Asenath Barazani

Asenath Barazani, daughter of Samuel ben Netanel ha-Levi, of Kurdistan, was raised by her father to be a Torah scholar. Her marriage contract apparently stipulated that she would do no work aside from studying Torah. When her father died without any sons, her husband succeeded him as head of the yeshiva in Mosul. However, Asenath taught the students at the yeshiva, enabling her husband to devote himself to study. Subsequently, upon her husband’s death, Asenath took over the running of the yeshiva. She was respected by other scholars for her erudition, and in correspondence was addressed in terms reserved for rabbis and scholars. The family—and the yeshiva, which relied on donations—experienced great poverty, forcing Asenath to write to patrons and donors for financial support. The letters demonstrate her knowledge of Jewish literature and command of Hebrew. Asenath became a legendary figure in local folklore. Her name has been found in amulets, and her grave became a place of pilgrimage.