The Tosefta on Midwifery and Wet-Nursing

Hebrew

A Jewish woman may act as a midwife to and may nurse the child of a Samaritan woman. [And] a Samaritan woman may act as a midwife to and may nurse the child of a Jewish woman. [ . . . ]

A Jewish woman may not nurse a child of a non-Jewish woman because [by doing so] she raises [one] to idolatry. But a non-Jewish woman may nurse the child of a Jewish woman, with her permission.

A Jewish woman should not be a midwife to a non-Jewish woman [lit., star worshiper], for she is birthing one for [a life of] idolatry [lit., star worship]. Also, a non-Jewish woman [lit., star worshiper] should not act as a midwife to a Jewish woman since they are suspected of [endangering] lives. [These are] the words of R. Meir.

However, the sages used to say: A non-Jewish woman [lit., star worshiper] may act as a midwife to a Jewish woman as long as others are standing around her. But between them [i.e., the Jewish and the non-Jewish woman] alone it is forbidden, since they are suspected of [endangering] lives.

Translated by Markham J. Geller and Lennart Lehmhaus.

Credits

t. Avodah Zarah 3:3, trans. Markham J. Geller and Lennart Lehmhaus, publication forthcoming. Copyright Markham J. Geller and Lennart Lehmhaus. Used with permission of the translators.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 2: Emerging Judaism.

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