Mothers and Children. Jewish Family Life in Medieval Europe - Elisheva Baumgarten

32. R. Meir b. Barukh, Shut Maharam(Prague), no. 314 and parallels.


33. In general, the synagogue was a place that children frequented, especially after they reached
    the age of education, but at a younger age as well. See n. 36.
    34.SHP, no. 432.
    35.Sefer HaOrah attributed to Rashi, ed. Solomon Buber (Lemberg, 1905), 2: no. 133; for a
    slightly different wording of the story, see R. Solomon b. Isaac, Responsa Rashi, no. 344.


34. For example: Midrash Yez·irat haValad, 1: 244; SHP, no. 432.
    37.SHP, no. 484.
    38.SHP, no. 432 discusses the possibility of the father not attending the synagogue because he
    was busy caring for his son.


35. Shah·ar, Childhood, 169, nn. 181–83; Berkvam, Enfance et maternité, 12.


36. For example: Berthold of Regensburg, a thirteenth-century Franciscan monk, stated that
    women’s devotion to their children was comparable to God’s devotion to humanity. Schultz,
    Knowledge of Childhood, 110. On Berthold, see Volker Mertens, “Berthold v. Regensburg,” LdM,
    1:2035–36.


37. Grayzel, Church and Jews, 1:180–83: “Ad quod illa respondit, quod cum puer adhuc infans
    existat, antea partum onerosus, dolorosus in partu, post partum laboriosus matrimonium quam
    patrimonium nuncupetur, dictus puer apud matrem quam apud patrem.”


38. From here the passage is repeated in SHP, no. 962.


39. Until this point, I am quoting from SHP, no. 301. The end of this passage is from a paral-
    lel source, no. 962.
    44.SHP, no. 301.


40. Shah·ar, Childhood, 169–74; Alain Molinier, “Nourrir, éduquer et transmettre,” L’histoire
    des pères et de la paternité, eds. Jacques Delemeau et Danîel Roche (Paris 1990), 100.
    46.SHP, no. 302.
    47.SHP, no. 15.


41. Supra, p. 17.


42. Shah·ar, Childhood, 169–74; Hufton, The Prospects before Her: A History of Women in West-
    ern Europe, 1500–1800(New York, 1995), 1:177–220.


43. Shah·ar, Childhood, 112–17.


44. R. Judah b. Samuel H·asid, Perushei haTorah leRabbi Yehuda heH·asid, 1 Kings 3:16, 59.
    52.JPS translates the word tovas beautiful, but, in this case, the commentator wishes to avoid
    exactly this translation.


45. The Hebrew word here is banim, literally sons. It is unclear, however, if the commentator
    sought to distinguish between genders in this case. More likely, he employed the male form to
    refer to male and female children alike.
    54.Sefer Tosafot haShalem, Exod. 2:2, no. 7.


46. R. Jacob Mulin, Shut Maharil, no. 104–105.


47. For a summary of this research, see Hanawalt, “Medievalists and the Study of Childhood.”


48. BT Mo’ed Katan 27b.


49. The story first appears in the Maccabees: 2 Macc. 2; 4 Macc. 15–16.


50. This story is attributed to Sefer H·asidim by the Tosafist commentary on BT Kiddushin 80b,
    s.v. “K’hahi ma aseh,” which is centered around the verse in Lam. 3:39, “Of what shall a living
    man complain.” I have not found this story in any print or manuscript version of the book. My
    thanks to Dr. Rami Reiner who discussed this passage with me.
    60.SHP, no. 293.


51. Haberman, Gezerot Ashkenaz veZ·arfat, 166–67.
    62.SHP, nos. 132, 322, 327, 541, 1019, 1184, 1526. Others mention this idea as well: Rashi,
    Ta’anit 8a, s.v. “MeHulda vebor”; R. Moses of Zurich, Semak of Zurich, no. 356 and no. 402.
    63.Sefer haGematriyot leRabbi Judah heH·asid, fol. 22b.


52. While this passage discusses the possible dire consequences of the sins of mothers and fa-

234 NOTES TO CHAPTER 5