Bat ha-Levi

Bat ha-Levi (12th-century), was an Iraqi Jewish scholar. She gave lessons to male students and had a remarkable position for a Jewish woman in 12th-century Iraq. Her name is not known, and she is known under the name Bat ha-Levi, meaning 'the daughter of the Levite'. She was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel ben Ali (Samuel ha-Levi ben al-Dastur, d. 1194), the Geon of Baghdad. In the Medieval Middle East, education was normally low for Jewish women, but Bat ha-Levi was a famous exception. She was active as a teacher and gave lessons to her father's male students from a window, with her students listening from the courtyard below. This arrangement intended to preserve her "modesty" as well as prevent the students from being diverted from their studies by her appearance.

Bat ha-Levi

Bat ha-Levi (12th-century), was an Iraqi Jewish scholar. She gave lessons to male students and had a remarkable position for a Jewish woman in 12th-century Iraq. Her name is not known, and she is known under the name Bat ha-Levi, meaning 'the daughter of the Levite'. She was the daughter of Rabbi Samuel ben Ali (Samuel ha-Levi ben al-Dastur, d. 1194), the Geon of Baghdad. In the Medieval Middle East, education was normally low for Jewish women, but Bat ha-Levi was a famous exception. She was active as a teacher and gave lessons to her father's male students from a window, with her students listening from the courtyard below. This arrangement intended to preserve her "modesty" as well as prevent the students from being diverted from their studies by her appearance.