ABSTRACT
The study of what is generally considered as “non-Jewish sources,” such as judicial documents, notarial acts and testaments, has revealed a socio-economic reality of European and Mediterranean Jewries that is quite different from the impression created by the study of Jewish normative and rabbinical literature. This is particularly true of Jewish women. “The widow stands out as the most active and independent woman in Jewish society, especially if she had financial means.” This is an accepted image, which can also be applied to non-Jewish women in pre-modern society. Jewish traditional society tended to marry off young girls as early as possible in order to avoid their remaining spinsters for the rest of their lives. Testaments in general and Jewish testaments in particular, especially those of Jewish women, constitute an excellent instrument for examining social realities and the extent of their conformity with religious norms.
