Women have a very important role in both Orthodox and most contemporary practices of Judaism. The Jewish heritage is primarily passed down through the mothers’ blood line. In Orthodox belief, the children of a Jewish mother are Jewish, even if the father is not Jewish. However, the reverse is not true. There is not really such thing as “half Jewish” – either you are or you aren’t Jewish. If your mother was not Jewish, then you are not Jewish (unless, of course, you convert to Judaism). So it is the responsibility of the woman to pass down and keep the faith of the Jewish people intact. This is unusual compared to other religions and it begs the question of whether the Jewish people would have survived had it not been for women, passing down the Jewish heritage from generation to generation.
Women are considered “separate but equal” in Jewish law. The position of women in Jewish law (halakhah) that dates back to the Bible was actually much higher than the status of American women up until 100 years or so ago! Women were permitted to own property, make their own legal contracts, run a business (as long as it didn’t interfere with the primary duty of raising children), take part in leadership roles and government roles, advocate for those less fortunate, and even choose who (or whether) they would marry in some instances. It is no surprise that many of the women who led the feminist movement in America were also Jewish: the respect given to Jewish women was part of their culture.
Men and women’s equality in Judaism starts with the most supreme being: God. The Jewish people have never viewed God as male or female; instead saying that God has both masculine or feminine qualities. Due to the fact that Hebrew does not have a gender-neutral pronoun, God is referred to as “he”, but as one Rabbi said
“God has not body, no genitalia, therefore the very idea that God is male or female is patently absurd. We refer to God using masculine terms simply for convenience sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; God is no more male than a table is.”
According to traditional Judaism, women were actually endowed with more intelligence and intuition than men. The “man” that was formed in Genesis was actually dual gender, then he was separated and women were “built” rather than formed, which made her superior. Early Jewish opinion was also that the matriarchs of Judaism, Sarah (Abraham’s wife), Rebecca (Isaac’s wife), and Rachel and Leah (Jacob’s wives) were superior to their husbands in understanding and comprehending the will and words of God. Miriam, Moses’ sister, helped with the freeing of the captive Jews from Egypt, and led them with her brothers to the desert. Women weren’t thought to be involved with the idolotry and worship of the golden calf in the desert that resulted in the first set of 10 Commandments being broken by Moses and the following 40 years of desert wandering.
Rabbis in the Talmud speak of their wives with respect, even inserting their wives’ opinions and thoughts into the text. Indeed, rabbi’s wives had a title of their own: “rebbetzin” and were well respected for their wisdom and opinions, which were often accepted over their male contemporaries. The Talmud is both positive and negative about women; as is the Bible. They have many positive things to say, but also describe women sometimes as lazy, jealous, vain, prone to witchcraft and divination, and sexually tempting to men. ((The Talmud has an equal number of things to say about men that are negative, however, and that should be noted.))
A VERY interesting (and unique) point in my discovery was that women have the right to be consulted with regard to their marriage. Marital sex is a woman’s right, not a mans; therefore, unwanted marital sex is recognized within traditional Judaism is considered rape and not permitted. In America today, rape within marriage is not a crime in most states. Also Orthodox Jewish women AND men must cover their heads, although for women it can be with a wig. Most Orthodox men wear a hat.
The primary duty of a woman in traditional Judaism is to be a wife and a mother, and care for her home. There are many laws that women are exempt from because they might interfere with the woman’s home duties, which is not to say that a woman can’t participate, only that she doesn’t have to, if she so chooses. Women are also discouraged from extensive religious study and higher education on the grounds that a woman might become too devoted and forget her duties in her home, which should come first.
There are three mizvot (commandments) that are reserved exclusively for women: Lighting the candles, separating a portion of dough, and sexual separation during a woman’s menstrual period and ritual immersion afterward. The candle lighting must be done by a woman, if there is a woman present, and it marks the beginning of Shabbat or a holiday. It signifies a sacred time in the home. The privilege of separating a portion of dough from the bread before baking it is also the woman’s responsibility, and signifies the family support of the priests at the temple. Traditionally, the separated bread is given to the kohein, who is a descendent of Aaron (Moses’ brother) to help with their livelihood and well-being. The Torah prohibits intercourse during a woman’s menstrual cycle and requires a ceremonial cleansing after the period.
It is interesting to note that for the construction of the Golden Calf, the women refused to participate and refused to let their children participate. The Bible talks about while Moses was up on the mountain talking to God, “the people” came to Aaron and asked him to make an idol for them to worship. Aaron told them to go get the golden rings from their wives and sons and daughters, implying (and widely believed) that it was the men who wanted the calf. When they went to their wives and sons and daughters, the women refused to participate or give up their gold. For this refusal, the women are rewarded by getting their own holiday on the first day of each month: “Rosh Chodesh”.
Within the place or worship, women and men are typically separated by traditional Jewish Law, although its important to note that Reform Judaism and more contemporary versions, have removed this restriction and allowed women to not only sit with men, but also to lead in some aspects of the services, as well as undergo Rabbinical training!
One last interesting note with regards to Jewish women… there is a character who is not in the Bible, but who is mentioned in the Talmud and Jewish folklore called Lilith. Although Christians do not buy into the belief in Lilith and she is not mentioned in the Bible, in Judaism, Lilith may have been a female demon who seduces men and threatens women and babies in childbirth. She has long hair and wings and could be the mother of demons. The root of her name is the Hebrew word for night. She is very similar to a pagan demon of the Babylonians. The revisionist view of Lilith is not all negative, however, and she is portrayed as a strong-willed and empowered woman. The tale presented by one Jewish teacher is that Lilith was Adam’s first wife:
After God created Adam, who was alone, He said, 'It is not good for man to be alone' (Gen. 2:18). He then created a woman for Adam, from the earth, as He had created Adam himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith began to fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be in the bottom position, while am to be in the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We are equal to each other inasmuch as we were both created from the earth.' But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the Ineffable Name and flew away into the air. Adam stood in prayer before his Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he said, 'the woman you gave me has run away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent these three angels to bring her back. "Said the Holy One to Adam, 'If she agrees to come back, fine. If not she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day.' The angels left God and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook in the midst of the sea, in the mighty waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God's word, but she did not wish to return. The angels said, 'We shall drown you in the sea.' "'Leave me!' she said. 'I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.' "When the angels heard Lilith's words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: 'Whenever I see you or your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant.' She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels' names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers."Questions for Joel:
What is the difference between the Jewish Race and the Jewish Religion?
Is your wife and family Jewish?
Have you ever eaten bacon?
Do you really take off work on all the days the Torah suggests?Do orthodox Jewish women really shave their heads? and why?
Do men and women have equal standing in the synagogue you attend? Are you reform or orthodox (if you are still Jewish)?
