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ShareAnd God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
(ב) רבי יהושע דסכנין בשם ר' לוי אמר: ויבן כתיב, התבונן מאין לבראתה. אמר: לא אברא אותה מן הראש, שלא תהא מיקרת ראשה; לא מן העין, שלא תהא סקרנית; ולא מן האוזן, שלא תהא צייתנית; ולא מן הפה, שלא תהא דברנית; ולא מן הלב, שלא תהא קנתנית; ולא מן היד, שלא תהא ממשמשנית; ולא מן הרגל, שלא תהא פרסנית, אלא ממקום שהוא צנוע באדם, אפי' בשעה שאדם עומד ערום אותו המקום מכוסה. ועל כל אבר ואבר שהיה בורא בה היה אומר לה: תהא אשה צנועה, אשה צנועה, אף על פי כן (משלי א:כה): ותפרעו כל עצתי. לא בראתי אותה מן הראש, והרי היא מיקרת ראשה, שנאמר (ישעיה ג:טז): ותלכנה נטויות גרון. ולא מן העין, והרי היא סקרנית, שנאמר (שם): ומסקרות עינים. ולא מן האוזן, והרי היא צייתנית, שנאמר (בראשית יח:י): ושרה שומעת פתח האהל. ולא מן הלב, והרי היא קנתנית, שנאמר (שם ל:א): ותקנא רחל באחותה. ולא מן היד, והרי היא ממשמשנית, שנאמר (שם לא:יט): ותגנוב רחל את התרפים. ולא מן הרגל, והרי היא פרסנית, שנאמר (שם לד:א): ותצא דינה רב חסדא אמר בינה בה מגורות יותר מן האיש רחבה מלמטה וצרה מלמעלה כדי שתהא מקבלת עוברים:
(2) Rabbi Yehoshua of Sichnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: "And He built" is written; He contemplated from where to create her. He said: I will not create her from the head, lest she be haughty; I will not create her from the eye, lest she be coquettish; I will not create her from the ear, lest she be an eavesdropper; I will not create her from the mouth, lest she be a chatter-box; I will not create her from the heart, lest she be jealous; I will not create her from the hand, lest she be a thief; I will not create her from the leg, lest she be a run-about; rather, I will create create her from the most modest place on a person, as even when a person stands naked this place is covered. And as He created each and every limb of the woman, He would say to her: be a modest woman, be a modest woman! Nevertheless, "And they have disregarded all of my counsel" (Proverbs 1:25). I did not create her from the head, and yet she is haughty, as it says: "And they walk with stretched-forth necks" (Isaiah 3:16). And not from the eye, yet she is coquettish, as it says: "and with wanton eyes" (ibid.). And not from the ear, and yet she is an eavesdropper, as it says: "And Sarah listened from the entrance of the tent" (Genesis 18:10). And not from the heart, and yet she is jealous, as it says: "And Rachel was jealous of her sister" (Genesis 30:1). And not from the hand, and yet she is a thief, as it says: "And Rachel stole the idols" (Genesis 31:19). And not from the leg, and yet she is a run-about, as it says: "And Dinah went out..." (Genesis 34:1).
A man who forbade himself by vow from having intercourse with his wife: Beth Shammai says: two weeks; Beth Hillel says: one week. Students may go away to study Torah, without the permission [of their wives for a period of] thirty days; workers for one week. The times for conjugal duty prescribed in the Torah are: For independent men, every day; For workers, twice a week; For donkey-drivers, once a week; For camel-drivers, once in thirty days; For sailors, once in six months. These are the words of Rabbi Eliezer....Where he did not specify the period it is the opinion of both that he must divorce her immediately and give her the ketubah.
- Women are strongly discouraged from wearing any ritual items.
- Women and men are divided by something called a mechitzah, a divider. Sometimes this can be in the form of a balcony or a separation of front and back -- almost always will have an actual curtain/divider.
- Women are also not allowed to sing or pray aloud in the presence of a man because it could distract him from his prayer or cause him to think impure thoughts.
- Women have different roles than men because of the laws laid out and gendered understandings of Jewish practice/religious life.
- Some will say they are complementary, so have different religious requirements.
- Some will say the differences stem from cultural, social, or historical causes.
- Women exempted from religious study after they learn the basics.
- In the past 100 years or so, education for women has advanced.
- Rules of modesty both in dress and behavior are strict. (No pants, married women cover their head, etc.)
It is this exemption from certain commandments that has led to the greatest misunderstanding of the role of women in Judaism. First, many people make the mistake of thinking that this exemption is a prohibition. On the contrary, although women are not obligated to perform time-based positive commandments, they are generally permitted to observe such commandments if they choose. Second, because this exemption diminishes the role of women in the synagogue, many people perceive that women have no role in Jewish religious life. This misconception derives from the mistaken assumption that Jewish religious life revolves around the synagogue. It does not; it revolves around the home, where the woman's role is every bit as important as the man's."
