Women rabbis

[Me Myself]

What do you think about women becoming rabbis, and how does this in your opinion goes along or against jewish traditions/values/law ?

 

[Boyd]

I personally am welcoming of women rabbis. Halakha is evolving, and I see this as a good direction.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Mine is great.

 

[Levite]

What do you think about women becoming rabbis, and how does this in your opinion goes along or against jewish traditions/values/law ?

Since I am the son of a female rabbi, and the husband of a female rabbi, and the good friend of probably a dozen or more female rabbis, I guess I feel pretty good about them.

I think there is absolutely a place in Jewish tradition, values, and halachah for female rabbis. Just because female spiritual leaders and halachists have been rarer in the past than today doesn't mean anything except modernity bringing more social freedom to the forefront.

 

[CMike]

Very stylish

http://www.actionmovieclips.com/?option=com_jumi&fileid=3&p=clips&movid=949

(3rd clip from the bottom, one one of my faorites.)

 

[Levite]

Very stylish

Enforcer, The Sound Clips - Action Movie Clips

(3rd clip from the bottom, one one of my faorites.)

Wow, could you not find anything more offensive and demeaning?

 

[CMike]

Wow, could you not find anything more offensive and demeaning?

I can give a looksie if you wish?

 

[Me Myself]

Since I am the son of a female rabbi, and the husband of a female rabbi, and the good friend of probably a dozen or more female rabbis, I guess I feel pretty good about them.

I think there is absolutely a place in Jewish tradition, values, and halachah for female rabbis. Just because female spiritual leaders and halachists have been rarer in the past than today doesn't mean anything except modernity bringing more social freedom to the forefront.

From your view, which are the usual points of people against women rabbis (if there are points against them, I am very ignorant of judaism) and which are your perspectives on such points?

 

[CMike]

The left wing groups allow women rabbis, orthodox doesn't.

 

[Flankerl]

There is nothing within Halakha that doesnt allow female Rabbis.

Its just the usual "it has never happened(which is a lie) before and because of that it never should!"

 

[Levite]

From your view, which are the usual points of people against women rabbis (if there are points against them, I am very ignorant of judaism) and which are your perspectives on such points?

The usual arguments are either broad generalization, which is that "we've never done that before, so it can't be done," which may not be the case. There have been, historically, female scholars and spiritual leaders who wielded the authority or did the work of rabbis, even if they were not necessarily known by that title, and even if they seem to have been comparatively rare.

Or, the objections come from more careful halachic (Jewish legal) grounds, that the majority view in tradition has been that women cannot be legal witnesses, and since a rabbi must often be a legal witness or halachic judge (which involves de facto witnessing), women cannot be rabbis. But there are ways to remedy this problem, they simply require more radical halachic interpretation than most of Orthodoxy is prepared to accept. The exception is the Open Orthodox movement, which is essentially the progressive left wing of Modern Orthodoxy: they have recently begun ordaining women with the title of rabbah, and certifying them as yoatzot halachah (legal advisors).

I have always thought the greatest part of the rabbinate was its resting of authority entirely in the hands of those willing to sufficiently educate themselves, rather than in particular hierarchies of institutional power or bloodlines or complex systems of oaths or any of the other qualifications for spiritual leadership in some other religions and cultures. But this virtue is severely undercut if it is not egalitarian: that literally any Jew should be able to become a rabbi given sufficient education.

 

[CMike]

One of the reasons women aren't accepted in traditional judaism as rabbis is because they don't have an obligation to even come to synagogue, not say most of the prayers. That said, they are encouraged to do so and pray.

According to traditional judaism women have more spirituality and wisdom than men. Also women aren't supposed to act like men and men aren't supposed to act like women.

Men and women are different with different roles and traditional judaism understands this.

Women are known at the foundation of the home, and guide the home.

That said in chabad synagogue there are bible studies for women. Usually the counter part for the rabbi, is the rebbetzin, the rabbis wife.

I would say women who are religious and are traditional are far more knowledgeable regarding judaism than women who aren't. And no I don't have a statistical survey to prove it. However, they are living it every day.

There are numerous bible study classes for women, and women are greatly encouraged to attend.

Also Sarah gave unsolicited advice to Avraham, and Rebecca pushed her husband Issac.

In fact, jewish women have a tradition of bossing around jewish men.

 

[CMike]

This is a good article about it.

The Dirty Truth About Orthodox Women Rabbis | The Jewish Week

 

[Me Myself]

The usual arguments are either broad generalization, which is that "we've never done that before, so it can't be done," which may not be the case. There have been, historically, female scholars and spiritual leaders who wielded the authority or did the work of rabbis, even if they were not necessarily known by that title, and even if they seem to have been comparatively rare.

Or, the objections come from more careful halachic (Jewish legal) grounds, that the majority view in tradition has been that women cannot be legal witnesses, and since a rabbi must often be a legal witness or halachic judge (which involves de facto witnessing), women cannot be rabbis. But there are ways to remedy this problem, they simply require more radical halachic interpretation than most of Orthodoxy is prepared to accept. The exception is the Open Orthodox movement, which is essentially the progressive left wing of Modern Orthodoxy: they have recently begun ordaining women with the title of rabbah, and certifying them as yoatzot halachah (legal advisors).

I have always thought the greatest part of the rabbinate was its resting of authority entirely in the hands of those willing to sufficiently educate themselves, rather than in particular hierarchies of institutional power or bloodlines or complex systems of oaths or any of the other qualifications for spiritual leadership in some other religions and cultures. But this virtue is severely undercut if it is not egalitarian: that literally any Jew should be able to become a rabbi given sufficient education.

Is the "cant be witnesses" thing a part of the 613 commandments or is it somewhere else? (Sorry if the question doesnt make much sense)

 

[Levite]

Is the "cant be witnesses" thing a part of the 613 commandments or is it somewhere else? (Sorry if the question doesnt make much sense)

The definitions for who is and is not an acceptable witness is found in the Talmud.

As for what Mike alluded to, the dominant view in the tradition is that women are not obligated in certain kinds of commandments, including several relating to prayer. However, there are minority opinions in the Talmud that suggest some of the Rabbis might have thought otherwise, and there have been examples at times of female spiritual leaders in later eras. It is the opinion in non-Orthodox Judaism, and apparently in Open Orthodoxy also, that there is adequate support to interpret differently, or at least somewhat differently.

 

[CMike]

In Traditional judaism women can definetly be spiritual leaders, they just can't be rabbis.

 

[metis]

To me, the idea that only men can be rabbis is probably just a carryover from tradition that is probably just cultural in origin. Do I know that as a fact? Of course...

...not.

 

[Dena]

Mine is great.

Mine too.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Mine is great.

Mine too.

Sounds like a pattern ...

... technically, since we are overseas members of a Reform Synagogue in Israel, both of our rabbis are female.

 

[Akivah]

Women not being rabbis is more a tradition than anything. However, tradition plays a huge role in Judaism. I'm not aware of anything in the bible forbidding them. Indeed seven of the prophets were women. Plus women are openly acknowledged as being more holy than men. That is, they don't have to don tefillen, attend services, or do anything that men have to do, to attain holiness.