Women and Orthodoxy
Real questions, submitted by actual OU Torah followers, with their real answers. NOTE: For questions of practical halacha, please consult your own rabbi for guidance.
A lot of high school and college students write with questions about Judaism for school reports. This university student had a series of questions for a research paper on women and Orthodoxy.
Q. What do you think it is about Orthodox Judaism that might be attractive to women?
A. I couldn’t speak to what might be attractive specifically to women, but I can speak about what might be attractive to people in general, including women. One is attracted to a religion because of two things: (1) he or she likes its message, the way we are told to treat others, etc. and (2) because one believes that it is Divinely inspired and reflects the will of God. Despite the way that Judaism in general, and Orthodoxy in particular, are misunderstood and misrepresented in media, the underlying principle of Judaism is “that which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” (Many other religions have similar principles, but Judaism codified this one centuries before those other faiths were born.) As far as reflecting God’s will, Judaism is the only religion with a national revelation – the giving of the Torah at Sinai – witnessed by two million men, women and children. All other religions were founded on the say-so of a an individual or a small handful of people.
Q. What are some of the ways that women are honoured and cherished within Orthodox Judaism?
A. The laws of modesty are misunderstood as oppressive, which is about as far from the truth as one can get. Actresses and pop stars known for their scanty costumes might be popular, and people might fawn over them as celebrities, but nobody considers them intellectual heavyweights. Think about women whom people actually respect – Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Elizabeth, etc. Such women tend to dress in a manner that de-emphasizes their physicality. This doesn’t mean they have to be frumpy or unattractive, it just means that people are listening to what they say rather than staring at their body parts. That’s what our modesty laws are meant to accomplish: treating women like people rather than objects.
Q. How does the Torah inform your view of women and their role in the family and in society?
A. The main base of Judaism isn’t the synagogue, it’s the home. Traditionally, women have been in charge of the home, which is a huge responsibility. Children get years of education before they set foot in school. When they do go to school, what they learn there can be supported or undermined by the 2/3 of their time that they spend at home. Truly, the future of the community hinges on what the women inculcate in their children.
This doesn’t mean that women can’t have careers. Women having careers is a fairly recent phenomenon even in secular society – the 1960s and 70s were really the turning point – but Orthodoxy has been along for the ride. There were always women leaders – Deborah in Biblical times, Bruriah in Talmudic times, Sarah Schenirer in the early 20th century – but now there are Orthodox women serving as lawyers, doctors, businesspeople, etc. There’s even an Orthodox woman judge.
Q. Is there anything else you want to tell me about gender and Orthodox Judaism?
A. People think that it’s unequal if men and women don’t do exactly the same things, but Judaism doesn’t believe this. Judaism believes that men and women are different and that God has assigned each gender a set of religious duties designed to suit their spiritual needs. This doesn’t mean that either gender is superior to the other, just that their spiritual needs are different. (If anything, there’s reason to believe that women are spiritually more advanced than men. Everything in the six days of creation was created in ascending order, culminating with man. Only one thing was created after man: woman!)
I hope this helps!
Rabbi Jack's latest book, Ask Rabbi Jack, is now available from Kodesh Press and on Amazon.com.