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| Some of the women that will be answering questions on the website (VIN) |
It is sponsored by the Beit Hillel Organization in Israel whose mission is to advance the cause of women in public leadership roles. Something which is in and of itself of dubious merit since it involves issues of Serara - which disallows women from serving in positions of communal Jewish authority.
I am however trying to look at it objectively without its sponsoring agency. Are these women ordained and now acting as rabbis ...and even as Poskim that rule on difficult and complex issues of Halacha? Or are they more like Yoatzot Halacha – advisers who answer commonly asked questions - leaving the more complex questions to an established Posek?
If it is the former – they are putting themselves in a position they are very likely not qualified to be in. Poskim are a lot more than just rabbis. Quoting from the OU statement about the requirements for innovative Psak:
(I)t is essential for a halakhic decisor to be aware of, and keenly sensitive to, the broader context of Torah values. Such values originate from, but frequently extend beyond, specific legal dictates. Halakhah itself, if examined closely, reflects underlying themes, and sources from mikra, aggadah, and kabbalah complement the halakhic rulings to express values that direct our avodat Hashem. These core values, derived from these multiple sources, form a “Halakhic Ethos,” and throughout our history, these values have been integrated into the technical, practical resolution of complex halakhic issues.
So unless they have this kind of intensive training, which takes many years of full time Torah study; and have had ‘Shimush’ (…a sort of apprenticeship to a legitimate Posek) they shouldn’t be doing that.
Even in the unlikely event that these women have spent many years in full time Torah study and were as knowledgeable as men who have done the same thing, I doubt that any of them have had Shimush. But even then it would still be a problem. There is no historic precedent for a woman becoming ordained as a rabbi. And precedent matters in Judaism as much as it does in the hallowed halls of the American system of jurisprudence. Even as the idea of precedent in Judaism is devalued by the Left wing of Orthodoxy.
Although there have been times historically where precedent was overturned - it was rare and required more than merely seeking egalitarianism as a goal. As I have said many times - it is not that men and women aren’t considered equal in the eyes of God. They are. But that doesn’t mean that men and women are identical. Nor does it mean they must have identical roles in order to be equally valued. Is a heart surgeon more valued than a neurosurgeon? Is a criminal lawyer more valued than corporate lawyer? Is a nuclear physicist more valued than microbiologist?
Having different roles does not devalue anyone. In Judaism fulfilling one’s role in service to God makes them more valued than does doing so outside of those roles. Egalitarianism seeks to eliminate the very idea of different roles for men and women. The long and short of it is that women need not overturn precedent in order to serve the Creator successfully in their roles as women.
It isn’t that women aren’t capable of doing what men do in the realm of rabbinics - given the same circumstances of education and experience. It’s about whether what approach God prefers them to have. That is set by the Torah as interpreted by the sages and rabbinic leaders throughout history - and tradition.
Despite some of the insulting attacks by some feminists against Poskim that this is all motivated by misogyny and maintaining a patriarchal society – that is the furthest thing from the truth. It is a canard stemming from self serving activists of egalitarianism that belittle anyone that gets in their way. Unfortunately that attitude has somehow permeated certain segments of modern Orthodoxy and has led some very intelligent and sincere religious women astray.
If, on the other hand the women answering these questions are more like Yoatzot Halacha – advisers answering certain questions from women who feel more comfortable asking them of women, I am inclined to support it.
Sadly, I am also inclined to believe it is the former. However, I will be happy to learn that it is the latter. Which is it?