The Jewish advance., 1880-08-13
CHICAGO, AUGUST 13, 1880.

sands of scholars, was learned in tn
Bible and Talmud and held public dis
courses to young people. Like Olympi;
Fulvia, who gave public instructions il
Basle, and whose writings are printed il
that place, this Bath Halevi, according
to the account of the traveller, Petachi;
of Regenburg, sat, during her readings
in box provided with panes of dark
glass, to prevent the young people from
seeing and perhaps casting their eyes
upon her.
The same precaution was observed one
hundred years later, by Miriam Scha-
pira, the daughter Of the learned Salo-
mon Schapira, and the sister of Perez of
Constance later she became the ances-
tress of the family of Loria, celebrated
in rabbinical literature. Miriam, too,
was thoroughly versed in the rabbinical
writings. Many years she was the head
of a high school, and she numbered dur
ing the course of her instruction, which
she always gave while deeply veiled,
countless disciples among her scholars.
A remarkable woman was Dolze, wife
of the learned Rabbi Elasar, of Worms.
She was familiar with all the rules gov
erning forbidden viands, instructed wo-
men in the order of prayers as in the
synagogue songs and, on Sabbath, held
public discourses. She was very pious,
and never neglected to herself bring
lights to the house of prayer, for the
Sabbath and other holy days ; she stood
during the entire Day of Atonement,
and not once would she allow herself to
sit down and rest. She supported her
husband and children, was extraordina-
rily charitable, and of SO gentle nature
that her husband confe5ses in a dirge of
which she is the subject, that, during
her whole life she had never grieved
him. This rare woman suffered mar
tyr's death two crusaders killed her
and her two daughters, Bellette and
Anna, at Erfurt, December 9th, 1918 or
1914.
Bruno, of Mentz, adopted the Arba
Canoes, (dress with the ritual shaw
threads,) whose use isiincumbent only
upon men; and the daughters Of R.
Abraham, of Orleans, would not be de-
MED the privilege of speaking the table
prayer in concert A Mrs. Lea was
versed in rabbinical literature. Toward
the beginning of 400 she asked the
rabbi of Mentz, Jacob ben Moses Halevi,
generally called Maharil after the initial
of his name, a question. of import which
she wrote out upon paper. Although
this rabbi, whose profitable business it
was to be mediator of marriages, was
not favorably inclined toward learned
women, he nevertheless, out of respect
for Lea's learned father, gave he a de-
tailed answer
At this time, according to the state
ment of the rabbi of Mentz before men
toned, there were many women in south
ern Germany who were familiar with all
the rabbinical laws which affected women
and were better versed in raJJinicis
than many men of those times.
To these, among others, belonged his
own sister who had had, for an instruc-
tress, a sister of R. Sin.cha, and Fromet
Ahrweiler the daughter of R. Ahrweiler
one of his correspondents. In 1870 she
herself copied for her husband, R. Sam
uel ben Moses, the rabbinical work
THE Little Mordechai," which work
composed by Samuel ,Schlettstadt, OF
Strassburg, is still in manuscript form
This copy, which is very correct one
is kept in the French National Library
of Paris.
Mrs. Hendel Cohen, widow of Paltie
Cohen of Breslau or Schweideitz, cores
ponded with r. Israel Isserlein concern
ing an inheritance; her intelligent an,
swers impressed him so favorably, that
in his second letter he addressed he1
with the biblical words: Be thou
praised among the women of the tent,
It was to this woman. we surmise, that