Doña Gracia Part 2: Her Reach and Legacy

Welcome to Veiled Reference!

I’m Tzipora Weinberg — teacher, writer, and explorer of remote and dusty archives.  Captivated by tanach, intrigued by history, I’ve been finding my joy in Torah literature that combines the two.

Join us as we listen closely to voices that still echo from our nation’s past — distant, even obscure, but all the more exciting for that mystery.  It’s the place where fascinating women discuss fascinating women’s histories.

In part 2, Miriam Wielgus and I continue our discussion about the exceptional Doña Gracia Mendes Nasí.   We discover the extent of Doña Gracia’s power in every sphere of influence during the era, and the way she used her vast wealth to improve the welfare of her Jewish brothers and sisters in multiple countries. We also get a peek into an intriguing legal and halachic conflict between Doña Gracia and her own sister, which is referenced in our sources several times, and still studied today.   

** The full discussion of the halachic sources referenced in the episode can be found here.

I hope you enjoy, and welcome your feedback: podcasts@mishpacha.com