Masorah and the Role of the Jewish Woman

Rabbi Schechter, Rav Kahn, morai verabbosai. In speaking, one confronts a dilemma. Relying upon reading from a text allows for a measure of precision which otherwise it's hard to maintain. Me-idach gisa, the presentation almost inevitably is more stilted, it doesn't come across as naturally, it doesn't flow. Usually one opts for the natural flowing presentation. Tonight, due to the sensitivity of the topic, so I am going to be relying heavily on the text. I apologize in advance for whatever burden that places upon the audience in terms of having to work with me and exert yourselves to stay focused despite the lack of a free and flowing presentation. The presentation draws heavily, almost exclusively, from the Rav's Torah.

וזכרתי את בריתי יעקב ואף את בריתי יצחק ואף את בריתי אברהם אזכור והארץ אזכור.

Hakadosh Baruch Hu says He's going to remember His covenant, His bris, with the avos, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. On the threshold of Mattan Torah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, Hakadosh Baruch Hu sends a message via Moshe Rabbeinu to Klal Yisrael:

ועתה אם שמוע תשמעו בקולי ושמרתם את בריתי והייתם לי סגולה מכל העמים כי לי כל הארץ.

And now, if you'll comply with My words and you'll observe My bris, My covenant, so then you'll be cherished, you'll be a treasure for Me amongst all the nations, for the entire earth is Mine. Rashi says the bris here in this pasuk refers to the bris of Sinai. The Torah refers to it again at the end of the Tochacha:

אלה דברי הברית אשר צוה ה' את משה לכרות את בני ישראל בארץ מואב מלבד הברית אשר כרת אתם בחורב.

So we know, in terms of what we're going to focus on, of two different and distinct brisen, two different and distinct covenants that Hakadosh Baruch Hu established. There's the Bris Avos and there's Bris Sinai. Bris always entails obligations and commitment. So we understand what Bris Sinai entails, that we accept upon ourselves the taryag mitzvos. But Bris Avos is opaque. The only mitzvah associated with Bris Avos is bris milah, and it's clear that the bris milah is intended more as an os, more as a representative sign of the bris, rather than the content of the bris. So what does Bris Avos entail? So the Rav comments as follows: Bris Avos expresses attitudes, ideals, and sentiments. It guides our feeling and consciousness. It's the backdrop of Bris Sinai. Bris Sinai is the behavioral fulfillment of the truths, values, and Jewish self-awareness established by Bris Avos. Or, in other words, Bris Avos consists of core values and attitudes, an approach to life and avodas Hashem. These values and attitudes obviously have practical, normative applications and implications to all situations, old and new. In truth, normative repercussive values are not limited to Bris Avos, they are prominently featured in Bris Sinai as well. Perhaps the most famous example and illustration is the Ramban's discussion of the mitzvah of ve'asisa hayashar vehatov. Here's what in free translation, this is what the Ramban says about the mitzvah of ve'asisa hayashar vehatov, doing what's straight and good. The meaning of this mitzvah according to Chazal, it's impossible for the Torah to specifically legislate all of a person's interactions with his neighbors and friends. We're finite, so the Torah she-biksav has to be finite also. There's endless a number of situations and scenarios which arise in people's lives, so it's impossible for the Torah to specifically legislate all of a person's interactions with his neighbors and friends. The Torah provides many specific directives such as לא תלך רכיל בעמך, not to gossip, לא תקם ולא תטר, לא תעמד על דם רעך, lo tekalel cheresh, not to curse even a deaf person, mipnei seiva takum, standing up in honor of the elderly and the like. Then the Torah generalizes and says that we're called upon to extrapolate from these specific directives. We're called upon to develop a sense for what is correct and appropriate, what the Torah considers yashar vetov, and then the Torah generalizes and says that in all matters we must do what's good and straight. And this serves as an overarching imperative which encompasses among other things the mandate for peshara, to compromise in litigation, lifnim mishurat hadin, to go beyond the letter of the law, to offer the neighbor the right of first refusal, and even Chazal's mandate of דבור בנחת עם הבריות, to speak gently. Ramban's compelling value-based depiction of Torah of halacha is self-explanatory. Nevertheless, in our generation, the following needs to be underscored: the normative core values of Torah are indispensable in making Torah relevant, applicable, and normative in all times and in all situations. A particular situation or constellation of circumstances may be new and unprecedented, and yet the Torah hakedosha through its timeless transcendent values contains clear directives.

ויברא אלהים את האדם בצלמו בצלם אלהים ברא אתו זכר ונקבה ברא אתם.

