The Women of Shavuot: Torah Through the Eyes of Chutzpah Girls

Courtesy of Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women (Koren)

Shavuot is often celebrated through the lens of revelation, Torah, and covenant. We stay up through the night immersed in sacred text, we read the Book of Ruth, and we recall that moment at Sinai when every soul—past, present, and future—stood in trembling awe as Hashem gifted us the Torah. Often, the stories we tell center around male heroes. This year, let us open our hearts and our eyes to the women who also received the Torah—and who have, in every generation, carried it forward with passion, precision, and power.

As co-author of Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women, I had the privilege of researching and sharing the stories of bold Jewish women who devoted their lives to Torah. These were women who studied it, lived it, taught it, fought for it. Women who, like the heroines of our tradition, rose with grit and grace to serve Hashem and their communities—often in times when doing so required extraordinary courage.

This Shavuot, let us honor some of these women—Ruth and Naomi, Bruria, Asnat Barazani, and Flora Sassoon—whose lives spanned millennia and continents, yet whose shared legacy is one of fierce devotion to Torah and to the Jewish people.

Ruth and Naomi: Royal Matriarchs of Kindness and Covenant

Ruth and Naomi’s story is the heart of the Shavuot reading, but too often we miss the profound Torah embedded in their lives. Naomi is a woman broken by grief, returning home from Moav bereft of husband and sons. Ruth is her daughter-in-law, a Moabite outsider, who clings to her not out of obligation, but out of deep spiritual yearning: “Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Ruth’s conversion is more than symbolic. It is a radical act of loving-kindness and a testament to the transformative power of Torah. When Ruth chooses to follow Naomi into an uncertain future, she becomes the model for what it means to accept Torah voluntarily and wholeheartedly.

Their return to Bethlehem coincides with the barley harvest—the very offering of the Omer that culminates in Shavuot. Ruth’s gleaning, her humility, and her eventual union with Boaz lead to the birth of Oved, grandfather of King David and forefather of the Mashiach. Naomi, once emptied out, becomes full again—cradling a grandson who will carry her legacy forward.

Bruria: Voice of Halachic Authority

Bruria is the only woman whose halachic opinions are directly cited and accepted by the Sages of the Talmud. She was the daughter of Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion, who was martyred by the Romans for teaching Torah publicly. But Bruria didn’t step back in fear—she stepped forward.

Her wisdom was sharp, her Torah mastery unparalleled. When the rabbis debated questions of purity, it was Bruria’s answers that prevailed. In one famous exchange, she argued that an oven becomes pure only when disassembled. Rabbi Judah ben Bava agreed: “The daughter’s answer was better than the son’s”.

Bruria balanced intellect with compassion, and law with moral clarity. Her halachic voice echoed through the Beit Midrash—and continues to inspire women who seek to claim their place in Torah learning today. As we celebrate the receiving of Torah, Bruria reminds us that women have not only received it, but shaped its understanding and transmission.

Asnat Barazani: The Kurdish Rosh Yeshivah

Born in 1590 in Mosul, in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Asnat Barazani was raised by her father, Rabbi Shmuel Barzani, the head of a prominent yeshivah. When no son was born to inherit his teachings, he poured his Torah into his daughter instead. Asnat grew up “on the knees of sages,” mastering Jewish texts and eventually earning the rare title Tanna’it, reserved for the most elite Torah scholars.

Her marriage came with an extraordinary condition: she would not be required to perform housework but would continue her studies. Her husband agreed, and when he died, Asnat assumed leadership of the yeshivah—becoming the first known female rosh yeshivah in Jewish history.

She taught generations of students, wrote original halachic texts and prayers, and became a revered authority across the Jewish world. Legend tells us she even summoned angels to save a burning synagogue. Fact or folklore, the power of her Torah was undeniable.

Asnat life is a beacon reminding us that Torah belongs to those who dedicate themselves to it—not by gender or geography, but by merit and commitment.

Flora Sassoon: A Mizrahi Matriarch of Learning and Leadership

Born in 1859 in Baghdad and raised in Bombay, Flora Sassoon was a descendant of the great Ben Ish Chai and part of the legendary Sassoon dynasty. But she was not content to be a wealthy benefactor from the sidelines. Fluent in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Judeo-Arabic, she studied Talmud and halacha daily and was said to have completed Daf Yomi before the term even existed.

Flora ran a global business empire after her husband’s death, and yet she maintained her commitment to mitzvot with pride and visibility. On her travels, she brought her own kosher meat and Torah scrolls and never compromised on halacha. When traveling in India and England, she taught Torah to men and women alike and published scholarly articles on Jewish law.

She also championed Orthodox women’s education and gave large donations to support Torah learning throughout the world. Flora defied every stereotype, living proof that a woman could be both traditional and trailblazing, both steeped in Torah and engaged in the modern world.

One Torah, Many Voices

Each of these women—Ruth and Naomi, Bruria, Asnat, Flora—came from different times, places, and social realities. Ruth was a convert; Flora, a global aristocrat. Bruria challenged the rabbis of the Talmud, while Asnat ran a yeshivah in Mosul. And yet, they all shared one sacred thread: a profound and fearless devotion to Torah.

They lived their Torah. Ruth cared for Naomi with Chesed rooted in faith. Bruria dared to speak up and correct the sages. Asnat taught generations of scholars with clarity and love. Flora used her influence and intellect to uplift Jewish life across continents.

This Shavuot, as we stand again at Sinai, let us imagine all of these women standing beside us. Not as exceptions to the rule—but as rightful heirs of Torah, as part of an unbroken chain of Jewish learning, leadership, and legacy.

In a time when many ask whether Orthodox women can have meaningful spiritual agency, these women answer in unison: We always have. We always will.

Julie Silverstein is the co-author of Chutzpah Girls: 100 Tales of Daring Jewish Women (Koren), a beautiful collection of one hundred true stories and vibrant original portraits celebrating Jewish women—from the heroines of Tanach to trailblazers of our time.

To order your copy of Chutzpah Girls with a special 10% discount, go to korenpub.com and enter the code TZOFIA10.