Revisiting the Agunah Problem There has been a great deal of discussion in recent years over the agunot / recalcitrant husbands ands wives issue. A number of solutions have been offered of late such as Rabbi Riskin’s hafka’at kiddushin, Rabbi Aviad Hacohen’s kiddushei ta’ut, the prenuptial agreement, etc. These have elicited vigorous opposition from a […]
Responses to the Agunah Issue: Read More »
I am a to’enet (female rabbinic advocate) in Israel. To’anot study for three intensive years to pass the six arduous exams required by the Beit Din in order to be licensed as a to’enet. After licensing, they may represent either a man or a woman in a divorce case in the rabbinical courts. During the
Kol Isha: A New Voice in the Courtroom Read More »
A few weeks ago, in a hall in Jerusalem, twelve excited women were called up to the stage to receive their diploma from the dean and founder of Nishmat, Rabbanit Chana Henkin, and from Rabbis Yaakov Varhaftig and Yehuda Henkin. The occasion was the graduation of the fourth class of Nishmat’s Keren Ariel Yoatzot Halacha
A Primary Address for Women Read More »
The role of a rabbi traditionally has been to teach, render decisions, mediate disputes, and provide guidance to families and community—in sum, to act as an authority to his community in all matters religious, moral, and ethical. As the world has become more complex, however, the role has evolved. People can more readily find information
RABBINIC OVERSIGHT: Expectations and Limitations Read More »
The Torah teaches us through the dual media of its halakhic, or legal, passages and its narratives, or stories. However, the two approaches are not entirely separate. Rather, some of the events described in the Tanakh’s difficult stories propel the development of remedial halakhot. Storytelling is a powerful tool; through the telling and retelling of
Lessons from the Bible’s Rape Narratives Read More »
The topic of the synagogue mehitzah has generated impassioned discussion spanning more than a century. Widely debated in the United States throughout the twentieth century, mehitzah (and even separate seating) was not always the standard for Orthodox synagogues. In the 1950s, a significant number of synagogues that identified as Orthodox did not use a mehitzah.
The Synagogue Mehitzah Revisited Read More »
In the fall of 2015, a young girl, viewing the synagogue models in the Yeshiva University Museum in New York City, asked, “But where would I have been?” Her question prompted the museum to cosponsor (in conjunction with JOFA) a panel discussion on the women’s section (ezrat nashim) in the synagogue. This article, based on
Where Were the Women? The First Ezrat Nashim Read More »
Item: A Modern Orthodox community in Queens, New York, celebrating an aufruf, holds Shabbat services in the social hall of the local yeshiva. The opaque mehitzah separating front from back is hung ceiling to floor, completely blocking sightlines. The rabbi, much beloved by his community, delivers his sermon in a voice inaudible to the women.
Why Mehitzot Matter Read More »
In Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law, Rabbis Ethan Tucker and Micha’el Rosenberg have produced a book that is noteworthy for its integrity, accuracy, and clarity. The authors worked for many years to refine the book’s content and responded to critiques with thanks and openness to revising their arguments, if not their conclusions. (Full
Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law Read More »
My grandmother, Hannah Bahar, was a yevamah. My grandfather, Sallah Bahar, was a yavam. My grandmother was born in Baghdad around 1908. Her parents were Hacham Ya’akov and Rahel Gubbay. She was one of ten children. When my grandmother was only seven, her father passed away. A year later her family moved to Bombay, India.
Perhaps the Last Yibbum in History Read More »
