Women in Judaism—an Historical Review Early Shaliakh
By IRVING I. KATZ
to the dictum: "A man is that a man witlieut a wife
Executive Secretary,
obligated to offer three bene- lives without jey, Measles,
Temple Beth El
dictions daily; That He has and goad, and that a maw
Is Jewish tradition, women made me an Israelite, that should love his wife as kink.
are just as important human He has not made me • wool- self and respect her mere
beings as men are. The Bible en, that He has not made me Musa bismell. Whim Rabbi
states this fandasnestal idea a boor." A study of the •m- Josage beard his anatbses
very clearly, in telling the text makes it perfectly evi- footsteps be vistaid sal: "Let
story of God's creation of all dent that the underlying mo- me arise before the approach
life: "Male and female creel- tive is nothing else than grati- of the sbeldna (reHeetlos of
ed He them." The same act tude for the privilege of hav- the glory of God.") "Israel
of creation applies to both ing the duty of carrying out was redeemed from Egypt by
man and woman, making the precepts of the Torah. In virtue of its righteous wattl-
them equal from the very this respect the responsibility es".
beginning. Both were creat- of man was greater than that
In the Middle Ages, think-
of woman, because out of con- ers like Moses Maimonides
ed in the image of God.
The idea of w o m a n's sideration of her domestic ob- followed rabbinic teachings
equality with man is stressed ligations, she is released from on man's duty to care ad-
.again in still another biblical one category of religious equately for his wife and
verse describing the creation duties, The legal ruling is: generally treat women with
"Women are exempt from kindness and compassion, but
elf human beings:
"In the day that God creat- commandments of "Thou the gates of learning were
ed man, in the likeness of shalt," the observance of normally open only to makes.
God made He him; male and which depends upon a defi-
Traditional marriage or
female created He them; and nite point of time."
divorce laws also put Jewish
For instance, the command women at a great disadvant-
He blessed them, and called
their name Adam, in the day to dwell in booths during age. An example is the case
Sukkot, the Festival of Tab- of the aguna, the wife whose
when they were created."
The Zohar, the cabalistic ernacle, or to put on the husband has disappeared or
Book of Splendor, explains tefilim (phylacteries) is not is presumed dead. If unable
why the Bible uses the plur- obligatory upon a woman. to produce any witnesses to
Apart of this exception, the his death, she can never re-
al in referring to Adam:
"The Bible says, "He bles- Talmud recognizes no distinc- marry. As a result, many
sed them and called their tion between the sexes so far Jewish women whose hus-
name Adam," not He blessed as religious responsibility is bands were killed in battle
him and called his name concerned. or who left home and were
A talmudic story which never heard of again had to
Adam". This is intended to
show us that God's blessing pays a fine compliment to suffer loneliness and misery.
woman
runs as follows: "An
Jewish women are also
and the name of Adam be-
longed to both man and emperor said to Rabbi Ga- penalized by the traditional
mliel, "Tour God is a thief, regulations that required a
woman, equally".
Throughout the Bible we because it is written in the religious divorce in addition
find manifestations of the Bible, "The Lord God caused to a decree granted by the
high regard that the ancient a deep sleep to fall upon state. According to Jewish
Hebrews felt for women. Adam, and he slept; and He law, however, only the man
Bible stories contain a num- took one of his ribs". The can grant a "get" (religious
ber of heroines: The matri- rabbi's daughter said to her divorce), and it must be re-
archs (Sarah, Rebecca, Ra- father, "Leave him to me; ceived in writing before the
chel and Leah), mothers of I will answer him". She then woman can remarry. Hence,
the nation; the prophetess said to the emperor, "Give husbands often demand
and judge Deborah, noted me an officer to investigate money or property before
for her courage; Hannah, for a complaint". For what pur- consenting to give the wives
her devotion; Ruth, for her pose?" he asked, and she a "get".
The institution of levirate
loyalty; Esther, for her valor replied, "Thieves broke into
our house during the night marriage, which requires the
that saved her fellow Jews.
Throughout Jewish history and stole a silver ewer be- brother of a husband who
there have been heroines. longing to us, but left a gold has died without children to
Salome Alexandra was Queen one behind". "Would that marry the widow, creates
of Judah in the 1st Century such a thief visited me every further difficulties. Should
BCE, and she exerted enor- day", he exclaimed. "Was it her brother-in-law refuse,
mous political power before not, then, a splendid thing she must engage in a cere-
and during her reign, which for the first man when a mony of "halitza" in which
was considered to be a high single rib was taken from she removes his shoe, spits
point of the Second Common- him and a woman to attend at him, and says "Thus shall
upon him was supplied in its be done to the man who will
wealth.
Beruria, the wife of the stead?" she retorted. not build his brother's
With respect to the for- house". Failure to locate the
talmudic master, Rabbi Meir,
in 2nd Century CE, was mation of woman from a rib brother-in-law or his refusal
famed for her learning we have this reason suggest- to participate in the cere-
and piety. She took part in ed by the Midrash for the mony means that the widow
complicated legal discussions, choice. "God considered from can never remarry.
