Thank you for this interesting blog - the Rebbetzin was indeed a formidable figure in the Jewish dv movement. I was struck however by the analysis of the text in the Talmud- I read it differently - as an acknowledgment that abuse did happen, and that Maimonides is teaching men (who will be the ones reading and learning the text) how to treat their wives - not to yell, not to intimidate, not to get angry. So rather than reinforcing a myth, this text acknowledges and tries to rectify the way Jewish husbands were treating their wives.
I'm also curious about why the writer says that the text is used to perpetuate a myth that 'abuse isn't a Jewish value..." In all my years of work on this issue, i have never come across a community or culture where the value itself is abuse - rather abuse is the result of other values - such as obedience, patriarchy, privilege for example - but abuse itself would not be the value that is espoused.
Thank you for this interesting blog - the Rebbetzin was indeed a formidable figure in the Jewish dv movement. I was struck however by the analysis of the text in the Talmud- I read it differently - as an acknowledgment that abuse did happen, and that Maimonides is teaching men (who will be the ones reading and learning the text) how to treat their wives - not to yell, not to intimidate, not to get angry. So rather than reinforcing a myth, this text acknowledges and tries to rectify the way Jewish husbands were treating their wives.
I'm also curious about why the writer says that the text is used to perpetuate a myth that 'abuse isn't a Jewish value..." In all my years of work on this issue, i have never come across a community or culture where the value itself is abuse - rather abuse is the result of other values - such as obedience, patriarchy, privilege for example - but abuse itself would not be the value that is espoused.