Responsum: On a Husband Who Objects to His Wife Teaching (I)

Moses Maimonides

Responsum 45

Late 12th Century

Colorful illustration of four figures: a woman with her arm held by a white-bearded man, both standing before a red-bearded man on a throne holding a spear, with a fourth figure hiding behind him, all wearing decorated turbans and robes, with Arabic text zig-zagging along the side.
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In this fascinating case, a man complains that his wife began teaching Torah while he was away. He does not wish to divorce her because he would suffer financial loss. Instead, he wants to take a second wife, but his current wife refuses to allow him to do so. In a second responsum, the wife comes to Maimonides to present her side of the story.

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Related Guide

Early Medieval Law and Religious Observance

7th to 12th Century

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