The Sense of a Woman

Women rarely make appearances in the male-dominated world of the Talmud. But the few places where they do speak certainly make an impression, none greater than that made by the brilliant and ever-witty Beruria.

Beruria—her very name means clarity—is said to be the wife of the great Tanna Rabbi Meir and the daughter of Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradyon, martyred in the Bar Kokhba revolt. She is cited as an exemplar of academic brilliance in her mastery of complex subjects and the ability to learn 300 traditions from 300 rabbis in a single day.