Question
Who was Ema Shalom?
Answer
Ema Shalom was the sister of R.Gamliel (of Yavneh) and the wife of R. Eliezer b.Hyrkanos. Three stories are told about her in the Talmud: In Shab.116a, where she tries to persuade a dishonest magistrate to let her share in her brothers' inheritance; in Nedarim 20b, where she says that her children were beautiful because her husband was very modest in his relations with her; and in Bava Metzia 59b, where she tried to keep her husband from saying penitential prayers so he wouldn't pray for her brother to be punished.