashi’s household, childbirth proves a very dangerous undertaking, even with an experienced midwife like Rashi’s sister-in-law and his daughter Miriam as assistant.
Rashi’s Daughters even touches a bit upon kabbalah with the arrival on the scene of a mystic from the Middle East.
Anton skillfully interweaves Talmudic discourse, particularly those with sexual content, with events of her imagination to create this romantic drama.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself drawn to study Talmud after reading this engaging book. At the very least, you will never think of Rashi the same way again.
Rashi’s Daughters: Book One — Joheved. By Maggie Anton. Banot Press. Glendale, Calif. 2005. $15.95.
First-time author Maggie Anton takes readers of Rashi’s Daughters: Book One — Joheved back to medieval 11th-century France on a journey exploring the personal lives, hopes, trials and tribulations of the great Talmudic sage Rashi and his immediate family. It’s a mesmerizing tale of part fiction and part fact. As the book title implies, Rashi’s Daughters: Book One is the first novel in what Anton anticipates will become a trilogy to explore the personal and intellectual lives of Rashi’s three daughters: Joheved, Miriam and Rachel.
Lacking sons, Rashi made the fateful decision to break tradition and teach his three daughters Talmud, despite objections from his wife and the radical departure from the religious-cultural norms of the time. For years, learning Talmud became Joheved’s and Miriam’s secret bedtime ritual.
Rashi’s private Talmud lessons to his eldest daughter Joheved is so engrossing, it’s easy to immerse yourself in each lesson as though being personally taught by Rashi himself. As intriguing as these lessons may be, it is but one facet of this thoroughly enjoyable, memorable and illuminating portrait of Rashi’s family and the dramatic lives they might have lived.
It is also a story of love, marriage, and family — and the timeless struggles these can bring, such as finding an appropriate spouse, dealing with infertility, caring for a parent with dementia, difficulties earning a living, and dealing with challenges within marriage, particularly communication problems.
Each character, so vividly and warmly portrayed, struggles in at least one of these areas. Rashi, an esteemed Torah scholar and founder of his own yeshiva, winemaker, son, husband and father, also comes vividly to life.
The author’s seven years of historical research coupled with a decade of Talmud study is well evidenced — she adeptly details the use of medicinal herbs and how they are gathered, not to mention well-researched descriptions of rituals practiced by medieval Jews who were ever-cognizant of demons and evil forces. Incorporating elements of magical thinking, Anton describes numerous magic potions and protective amulets from days of yore. Well-written and peppered with charming terminology of the day, the reader is transported to a time when moss was used in lieu of toilet paper, people stayed close to the hearth to keep warm, and stirabout was the staple food, while wine and ale were the only beverages to choose from.
From the early pages of the book, which quickly absorb the reader into the drama of Rashi’s household, childbirth proves a very dangerous undertaking, even with an experienced midwife like Rashi’s sister-in-law and his daughter Miriam as assistant.
Rashi’s Daughters even touches a bit upon kabbalah with the arrival on the scene of a mystic from the Middle East.
Anton skillfully interweaves Talmudic discourse, particularly those with sexual content, with events of her imagination to create this romantic drama.
Don’t be surprised if you find yourself drawn to study Talmud after reading this engaging book. At the very least, you will never think of Rashi the same way again.
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