Yoh·ani is not called a midwife in any source. Rather she is referred to as a witch
(makhshefah). She does not help the women physically or prescribe herbs;
rather, she prays for them.
I would suggest that this source does not indicate an ambiguous category of
midwife. Rather, Yoh·ani is one of a number of attendants at birth. As mentioned
at the outset of this chapter, every birth was attended by a number of women.
The midwife clearly bore professional authority. Also present was a woman who
prayed for the parturient. This Jewish woman, perhaps a widow who was known
to be righteous, would pray for the Jewish women, just as nuns often attended
the births of Christian woman and prayed for them.^145 R. Gershom’s text sup-
ports this suggestion. He distinguishes between different attendants and explains
that the wise women encourage the parturient and give her directions how to
“bear her fate” (in other words, endure labor), while other women, described
as nursing the woman in labor, hold her down.^146 A similar division of labor
among the attendants of birth can be found in the Spanish Sefer haToladot. The
text describes a midwife who massages the laboring woman’s body while other
attendants explain to her how to react to her contractions.^147 Besides these at-
tendants, a praying woman might also have been present. In the medieval texts,
the midwife or the other attendants are not suspected of witchcraft.
As mentioned before, the midwives were responsible for the welfare of their
clients, but many other measures were taken to safeguard women during preg-
nancy and childbirth. They were fed healthy and wholesome foods, and all their
wishes were to be indulged.^148 Pregnant women were not allowed to leave the
house on their own and were instructed to wear special amulets and belts. These
amulets are mentioned in the halakhic literature concerning the wearing of
amulets on the Sabbath. They are generally called by their Talmudic term “avnei
tekuma.” These were stones, some of them red rubies or garnets, which were be-
lieved to protect women from miscarrying.^149 A different stone mentioned in
the sources is the aetites, which cannot be clearly identified.^150 Other women
hung a gold coin or parts of an animal’s body around their necks. A popular
amulet was a rabbit’s heart. Another custom of women was to wear their hus-
band’s belts. These belts were often embroidered with protective formulas.^151
These beliefs are found in many cultures and were also part of the sur-
rounding contemporary Christian culture. Beliefs concerning foods that were
good for the pregnant woman, stones that protected her and her fetus, as well
as belts, were all standard care for pregnant women. There were, however,
clear religious differences between the Jewish and Christian practices. While
we know that the Christian amulets and belts were inscribed with praises to the
Virgin Mary and other patron saints of birth, such as St. Margaret, Jews did not
use these same formulas. Hildegard of Bingen tells of a stone, sardonyx, that
Christian women used during pregnancy to alleviate pain, and during birth to
help expedite labor. They put this stone on their stomachs and prayed to Jesus
for protection.^152 While Jews used similar stones during labor, they did not
rick simeone
(Rick Simeone)
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