The Ages of Woman

The Seven Ages of Woman,by Jacinta Crowley-Long

Last week I posted an item on Yehudah ben Tema's mishnah (Avot 5:25) on the Ages of Man. It has since occurred to me that, had the Tannaim been composing and recording their mishnayot in the early years of the present millennium, there might well have been a corresponding mishnah that lists the Ages of Woman.  We learn that a girl takes on responsibility for the performance of mitzvot at the age of 12, but there is so much more to a woman's life today than accepting the yoke of such mitzvot as she is obliged to perform.  Readers' suggestions are welcomed -- preferably if they are supported by sources drawn from Tanach or the Oral Torah -- as to which other ages should be included.