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/jewfaq/women.htm
Jewish Women's Archive (https://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/greenberg-blu)
Greenberg was raised in a loving traditional home and grew up content with her role as a “good Jewish daughter.” As she states in her seminal book On Women and Judaism (1981), she “had a fine Jewish education, the best a girl could have.” This meant that she was exposed to all Jewish learning, with the exception of Talmud studies. Greenberg’s father took even more interest in her Jewish studies than in her secular studies. The personal dignity his study sessions afforded her may have contributed to her later development as a seminal Jewish feminist...
Greenberg did not particularly question the male-preferential context of her Orthodox affiliation. The surprise is that she came to question it at all... With a unique point of view that respects Jewish tradition but at the same time recognizes the inequalities that adversely affect women in that tradition, she addressed the five hundred women [who attended the 1973 First National Jewish Women's Conference]...
Greenberg’s theoretical position stems from the belief that women have the same potential as men “whether in the realm of spirit, word, or deed” (On Women 39); a belief that the tradition which she respects and upholds is too strong to be in danger from women’s experimentation in the spheres of religious responsibilities, rights and rituals; a belief that women must take charge of their own destinies in this as in other areas rather than waiting for men to act on their behalf; and a belief that a woman’s self-realization must underlie all her roles—loving, nurturing, parenting and career—each to be chosen with regard for her womanhood, selfhood and Jewish identity.
Blu Greenberg
Reflecting on reading The Feminine Mystique: "Once I had tasted the fruit of the tree of knowledge there was no going back. The basic idea had found a resting spot somewhere inside me..."
and still, p 36
"My questions never will lead me to abandon tradition. I am part of a chain of tradition. I am part of a chain that is too strong to break."
אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: שׁוֹק בָּאִשָּׁה עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״גַּלִּי שׁוֹק עִבְרִי נְהָרוֹת״, וּכְתִיב: ״תִּגָּל עֶרְוָתֵךְ וְגַם תֵּרָאֶה חֶרְפָּתֵךְ״. אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: קוֹל בָּאִשָּׁה — עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב וּמַרְאֵךְ נָאוֶה״. אָמַר רַב שֵׁשֶׁת: שֵׂעָר בָּאִשָּׁה עֶרְוָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״שַׂעֲרֵךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָעִזִּים״.
Along these lines, Rav Ḥisda said: Even a woman’s exposed leg is considered nakedness, as it is stated: “Uncover the leg and pass through the rivers” (Isaiah 47:2), and it is written in the following verse: “Your nakedness shall be revealed and your shame shall be seen” (Isaiah 47:3). Shmuel further stated: A woman’s singing voice is considered nakedness, which he derives from the praise accorded a woman’s voice, as it is stated: “Sweet is your voice and your countenance is alluring” (Song of Songs 2:14). Similarly, Rav Sheshet stated: Even a woman’s hair is considered nakedness, for it too is praised, as it is written: “Your hair is like a flock of goats, trailing down from Mount Gilead” (Song of Songs 4:1).
Blu Greenberg
[The prohibition on a woman singing in the presence of men seemed, to Greenberg, like "a counterpoint to women's new freedom of expression... To me, kol ishah seemed nothing but an overt slur on the female sex, an arbitrary curb on women in the name of a one-sided modesty meter."
1885
We recognize in the Mosaic legislation a system of training the Jewish people for its mission during its national life in Palestine, and today we accept as binding only its moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives, but reject all such as are not adapted to the views and habits of modern civilization.
1976
Moreover, though some still disagree, substantial numbers have also accepted our teachings: that the ethics of universalism implicit in traditional Judaism must be an explicit part of our Jewish duty; that women have full rights to practice Judaism; and that Jewish obligation begins with the informed will of every individual.
1997
We pledge to fulfill Reform Judaism’s historic commitment to the complete equality of women and men in Jewish life.
Commentary to 1997 Platform
The complete equality of women and men in Jewish life. Here is an area where increased dialogue with other movements can help to achieve this equality across the Jewish world. From Isaac Mayer Wise’s insistence that women be full members of congregations to the ordination and investiture of women as rabbis and cantors, the Reform Movement has been in the forefront of providing equal opportunities for women and men. While there is still much to be done to make sure that those opportunities are real and not only theoretical, we have much to be proud of. Reform–and all of Judaism–have gained immeasurably from the accomplishments and insights of the women who have come to occupy leadership roles in our Movement.
