Igros Moshe (O.C.
4:49): ...It
is necessary to know that women are not inferior in their level
of kedusha (holiness) to men. Concerning kedusha, women are equal to men
regarding the aspect that the obligation of mitzvos is only because of holiness..
Also we see that all the verses regarding kedusha apply equally to women.
Whether it is in regard to the beginning of the receiving of Torah when the Torah
says, And you will be to Me a treasure and you will be for me a holy people. Or
when G‑d said to speak to Beis Yaakov – which means the women and tell Bnei
Yisroel – which means the men. Or when the Torah says, You shall be holy men to
Me – in Mishpatim. Or in Shemini, You shall be holy or in Kedoshim, And they
will be holy. Or in Re’eh, Because you are a holy people to me. In all these
verses where kedusha of the Jewish people is mentioned, it also applies to
women. This equivalence of halachic kedusha is why women say the same beracha –
“who has commanded us with His mitzvos” - when they do mitzvos as men say. This
is true also even when they do mitzvos that the Torah doesn’t obligate because
of various leniencies that G‑d has for women not having to do certain mitzvos.
Their exemption from certain mitzvos is certainly not the result of being
inferior, G-d forbid! And concerning the obligations between husband and wife,
the husband is obligated to honor his wife and the wife is obligated to honor
her husband – without any difference. Furthermore there were many women who
were prophets and they had exactly the same laws of prophets as the men. In
addition there are many things that women are praised more than men in Torah
verses and the words of our Sages. There is absolutely no degradation of their
honor or anything else by the fact that they are exempt from studying Torah and
time bound positive commandments. Thus there is no reason to complain at all.
Consequently it is necessary for you to explain this each and every time. It is
necessary to be determined and strong in these views which are like the laws of
the Torah and to protest against those women who stubbornly insist on clinging
to their foolish and distorted [feminist ideology]- in order that no change
should be made to any aspect of holy Jewish practice
Thank you !
ReplyDeleteThis confirms what I've always instinctively believed, but never learned enough to defend.
Excellent!
ReplyDeleteWhy is it excellent, Elliot?
DeleteIts classic Rav Moshe Feinstein. Right to the point, no apologetics, no excess verbiage, no flowery window dressing. Rav Moshe doesn't shy away from the issues in this passage: "Thus there is no reason to complain at all. Consequently it is necessary for you to explain this each and every time. It is necessary to be determined and strong in these views which are like the laws of the Torah and to protest against those women who stubbornly insist on clinging to their foolish and distorted [feminist ideology]- in order that no change should be made to any aspect of holy Jewish practice". I suspect Rav Moshe was referring to the ongoing mechitza battles in those days, emanating from the Reform and Conservative movements, when the common mantra was that orthodoxy treats women like second class, inferior citizens. Not so then, not so now, not so ever. Men and women are imbued by G-d with the same kedusha, and here are the Torah proofs. Keep repeating it. The end.
ReplyDelete"in order that no change should be made to any aspect of holy Jewish practice"
Deleteunfortunately changes have been made and are being made to various aspects of Jewish practice, for a variety of reasons. kind of hard to complain only when the changes stems from western influences that we don't like.
"in order that no change should be made to any aspect of holy Jewish practice"
Deleteunfortunately changes have been made and are being made to various aspects of Jewish practice, for a variety of reasons. kind of hard to complain only when the changes stems from western influences that we don't like.