Meneket Rivke

Translated from the original Yiddish to German, with an introduction and commentary by Frauke von Rohden A book of manners by one of the first female Jewish writers The first-known Yiddish book to be written by a woman, Menekes Rivke (Rivkah's Nurse) reveals a great deal about 16th- and 17th-century Jewish women's lives and religious practice. Like many books of manners, it includes Rivka bat Meir's sermons, her interpretations of the Bible, and other religious instructions on various topics to guide women in their familial relationships. Menekes Rivke pre-dates the work of Glueckel of Hamelin and makes a new contribution to the fields of Yiddish literature and Jewish women's literature. Von Rohden's translation and commentary serve to place the work within biblical and rabbinical literature, and within other Yiddish ethical works of Rivka bat Meir's time. This is the first book to include the original Yiddish text in English translation, as well as the original Yiddish manuscript of Rivka bat Meir's unpublished Simhas Toyre Lid.