The Torah's account of berias haadam, creation of man, focuses on his defining spiritual metaphysical quality, tzelem Elokim. It's seemingly incongruous that in the same breath the Torah mentions the physiological differentiation of masculinity and femininity. The Torah is highlighting Adam as a unique spiritual being. Why in such a context would the Torah mention biological variations of masculinity and femininity? A brief excursus into theology and religious experience im yirtzeh Hashem will resolve the incongruity. Hakadosh Baruch Hu is of course אחד השם אלהינו השם אחד, one singular and unique in the simplest and most absolute sense. In speaking of Hakadosh Baruch Hu himself, we can't speak of different aspects or qualities. Nevertheless, in His interaction with the world, we perceive different aspects or qualities and may legitimately speak in such terms. In fact, the Torah itself does so in listing the יג מדות הרחמים. We perceive Hakadosh Baruch Hu as acting with compassion, grace, etc. Similarly, within our personal religious experience, we also experience different qualities or aspects. Whenever we speak of Hakadosh Baruch Hu, we have to bear this crucial distinction in mind. We're speaking of perceptions and experiences, not describing Hakadosh Baruch Hu himself. On the one hand, we perceive and experience Hakadosh Baruch Hu as immanent. He's very much present in the world, but His presence is limited and understated. Otherwise, His presence would simply be too overwhelming. Imagine the moshal of our inability to look directly at the sun. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu is present in the world, we experience His immanence, but that presence is limited and understated. And thus divine will and providence, masked by teva, a self-effacingly exercise. What's more, we perceive and experience Hakadosh Baruch Hu as tolerant and passive. He doesn't impose his divine will. Instead he modestly allows for human free will and quote 'suffers' unquote people's actions even when Rachmana litzlan they contravene his will and thereby further obscure his presence. Kabbalah teaches that all these qualities associated with Hakadosh Baruch Hu's self-effacing immanence belong to the feminine Sefira of Malchut, also known as Shekhina, haShekhina haKedosha. On the other hand we also know and perceive Hakadosh Baruch Hu as transcendent, existing in infinitude above and beyond his creation. He is with a capital B, He is being and as such is the source of all with a lower case b being. He's the omnipotent creator whose inscrutable will inexorably governs the world, the ultimate giver and mashpia. Kabbalah teaches that these qualities belong to the masculine Sefirot. In the words of the Rav, God is both our father and mother. Masculine and feminine motifs in our approach to and craving for God are of great significance to the understanding of our universal religious experience. The principles of creativity and receptivity, acting and being acted upon, energizing and absorbing, aggressiveness and toleration, initiating and completing, of limitless emanation of a transcendent being and measured reflection by the cosmos, are portrayed by the dual motif of masculinity and femininity within our religious experience. Unconditioned, creative, infinite transcendence and self-conditioned, receptive, finite immanence of God are symbolized by masculinity and femininity. We perceive and experience Hakadosh Baruch Hu in maternal terms as loving and comforting, giving and forgiving. But we also perceive and experience Hakadosh Baruch Hu in paternal terms as a demanding teacher and disciplinarian. Once again in the words of the Rav, both modes of loving, caring and helping are manifested by the Almighty. He is our disciplinarian. כאשר ייסר איש את בנו השם אלוקיך מייסרך, the Lord your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son. We invoke him as Avinu Shebashamayim, our father in heaven. Yet we also have trust and faith in him in a manner reminiscent of the child's trust in its mother. In fact, Hakadosh Baruch Hu is our mother. כאיש אשר אמו תנחמנו, the Novi says, as one whom his mother comforts so will I comfort you. Every sensitive Jew knows that at times we run to the Almighty for advice and encouragement like a confused, frustrated and disappointed child runs to its father, while at other times we cling to the Shekhina just like a child who in despair hides his head in shame in his mother's lap, finding there solace and comfort. May we call God both father and mother? Certainly yes, end quote. So the Torah's seemingly incongruous description of Brias Haadam is now resolved. There's both the masculine and feminine Tzelem Elokim. Zachar unekeivah constitute two different spiritual personae. Man and woman were created differently not only physiologically but also psychologically, spiritually and metaphysically. They represent and express different facets of Tzelem Elokim. In the words of the Rav, we are mystified by the inclusion of the physiological fact of sexual differentiation in the story of man created in God's image. It's obvious that the difference between man and woman, Adam veChava, asserts itself in personality differentiation as well. The spiritual... The spiritual essence of man differs from that of woman. Another quote: The Kabbalah based its doctrine of bi-personalism upon the verse and God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. Sexual differentiation expresses more than a physical property, it manifests an ontic contrast, a dual aspect within the essence of creation, something deeper and more fundamental than natural sexual differentiation, which finds its full expression in two bi-existential experiences, in two ideas of personalism. There is, of course, no hierarchy within tzelem Elokim. And thus, while man and woman constitute two distinct spiritual personae, they are axiologically equal. They possess equal kedushas Yisrael. In the words of the Rav, there's no doubt that in the eyes of the halakha, man and woman enjoy an equal status and have the same worth as far as their humanitas is concerned. Both were created in the image of God, both joined the covenantal community at Sinai, both are committed to our meta-historical destiny, both crave and search for God, and with both he engages in a dialogue. The mere fact that among our prophets we find women to whom God has addressed himself is clear proof that we never differentiated between the sexes axiologically. As the natural expression and vital consequence of their different tzalmei Elokim, man and woman are blessed with different strengths and entrusted with different missions. In the words of the Rav, there's a distinction between mother's and father's mission within the covenantal community, since they represent two different personalistic approaches. Father's teaching is basically of an intellectual nature. Judaism is to a great extent an intellectual discipline, a method, a system of thought, a hierarchy of values. However, Judaism is not only an intellectual tradition, but an experiential one as well. The Jew not only observed, but experienced Shabbos. The Jew experienced Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. He didn't only recite prayers on those days. The Seder was a great experiential event. There's beauty, grandeur, warmth, and tenderness to Judaism. All these qualities can't be described in cognitive terms. One may behold them, feel them, sense them. It's impossible to provide one with a formal training in the experiential realm. Experiences are communicated not through the word, but through steady contact, through association, through osmosis, through a tear or a smile, through dreamy eyes and soft melody, through the silence at twilight and the recital of Shema. All this is to be found in the maternal domain. The mother creates the mood. She's the artist who is responsible for the magnificence, solemnity, and beauty. She somehow communicates to him the heartbeat of Judaism while playing, singing, laughing, and crying. In his hesped for the Talne Rebbetzin, the Rav returned to this theme. Here are his beautiful words: We have two mesoros, two traditions: the mesorah community of the fathers and that of the mothers.

