About the book
The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic explores the stories of the six named heroines of the Talmud: Yalta the shrew, Homa the femme fatale, Marta the prima donna, Heruta the madonna/whore, Beruria the overreacherix, and Ima Shalom the angel in the house.
While every one of these women appears at first glance to embody an anti-feminist archetype, a careful, sensitive rereading reveals that that the heroine is far more complex than she first seems; and that the rabbis had rather surprising – so as not to say proto-feminist – views of marriage, sex, childbirth, and what it means to be a woman in the world.
The Madwoman in the Rabbi’s Attic is the Winner of the 74th National Jewish Book Award and the 2024 Rabbi Sacks Book Prize
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