Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved: A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France, by Maggie Anton

Rashi'sJoheved: A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France

Maggie Anton

Part of a three volume series, Rashi's Daughters, Book I: Joheved: A Novel of Love and the Talmud in Medieval France offers a quite unique glimpse of a long ago time and a rare cculture, the insular and fragile community of European Jews.  It takes place in Troyes in France during a period of perhaps some of the greatest peace for Jewish people in the early Middle Ages, all the more precious to see since just years later with the First Crusade that peace will be shattered.

This novel is something of a "Little House in the Jewish Quarter" in that it tells the story of a strong father, loving mother, and their three daughters.  The eldest daughter, Joheved, longs for scholarship in her own right.  her father, the historical Rashi (see Random Biographies) struggles with whether teaching girls the Talmud is appropriate, but lacking a son relents and agrees to teach all his daughters.  Fears that their education will scare off potential husbands proves needless, and the conclusion is that the fruit of two intellligent parents is bound also to be a scholar.

Much of this novel is about the family's life and specifically Joheved's courtship, marriage, and troubles.  One very non-Ingalls-like aspect is the Jewish view of marital relations.  I doubt little Laura Ingalls ever heard sex referred to as "the Holy Deed" in real life, no less in the children's books.  Adn that's too bad.  That at least is a step in the right direction towards homane concepts of sexuality.  The elaborateness and depth of superstition in this Jewish community is either hilaious or alarming as you see it.  Nevertheless the deep caring within the families in this n ovel, and no doubt the two sequels, is a joy to share with them.

This book and its two sequels are all on Kindle and text to speech enabled, making them all accessible for people like me who can't read prrint.  I am grateful.  I fully intend to read the two remaining novels.