Chattel or Person?: The Status of Women in the Mishnah [Hardcover]

Judith Romney Wegner (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 1988 | ISBN-10: 0195051696 | ISBN-13: 978-0195051698

Exploring the place of women in the socioeconomic system formulated in the Mishnah, a book of legal rules with a spiritual basis compiled by Jewish sages in 2nd-century Palestine, this study reveals a fundamental ambiguity in the role of women. Both the property and the peers of men, in some circumstances women were considered to possess no powers, rights, or duties in law, and in others were judged morally, practically, and intellectually fit to own property, conduct business, engage in lawsuits, and manage their own personal affairs. Wegner spells out in detail these variations in status, analyzes them, and isolates the factors that account for differential treatment of different classes of women in the private domain and for differential treatment of men and women in the public domain of mishnaic culture, relating her findings to recent developments in feminist analyses of the status of women in patriarchy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The difficulty in using rabbinic materials to assess the place of women in Jewish antiquity has now been significantly alleviated by Judity Wegner's penetrating study of women as portrayed in the Mishnah....Will be extraordinaryly valuable to all concerned with the historic roots of women's role in Western religious traditions."--Journal of Religion

"A ground-breaking study....A major, vital contribution"--Critical Review

"A welcome entry into the realm of rabbinic studies, Chattel or Person? is seminal to the project of restructuring that field with concerns of gender."--Biblical Archaeologist

"An impressive piece of work, rich in evidence and important in its interpretation."--Joan W. Scott, Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton

"A dispassionate, academic, readable study of women's legal status in the Mishnah....Wegner's book is more than a scholarly analysis of a Jewish legal text. It challenges Jewish feminists to reconsider their goals and the efforts needed to achieve them."--Lilith

"An important and original study, informed by a deep knowledge of law and legal theory and based on a careful reading of the rabbinic texts. The book is a rare and successful combination of law, feminist theory, and rabbinics."--Shaye Cohen, Jewish Theological Seminary

"A seminal work, first-rate."--Ellen Umansky, Emory University

"Convincing and correct....A valable book....Wegner's book provides a cornerstone for further research dealing with the stats and image of woman in rabbinical literature....All scholars, however, will have to resort to this original, pathfinding study."--Journal of Jewish Studies

"A valuable book for everyone interested in women's role in Judaism. It is a work that will surely be the basis for future studies of the status of women in Judaism."--Neshama

About the Author

Judith Romney Wegner, Professor of Religion, University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (December 29, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195051696
• ISBN-13: 978-0195051698
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,795,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarifying the Mishnaic status of women, September 14, 2006

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Chattel or Person?: The Status of Women in the Mishnah (Hardcover)

Wegner tries to understand the status of woman as given in the Mishnah. Her major point is that it is by and large determined by her sexual status. A minor girl is under the authority of her father, a married woman under that of her husband. The father can sell the daughter to her prospective husband. The wife must undergo the trial of 'Sotah' at suspicion of infidelity, whereas there is no such demand of the husband.
Wenger claims that women , such as the girl who attains adult status, the divorcee, who are not under the sexual jurisdiction of a man have prerogatives and freedom.
Wenger too points out however the privileges and respect the system gives to women, the way the Torah protects the woman by such means as Ketubbah, and by the Halachic demands made upon the husband to provide for his wife's sexual needs, her food and clothing, her standard of living at least as high as it was previously.
Wegner says that women in the Mishnah have mixed status often, combining elements of being chattel and of being independent respected persons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chattel or Person : The Status of Women in the Mishnah, September 30, 2000

By 

"sirblade" (Philadelphia, Pa, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Chattel or Person?: The Status of Women in the Mishnah (Hardcover)

Knowing the complexities associated with studying Jewish Law, especially those laws based on gender, this book is an asset to you library.

Wegner explains these laws, offers a variety of Rabbinic commentaries throughout the centuries as well as modern day feminist interpretations and arguments. Her easy to follow commentary makes understanding the history of the Mishnah and purpose of these laws a comprehendable process for the professor as well as the students of the Mishnah. I would highly recommend adding this book to your library, preferably in hardback, seeing how you will refer to it time and time again.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic resource, well researched and well written, October 31, 2011

By 

Maurice D. Harris - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Chattel or Person?: The Status of Women in the Mishnah (Hardcover)

I've returned to this book over and over again in my work as a writer and a rabbi. It remains important and relevant!