The exemption of women from 14 mitzvot of the Torah has been subjected to much analysis, generally related to the rationale for exemption. I would like to explore the legal meaning of such exemption. While the rationale for exemption defies simple explanation, the form of exemption is perfectly consistent. The 14 mitzvot from which women […]
Reshut: Individual Discretion in Halakha Read More »
A Jewish marriage is terminated by the granting of a get, a document of divorce. If the husband is unwilling or unable to give a get to the wife, the wife is an agunah and may not remarry. Historically, two methods have been suggested to break this impasse. One is kefiah, or force, wherein a
Kiddushei Ta’ut: A Discussion of Some Grounds for Invalidating Marriages Read More »
While the discussion of mechitzot (partitions between men and women) in the context of synagogues is familiar, a less frequently discussed question is whether a mechitzah is necessary at a wedding, specifically during the ceremony and reception.1 The talmudic origins of mechitzah are found in Tractates Middot and Sukkah. These sources explain that a balcony
Separation Anxiety: Mechitzot at Weddings Read More »
My wife (I’m still getting used to saying that—we got married just two weeks ago!) and I were married in Jerusalem, where Esther’s family lives. In the warren of offices at the Rabbanut, a world quite different from our own, we suddenly realized that the wedding was not going to completely reflect us—either as individuals
A Marriage of Equals: In His Voice Read More »
The traditions of the Jewish wedding ceremony are infused with halakhic and symbolic meaning. As my husband, Barry, and I were planning our wedding, we wanted to preserve this meaning, but we were concerned that our personal voices not get lost in the halakhic requirements. Because our wedding would be the first moments of our
A Marriage of Equals: In Her Voice Read More »
We know that the Jewish wedding ceremony is laden with meaning, both on a legal and metaphoric level. What then does the chuppah represent? Most people intuitively understand the chuppah as representing a home that the chatan (groom) and kallah (bride) will build together. In fact, according to the halakhic sources the chuppah does represent
Reshut HaKallah: The Symbolism of the Wedding Canopy Read More »
According to the Gemara, women are both “chayavot bemikra megillah,” obligated to read the megillah, and “kesherim likrot et hamegilah,” valid megillah readers.1 However, some later halakhic authorities bar women from reading megillah for men.2 Some maintain that women’s obligation is on a lower level than that of men, a position that remains a controversy
Zila Milta and Women’s Megillah Reading Read More »
In my talk at JOFA’s Fifth Annual International Conference on Feminism and Orthodoxy this year, I argued that there are certain basic underlying values that permeate halakha. Some may wish to regard them as meta-halakhic principles, but I believe them to be basic guidelines within normative halakha. One such guiding principle is that the Torah
On Sensitivity and Compassion in Pesak Halakha Read More »
The recent proliferation of educated female Orthodox scholars and professionals has brought the halakhic issue of women in leadership positions to the forefront. Women hold high level positions of responsibility in every possible business and profession, are CEOs of their companies, and yet Orthodox Jewish society is slow to accept them as presidents of synagogues.
A King…and Not a Queen Read More »
In 1997 Rabbi Emanuel Rackman and AGUNAH International Inc. published a treatise which outlined halakhic principles and procedures for freeing agunot from recalcitrant husbands who were wife or child abusers, criminals, adulterers, and sexual molesters. The Beit Din L’Inyanei Agunot (“Rackman Beit Din”) put these halakhic principles and procedures to work, and many long-suffering agunot
Freeing Agunot: The Rabbi Emanuel Rackman Beit Din Read More »
