Tales of the Neighborhood: Jewish Narrative Dialogues in Late Antiquity

224 Pages·2003·0.79 MB·English

by  Galit Hasan-Rokem

Tales of the Neighborhood
the taubman lectures in jewish studies
Daniel Boyarin, Series Editor
1. Biblical Prose Prayer as a Window to the Popular Religion of Ancient Israel,
by Moshe Greenberg
2. Hebrew Poetry in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance,by Dan Pagis
3. The Promise of the Land: The Inheritance of the Land of Canaan by the
Israelites,by Moshe Weinfeld
4. Tales of the Neighborhood: Jewish Narrative Dialogues in Late Antiquity,
by Galit Hasan-Rokem
The Taubman Professorship and Lectures
The Herman P. and Sophia Taubman Visiting Professorship in Jewish
Studies was established at the University of California, Berkeley, in
1975 by grants from Milton I. Taubman and the Taubman Foundation;
an equal sum was contributed by the family of Maurice Amado,
Walter A. Haas, Daniel E. Koshland, Madeleine Haas Russell, and
Benjamin H. Swig. Distinguished scholars in the field of Jewish studies
are invited to teach at Berkeley for the enrichment of students and to
give open lectures for the benefit of the public at large. Publication of
the lectures is made possible by a special gift of the Taubman
Foundation.
Tales of the
Neighborhood
Jewish Narrative Dialogues in
Late Antiquity
Galit Hasan-Rokem
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS
Berkeley Los Angeles London
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the
generous contribution to this book provided by
the David and Susan Wirshup Endowment in
Jewish Studies of the University of California
Press Associates
University of California Press
Berkeley and Los Angeles, California
University of California Press, Ltd.
London, England
© 2003 by the Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Hasan-Rokem, Galit.
Tales of the neighborhood : Jewish narrative dialogues in late
antiquity / Galit Hasan-Rokem.
p. cm. — (The Taubman lectures in Jewish studies ; 4)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-520-23453-7 (alk. paper).
1. Jews—Israel—Galilee—Folklore. 2. Legends, Jewish—
History and criticism. 3. Galilee (Israel)—Social life and
customs. 4. Rabbinical literature—History and criticism.
5. Women in rabbinical literature. 6. Folklore in rabbinical
literature. I. Title. II. Taubman lectures in Jewish studies.
Sixth series.
gr286.g35 h37 2003
398.2'089'924—dc21 2002011200
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The paper used in this publication is both acid-free and totally
chlorine-free (tcf). It meets the minimum requirements of
ansi/niso z39.48–1992 (r1997) (Permanence of Paper).(cid:2)∞
In memory of my mother,
Bat-Sheva (Pipsu) Hasan, née Blaugrund
(1919–1956)

CONTENTS
Preface ix
1. Erecting the Fence: Texts, Contexts,
Theories, and Strategies 1
2. Peeping through a Hole:
Comparing and Borrowing 28
3. Building the Gate, or Neighbors Make
Good Fences 55
4. The Evasive Center: Hadrian, the Old Man,
the Neighbor, and the Rabbinic Rhetoric
of the Empire 86
5. Between Us: A Conclusion 138
Notes 145
Index of Ancient Sources and Authors 191
General Index 195
Index of Modern Authors 205

PREFACE
One of my earliest childhood memories takes place in the court-
yard of an old wooden townhouse in the city of Turku in south-
western Finland. It is a bright day; the women, including my
mother, my nanny, our cook, and the neighbor woman, sit in the
sun. At the other end of the courtyard there is a blacksmith’s
workshop where horses are shod. This is the spring of 1947. One
or two of the women—my mother is probably not one of them—
are engaged in some domestic work, possibly peeling potatoes.
They are also involved in a pleasant talk, bridging the social and
ethnic differences with ease—my mother is the only Jewish
woman in this group. The neighbor’s son, Jukka, drives proudly
around in a model car operated by pedals. I want to take turns on
the car, but Jukka refuses to release the hold over his most pre-
cious toy. I grow extremely impatient, and finally I clutch a
considerable amount of his wheat-blond hair and pull it really
hard. Jukka screams and instantly pays back with the same
gesture.
ix