Just before our wedding almost 55 years ago, I asked my fiancé if he wanted me to cover my hair once we were married. His response seemed cryptic and somewhat indirect. He had grown up in the Boro Park of the 1930s and 1940s, at a time in which few women covered their hair at […]
Reflections on Head Covering: Then and Now Read More »
In a closely-argued chapter in her book, Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism (HBI Series on Jewish Women, Brandeis University Press, 2007), prominent feminist scholar Tova Hartman explores the concept of tzniut and what she terms its “radical ascendancy in prominence within the discourse of contemporary Orthodox Judaism.” She draws similarities between the objectification of women in
Tova Hartman on Tzniut Read More »
It is commonplace that dress is a cultural artifact. Our assumptions about men and women, what roles they play in society, indeed our very notions of masculinity and femininity are products of the cultures in which we live and are often encoded in our dress. This is not only a modern notion, but appears early
Dress, Gender and Jewish Law Read More »
The facts, just the facts, ma’am.” Those were the oft-repeated words spoken by the detective in Dragnet, a popular TV show in the 1950s. They appeal to me as appropriate in exposing the many layers of misrepresentation that have created confusion in discussions concerning Bat Mitzvah in the Orthodox world. So let me begin with
Bat Mitzvah: Historical and Halakhic Aspects Read More »
A well-known midrash teaches that before birth, God matches each soul with its future mate (B.T. Sotah 2A). We like to think that God has another task relating to those as yet unborn: matching those whose biological parents will be unable to raise them with their future families. The Babylonian Talmud (Sanhedrin 19b) states, “Whoever
Welcoming an Adopted Child Read More »
We send out a unique personal prayer when we name a newborn. Whatever public brakhot we may say, it is the quiet uniting of received tradition and imagined future that trembles within us at this moment of holy decision. Marking our child with a name, we link him or her to what we pray will
What Do We Name the Baby? Read More »
In Fertility and Jewish Law, Dr. Ronit Irshai provides a scholarly and comprehensive review of the halakhic literature on the fertility related topics of contraception, abortion, and artificial reproductive technology (ART). Her clear analysis and explanation of the key issues in each of these sources is commendable. So, too, is her desire to analyze these
Fertility and Jewish Law: Feminist Perspectives on Orthodox Responsa Literature Read More »
ITIM: Resources and Advocacy for Jewish Life was founded a decade ago, taking as its mission to enable individuals to lead Jewish lives in Israel. The issues ITIM addresses regarding particular challenges to women focus largely on lifecycle events and conversion. ITIM seeks to make the individual’s experience of Jewish life positive, while at the
ITIM Works for Women Read More »
“Embracing this new life stage, I see menopause as an indicator of a new era about to emerge— and I rejoice in the wisdom I’ve acquired through the years.” —from the Mayyim Hayyim immersion ceremony upon reaching menopause I first trained as a volunteer mikvah guide in the fall of 2006. A twenty-something not-yet-mom with
Celebrating a New Era: Mikvah and Menopause Read More »
“If I had known, I would have had more children.” “Why didn’t you know?” “Because I never asked.” “Why not?” “Because there was never anyone to have a conversation about it with.” This conversation took place between an Orthodox woman and a yoetzet halacha, a halakhic advisor trained in the laws of family purity. Sadly,
My Yoetzet Halacha: A Religious Resource for the Community Read More »
