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(The Torah States in Leviticus 1:2) Speak to the sons of Israel, When a person among you shall bring an offering to Hashem, he shall lean his hands on the head of the olah offering. This teaches that the sons of Israel perform Semichah (Personal Sacrificial offering, where the owner of the animal places both hands on the animal and leans on the animal while confessing) but the Daughters of Israel do not perform Semicha on their sacrifices.
R'Yose and R'Simon say: The daughters of Israel have the option to perform Semichah if they wish.
Abba Elazar recounted the following incident: One time we had a calf that was a Shelamim offering, and we brought it to the women's section of the courtyard (of the temple). The Women performed semichah on it. Not because there is a Semicha requirement for women, but in order to give satisfaction to the women.
[the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah 33a discusses the fact that women may perform the mitzvah of blowing the shofar. Once again in Gemara we see a source where women are permitted to perform time bound mitzvahs normally reserved for men. It's a well know fact that Rashi's daughters use to put on tefillin daily. Why are women not required to perform "time bound mitzvahs" (aside from lighting candles on shabbat)? The answer can be found in a misconception of orthodox Judaism. Many think that in orthodox Judaism, Women are treated as second class citizens.
THIS CAN'T BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!
Men need to perform time bound mitzvahs to come closer to Hashem. This is because, through out the Torah there is incident after incident where MEN are going against the word of Hashem and sinning. The closest incident we find in the Torah where a woman has sinned is when Miriam spoke lashon horah (gossip) against her brother Moses. Men have to perform physical mitzvahs to make up for the sins of their forefather. Women don't have that issue. A woman's soul is closer to G-D then a man's soul. Women are spiritually superior then men. A women can do one thing (with the help of Hashem) that a man can never do, and that is give birth. It is these reasons that a women's soul is much loftier then a mans, and therefore is not required to perform time bound mitzvahs.
There are people who wear orange jump suits and pick up trash on the side of the road. They do this because they have to perform community service as part of their punishment. That doesn't stop someone from picking up trash if they were so inclined. But they don't HAVE to... Same hold true for Women and Mitzvahs.
How did that old Harry Belafonte song go? "That's right... The women are smarter... that's right, the women are... insert: Spiritually Superior" ]
- Chagigah 16b
4 comments:
While I love the picture, the holier than Men apologetic just doesn't cut it for me.
Women are holier, thus they can't perform the Mitzvot that are key in Jewish life? Women are holier Thus they don't need to learn, which is the key to standing in Jewish society? Women are holier, thus they should be excluded from ritual. Women are holier, thus we need to regulate their sexuality lest us sinner men fall even more?
This canard has been used for too long. Look around your community. I cannot see who is equal before God. However, I can see who is viewed as equal in the eyes of my community and I see women are not considered equal in many ways.
I LOVE that picture.
I don't think anyone is holier than anyone else. But, I do get tired of the misogyny in all religions.
REALLY tired of it.
Gil & Barbara
First, thanks for reading my blog. I hope that even though we disagree, you find it enjoyable.
Remember, the title of the post is Misconception...
I am probably not the right person to reply as after all I am a man. I'd like to get my wife to post, and maybe I can get her to add to this thread. But I have to be honest, I've seen both sides. My wife and I were not FFB (Frum From Birth). We made the jump to Orthodoxy 7 years ago. At first my wife was very anti-mehitza, she had the same misconception that "behind the shul equated to the back of the bus" (Aurally our Mehitzah has the men & women side by side). Today we find it very uncomfortable if we have go to a conservative shul (we had to for a bat-mitzvah once)and sit together. My wife enjoys the mitzvahs she keeps, the godliness she brings in our home. Her women's study group, etc.
Gil, to answer your question. As far as i know, there is no one complaining about the separation of miztvot at our shul. At least my wife doesn't relay and animosity from her side of the mehitza.
Barbara, maybe Holier is not the right word. More like a "more spiritually in-tuned".
Both of us begin raised conservative, we both had the same misconception. That was until we became frum, and experienced the "other side".
My advise for you is to find a chabad shul near you, and visit for a shabbat or two. Worse comes to worse, you come back and tell me I'm still dead wrong.
It's like Cholent. At first glance, it looks like it will taste awful. But after eating it... Yum!
Hi Ruven,
Thanks for the response. I hope we can disagree and enjoy conversation. I hope that people who disagree with me comment on ideas I put out on my blog as well.
I come at it from a different place. I am an FFB and have recently started playing with other non normative orthodox practices.
I understand that many within Orthodoxy do not see it as misogyny. However, in my experience, I would say that for each orthodox woman who does not see it as misogyny there is one that does.
Furthermore, after spending much time in the normative orthodox community (including time at Chabad in college) I do see it as a false apologetic.
My question to you is, what purpose does it serve to not allow women to do the mitzvot that men are commanded in?
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