כה תאמר לבית יעקב אלו הנשים ותגיד לבני ישראל אלו האנשים. שמע בני מוסר אביך,

hear my son the instruction of your father, ואל תטוש תורת אמך, and forsake not the teaching of your mother. One learns much from father: how to read a text, Tanakh, Gemara, how to comprehend, how to analyze, how to conceptualize, how to classify, how to infer, how to apply, etc. One also learns from father what to do and what not to do, what's morally right and what's morally wrong. Father teaches the son the discipline of thought as well as the discipline of action. Father's tradition is an intellectual moral one. That's why it's identified with musar, which is the biblical term for discipline. What is Torat imecha? What kind of a Torah does the mother pass on? Permit me to draw upon my own experiences. I used to have long conversations with my mother. In fact, it was a monologue rather than a dialogue. She talked and I happened to overhear. She talked me'inyana deyoma. I used to watch her arranging the house in honor of a holiday. I used to see her recite prayers. I used to watch her recite the Sedra every Friday night, and I still remember the nostalgic tune. I learned from her very much. Most of all I learned that Judaism expresses itself not only in formal compliance with the law, but also in a living experience. She taught me that there's a flavor, a scent, and warmth to mitzvos. I learned from her the most important thing in life, to feel the presence of the Almighty and the gentle pressure of His hand resting upon my frail shoulders. The fathers knew much about Shabbos. The mothers lived the Shabbos, experienced her presence and perceived her beauty and splendor. The fathers taught generations how to observe Shabbos, mothers taught generations how to greet the Shabbos and how to enjoy her twenty-four-hour presence. The Rav's beautiful stirring words provide a framework to understand and appreciate the words of early chachmei hamesorah. The Gemara in Berachos famously records אמר ליה רב לרבי חייא. Rav posed the question to his uncle Rebbi Chiya, nashim bemai zachyan? What special merit do women enjoy?

באקרויי בנייהו לבי כנישתא ובאתנויי גברייהו בי רבנן ונטרן לגברייהו עד דאתו מבי רבנן.

Rebbi Chiya answered, bringing their sons to yeshiva to learn, and sending their husbands to yeshiva and awaiting their return. Chazal are not referring here to arranging the logistics of carpool. They also refer to the vital role of mother and wife in influencing her sons and husband. Her capacity to motivate, her ability to touch the inner lives and core of her husband and children. Rebbi Chiya answers that women exert a formative influence by imparting their Toras imecha, which inspires their husbands and sons to Talmud Torah. This understanding of the Gemara is further borne out by Chazal's comment on the posuk of כה תאמר לבית יעקב ותגיד לבני ישראל. Chazal comment in the Midrash, lama lenashim techila? Why is Moshe Rabbeinu instructed by Hakadosh Baruch Hu to speak to the women first, first to speak to Beis Yaakov, only later to speak to Bnei Yisrael? כדי שיהיו מנהיגות את בניהן לתורה. So that they will assume responsibility to guide their sons to Torah. The theme echoes as well in the words of Rabbeinu Yonah, ולמה נצטווה לדבר עם הנשים תחילה? Why was Moshe Rabbeinu commanded to speak first with the women? מפני שהן שולחות בניהן לבית הספר. They send the children, the sons to school. משמות עיניהן על בניהן שיעסקו בתורה. They pay attention, they keep an eye out that they should learn. ומרחמות עליהם בבואם מבית הספר. They envelop them nurturingly with love when they return home. ומושכות ליבם בדברים טובים שיהא חפצם בתורה. And they inspire them, they motivate them that they should have the desire to learn Torah. ומלמדות אותם יראת חטא בילדותם. And they teach them to have fear of sin and they implant that within them from their very youth. The final representative quote from the Malbim's peirush in Sefer Tehillim, towards the end of Sefer Tehillim, the posuk asher. בנינו כנטיעים מגודלים בנעוריהם בנותינו כזויות מחוטבות תבנית היכל. So the pasuk has an interesting comparison, compares Benos Yisrael to the cornerstones of a building. So the Malbim elucidates the comparison:

