Bat ha-Levi

Bat ha-Levi (12th-century), was an Iraqi Jewish scholar. She gave lessons to male students and had a remarkable position for a Jewish woman in 12th-century Iraq.

Her name is not known, and she is known under the name Bat ha-Levi, meaning 'the daughter of the Levite'. She was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel ben Ali (Samuel ha-Levi ben al-Dastur, d. 1194), the Geon of Baghdad. In the Medieval Middle East, education was normally low for Jewish women, but Bat ha-Levi was a famous exception. She was active as a teacher and gave lessons to her father's male students from a window, with her students listening from the courtyard below. This arrangement intended to preserve her modesty as well as prevent the students from being diverted from their studies by her appearance.

A eulogy in the form of a poem by R. Eleazar ben Jacob ha-Bavli (c. 1195–1250), is believed to describe the virtues and wisdom of Bat ha-Levi.

Her activities were reported in the medieval travel diary Petachiah of Regensburg.

See also

• Miriam Shapira-Luria

References

• Baskin, J. R. (2012). Educating Jewish Girls in Medieval Muslim and Christian Settings. Making a Difference: Essays on the Bible and Judaism in Honor of Tamara Cohen Eskenazi. Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 19-37.
• Emily Taitz, Sondra Henry & Cheryl Tallan, The JPS Guide to Jewish Women: 600 B.C.E.to 1900 C.E., 2003
• https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/learned-women-in-traditional-jewish-society

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Women rabbis and Torah scholars

Timeline of women rabbis

Pre-modern
figures

Bible and Talmud	Deborah (1107–1067 BCE) Bruriah (2nd century)
Medieval and early modern era	Rashi's daughters (11th–12th century) Bat ha-Levi (12th century) Paula Dei Mansi (13th century) Miriam Shapira-Luria (14th century) Fioretta of Modena (1522–1580) Bayla Falk (16th century) Eva Bacharach (1580–1651) Asenath Barzani (1590–1670) Frehat Bat Avraham (d. 1756) Maiden of Ludmir (1805–1888)

Modern figures

• Ray Frank (1861–1948)
• Lily Montagu (1873–1963)
• Regina Jonas (1902–1944)
• Tehilla Lichtenstein (1893–1973)
• Paula Ackerman (1893–1989)
• Martha Neumark (1904–1981)
• Avis Clamitz (1908-1991)
• Helen Levinthal (1910–1989)
• Sally Priesand (b. 1946)
• Mimi Feigelson (b. 1963)

First ordination by denomination	Regina Jonas (Reform, 1935) Sandy Sasso (Reconstructionist, 1974) Lynn Gottlieb (Renewal, 1981) Amy Eilberg (Conservative, 1985) Tamara Kolton (Humanistic, 1999) Sara Hurwitz (Orthodox, 2009)

Alternate
rabbinical roles

• Yoetzet halacha
• Toanot Rabniyot

Organisations
and midrashot

• Women's Rabbinic Network
• Yeshivat Maharat
• Matan Women's Institute
• Midreshet Lindenbaum
• Nishmat Center
• Hadran

 Category: Women rabbis