Monday, August 1, 2022

Women Rabbis?

 https://hakirah.org/vol%2011%20schachter.pdf

In the printed notes of Rav Soloveitchik’s shiurim on Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah, 1 prepared for publication by Rabbi Eliyakim Koenigsberg, in the very first essay, the Rav is quoted as having said that a woman may not serve as a rabbi. The Tanna’im understood the pasuk in Chumash as implying that women may not be appointed to the position of King.2 The Talmud points out3 that the repetition of the verb in the pasuk “som tasim alecha melech”4 implies that this principle applies not only to the position of King, but to all positions of serarah and authority. Hence it would follow5 that a woman may not be appointed president of a synagogue or as rabbi, since these are also positions of serarah. 6 The reason the Rav brought up this topic in the beginning of Yoreh De’ah is because the Rama7 quotes the practice of not appointing a woman as the town shochet. The Beis Yosef quotes the Kol Bo who seems to say8 that although a woman may shecht privately, she may not be appointed as the town shochet. If indeed this was the intention of the Kol Bo it could be understood that this appointment would constitute a form of serarah. Indeed in Europe before the war, the town shochet was, in a certain sense, the assistant rabbi. The shochet knew sections of Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah, and often when the rabbi would be on vacation, the shochet would paskin the she’eilos.

6 comments :

  1. Here's the counter-argument I've read - being a Rav isn't what it used to be. Once upon a time the Rav had authority, he commanded his congregation or yeshiva and there was actual serarah.
    Today the Rav is an employee of his congregation or yeshiva. There's a board and he's under contract. Sure, he can tell you if the chicken is kosher but all the big decisions go to Ritual Committee or the Board and if he doesn't like their decision then he just might not be working there much longer. Following his orders is more done out of respect than obligation.
    In this kind of an environment, where there's no real authority but the Rav is just a glorified teacher who gives halakhic "advice" rather than binding p'sak, would one still suggest a woman can't hold the position?

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  2. “Women Rabbis?” Thanks for this post Rabbi Eidensohn. May I give a Torah thought on this week’s parsha דברים that relates to “Women Rabbis?”

    “How can I bear unaided the trouble of you, and the burden, and the bickering! Pick from each of your tribes men who are wise, discerning, and experienced, and I will appoint them as your heads” (Deuteronomy 1:12-13).
    דברים פרשת דברים פרק א פסוק יב - יד
    (יב) אֵיכָה אֶשָּׂא לְבַדִּי טָרְחֲכֶם וּמַשַּׂאֲכֶם וְרִיבְכֶם:
    (יג) הָבוּ לָכֶם אֲנָשִׁים חֲכָמִים וּנְבֹנִים וִידֻעִים לְשִׁבְטֵיכֶם וַאֲשִׂימֵם בְּרָאשֵׁיכֶם:
    רש"י דברים פרשת דברים פרק א פסוק יג
    אנשים - וכי תעלה על דעתך נשים, מה תלמוד לומר אנשים, צדיקים [כסופים]:
    חכמים - (כסופים):

    Rashi says citing Sifrei 13: Could it enter your mind (that the judges were to be) women? Why does the Torah say men? (To indicate that they must be) righteous men, (reliable ones,) who are revered.

    Hertz Chumash 738-739: “12. Myself alone bear. Moses now proceeds to recall how the task of government had grown beyond his powers. your cumbrance. Your troublesomeness; the people made the leader’s task heavier by placing obstacles in the way (Sifri). He did not have their cooperation and assistance. burden. ... strife. They were quarrelsome... “

    Wow. Looks like the Israelites then were like we are today so quarrelsome and bickering, and adding to Moses’ burden and not helping Moses. We follow the Torah of Moses today.

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  3. More on this week’s parsha דברים . “I approved of the plan; and so I selected twelve of your men, one from each tribe;” (Deuteronomy 1:23).
    דברים פרשת דברים פרק א פסוק כג
    וַיִּיטַב בְּעֵינַי הַדָּבָר וָאֶקַּח מִכֶּם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר אֲנָשִׁים אִישׁ אֶחָד לַשָּׁבֶט:

    Sotah 34b
    “That is what is written: And the thing pleased me well [Deut. I, 23] Resh Lakish said: It pleased me [Moses] well but not the All-Present. That they search the land for us [Ibid. 22. The word for search is here given the meaning confound] R. Hiyya b. Abba said: The spies aimed at nothing else than discrediting the land of Israel.”

    Wow Moses didn’t realize that the spies aimed at nothing else than discrediting the land of Israel. We and our leaders erred: “Surely You are in the right with respect to all that has come upon us, for You have acted faithfully, and we have been wicked.” (Nechemia 9:33)
    נחמיה פרק ט פסוק לג
    (לג) וְאַתָּה צַדִּיק עַל כָּל הַבָּא עָלֵינוּ כִּי אֱמֶת עָשִׂיתָ וַאֲנַחְנוּ הִרְשָׁעְנוּ:

    Did leading rabbis in US err in rejecting Torah of Rabbi Cook?

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  4. A real Rav is ready at a moment's notice to pack his bags and leave before being overruled by a Board or a ritual committee. I pity those Shuls that have a Rav that sacrifices his Yiddishkeit just to keep his job.

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  5. More on parsha דברים.So similar Nehemia 9 and דברים.
    “You gave them bread from heaven when they were hungry, and produced water from a rock when they were thirsty. You told them to go and possess the land that You swore to give them.” (Nechemia 9:15) so similar to “We set out from Horeb and travelled the great and terrible wilderness that you saw, along the road to the hill country of the Amorites, as the Lord our God had commanded us. When we reached Kadesh-barnea, I said to you, You have come to the hill country of the Amorites which the Lord our God is giving us. See, the Lord your God has placed the land at your disposal. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, promised you. Fear not and be not dismayed.’” (Deuteronomy 1:19-21)

    Beautiful. Did great rabbis sin not following the teachings of Rabbi Cook? No.

    נחמיה פרק ט פסוק טו
    וְלֶחֶם מִשָּׁמַיִם נָתַתָּה לָהֶם לִרְעָבָם וּמַיִם מִסֶּלַע הוֹצֵאתָ לָהֶם לִצְמָאָם וַתֹּאמֶר לָהֶם לָבוֹא לָרֶשֶׁת אֶת הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר נָשָׂאתָ אֶת יָדְךָ לָתֵת לָהֶם:
    רש"י נחמיה פרק ט פסוק טו
    לרעבם - מן רעב יאמר לרעבם כמו מן צמא לצמאם:
    אשר נשאת את ידך - בשבועה כמו אשר נשאתי את ידי לתת אותה (שמות ו'):
    מלבי"ם נחמיה פרק ט פסוק טו
    ולחם, וגם השגיח עליהם להפיק להם כל צרכיהם במדבר, ותאמר להם לבא לרשת את הארץ, שאז א"ל שילכו לרשת את הארץ, כמ"ש ואומר אליכם באתם עד הר האמורי וכו' עלה רש (דברים א' כ'):

    The Malbim comments on Nehemia 9 to go and possess the land as it says that Moses said to go and possess the land. I know many in USA wait for the mashiach, God bless them. I made aliya July 1991 thank you God in heaven.

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  6. In my travels, that's most of 'em. Look, it's easy to criticize and talk about a "real Rav" but here's the thing - most rabbonim live pay cheque to pay cheque. There aren't a lot of jobs out there. Standing up for halakha means unemployment and possible financial ruin. So it's not such an easy thing.

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