Reform Judaism abolished
and her opinion in matters of which part of man to create
Jewish law was sought by woman. He said, I will not all religious disabilities
other scholars. Her learned create her from the head against women and placed
statements are incorporated that she should not hold up them on an equal footing
in the Mishna, as are ethi- her head too proudly; nor with men. Rabbi Mordecai
cal mottos that she com- from the eye that she should Kaplan, the founder of the
not be too curious; nor from Reconstructionist movement,
posed.
In our own day, Golda MHz the ear that she should not instituted the practice of Bat
has once again demonstrated be an eavesdropper; nor from Mitzva as an implicit rec-
the ability of individual wom- the mouth that she should ognition of the quality of
en to help guide the fate of not be too talkative; nor from women with men in the eyes
the heart that she should of the Jewish community, To-
the Jewish people.
The ending of the Book of not be too jealous; nor from day the presence of women
Proverbs depicts a model the hand that she should not on the pupil and ever bless-
which every woman can be too acquisitive! nor from ing the Torah in Reform con-
strive to imitate. The "worn- the foot that she should not gregations has become com-
an of valor" is a good mother be a gadabout; but fr -rm the monplace.
In June 1972, the final
and a good wife; she re- part of the body which is
sponds to the needs of her hidden that she should be area of male exclusiveness in
reform
Jewish life was end-
modest."
husband; she makes certain
Apparently, however, the ed when the Hebrew Union
that her children are provid.
ed wtih adequate food and divine ideal was not realized, College-Jewish Institute of
clothin g, and also "she because we find rabbis in Religion ordained the first
stretcheth out her hand to the Talmud attributing to her woman rabbi. This year, in
the poor"; she teaches the very faults which the 1973, the Reconstructionist
through word and example Creator wanted to avoid. Rabbinical Seminary will
the kind of life her children "Four qualities are ascribed follow suit. There are al-
shall live. to women: They are glutton- ready several other women
In the Talmud, the vast ous, eavesdroppers, lazy, and enrolled at HUC-JIR. The ra-
body of rabbinic literature, jealous. They are also queru- tionale for this significant in-
woman is accorded a digni- lous and garulous". As re- novation in Jewish life is that
Pied position because of the garcis to the last-mentioned it is a logical extension of
recognition of the all-import- characteristic, it was rather the principle which lies at
ant place which woman oc- unkindly said: "Ten measures the basis of the reform move-
copies in the life of the fami- of speech descended to the ment—that men and women
world: women took nine and are to be considered fully
ly.
Too much prominence has men one". equal in respect to religious
It is said in the Talmud duties and obligations.
been given by hostile critics
for Hashomer
to Speak Here
One of Israel's first shlik-
him (advisers) to Hashomer
Hatzair in the U. S. will
come to Detroit March 10 to
help the local organization
celebrate 50 years of the
movement in North America.
Yona Yonai of Kibutz Ein
Hashofet, who was • sha-
liakh in 1935 and again in
1945, will address a public
meeting 8:30 p.m. March 10
at the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Harold Rayberg, 14201 Ver-
non, Oak Park.
Yonal, who was born in
Poland, arrived in the U.S.
in 1927 at age 16. After at-
tending Cornell University,
he made aliya in 1932. He
was a founder of Ein Hash-
ofet, the first American
kibutz of Hashomer Hatzair
in Israel.
After his second advisory
assignment in the U. S., he
returned to Israel to do his
part in the war of inde-
pendence.
As a kibutznik, he has been
a biology and agriculture
teacher, gardener and in-
novator of biological pro:-
grams for the Hebrew Uni-
versity and Israeli Center for
Science. He also was head
of the food commisary for
his kibutz and edited science
books for Sifriat HaPoalim,
Friday, Fob. 16, 1173-35
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Yiddish Series
l'ro ,rrams Set
Wolf Snyder, chairman of
the Yiddish cultural commit-
tee of the Jewish Center, an-
nounces three literary pro-
grams will be presented this
spring.
The first, 2:30 p.m. March
4 at the Center, will be dedi-
cated to the 100th birthday
of the Jewish national poet,
Chiam Nachman Bialik.
Participants in the pro-
gram are Dr. Joseph Pres-
cott, chairman; Rabbi Benj-
amin Gorrelick, who will
speak on Bialik's life; songs
by Bialik sung by Cantor
Louis Klein and accompan-
ied by Mrs. Goldie Eakin;
and reading! from Bialik's
poetry presented by Yonina
Mathis.
The entire program will be
conducted in Yiddish.
The objective of the Yid-
dish cultural committee is to
bring the Yiddish literature
and its writers to the atten-
tion of Jewish men and
women in the community.
Rabbi Benjamin Gorrelick.
rabbi emeritus of Beth
Achim, is a founder of Hine!
Day School. Cantor Klein is
cantor of Cong. Bnai Moshe.
Industrial Progress
Topic of LZA Unit
Truman Brenner Branch of
the Labor Zionist Alliance
will meet 8:30 p.m. Saturday
at the Labor Zionist Institute.
Sam Portlier, who recently
returned from Israel, win'.
speak on "Industrial Prog-
ress in Israel."
Friends and guests are in-
vited. Refreshments will be
served.
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