Under first century rabbinic law, the interactions between Jewish men and women were strictly limited. Women were largely relegated to the home and private life, rarely going out in public unless accompanied by other women or their husband. Men did not speak to women in public places. Women were not allowed to testify in legal proceedings. The Talmud taught that it was a waste of time for a man to teach the sacred writings to his daughter. There was also a deep hatred between Jews and Samaritans. Samaritans were descended from Jews who had intermarried with the gentiles of the region. This is the backdrop for the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well.