בנותינו דומות כזויות שהן מחוטבות תבנית היכל כי תבנית ההיכל ילקח מן הזויות אם עשוי ביושר.

The structure of a palace depends upon the correct straight placement of its corners. That's the determining factor.

כן הן צנועות יושבות בירכתי הבית ובכל זאת הן יתנו תבנית ההיכל כולו וכפי צדקותן תהיה הנהגת הבית בכלל.

Similarly, Benos Yisrael are modest, residing at home. No one really sees the cornerstones. Nevertheless, they determine the character of the home. The overall conduct of the home reflects their righteousness. The Rav's portrait of the feminine Tzelem Elokim allows us to arrive at a fuller and deeper understanding of what tznius means and of what we mean when we identify that as the defining quality or trait of the Jewish woman. Of course, modest dress and behavior are crucial indispensable expressions of tznius. But they're only external expressions. The fact that a woman's avodas Hashem is concentrated in the private domain of the home is also a key crucial expression of tznius. But this too only reflects but isn't the essence of the tznius. Ultimately, a woman's tznius consists of her rich inner life which is hidden from view and therein lies the ultimate tznius, the focus on inwardness and inner experience. Publicity and public roles are antithetical to the feminine Tzelem Elokim which is self-effacing, which emphasizes inwardness. An ishah tznuah who focuses on authentic inwardness enjoys a rich inner life and eschews the inauthenticity and vulgarity of extroversion and ostentatiousness, naturally lives self-effacingly and dresses and acts modestly. The Rav further elaborates the strengths of the different Tzelem Elokims. While intellectual involvement is important, in times of crisis and distress, the experiential commitment is indispensable. Were it not for the mother, the Jews would not have been able to defy and survive so many crises which threatened to annihilate our people. The greatness of the man expresses itself in everyday action when situations lend themselves to logical analysis and discursive thinking. The greatness of the woman manifests itself at the hour of crisis when the situation does not lend itself to piecemeal understanding but requires instead instantaneous action that flows from the very depths of a sensitive personality. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave woman binah yeseirah, an additional measure of understanding over men. The Rav then illustrates this feminine strength with examples from Chumash: Sarah Imeinu safeguards Avraham Avinu's legacy by demanding the expulsion of Yishmael. Rivka Imeinu ensures that the mesorah is exclusively transmitted to Yaakov Avinu, etc. In the Rav's words, the biblical woman was a dialectical personality. She combined two mutually exclusive characteristics: she was humble and shy, and yet she possessed an indomitable will and an unshakable determination. determination. She was simple and tenacious, meek and fearless. The biblical woman was never at the center, always in the wings. She was never loud, always quiet. At the same time, the biblical woman was the leader and the head of the household. In times of crisis, the biblical woman assumed unlimited responsibilities and made the gravest decisions. Sarah was a humble woman, always in the tent, always shy and modest. Avraham sat in front of the tent. She was inside. She was always ready to comply with Avraham's requests and yet, in critical times when she was concerned over the destiny of her son, the humble Sarah displayed unlimited strength of will and made Avraham listen to her. She instructed Avraham, גרש האמה הזאת ואת בנה, cast out that slave woman and her son, and HaKadosh Baruch Hu instructed Avraham to listen to Sarah. Before proceeding, let's pause and summarize. In our perception, HaKadosh Baruch Hu is both immanent and transcendent. In His understated immanence, He models self-effacement and modesty, a paragon of inwardness and receptivity, being tzanua and a mekabel. These qualities are emphasized in the feminine tzelem Elokim. In His majestic transcendence, HaKadosh Baruch Hu appears as Kel Shakkai, God Almighty, who created and governed the world, bestowed and teaches Torah to Klal Yisrael, a paragon of leadership and influence, being a mashpia. These qualities are emphasized in the masculine tzelem Elokim. The Rav's identification and exposition of these two tzalmei Elokim relies heavily on teachings from Kabbalah. Most assuredly, Kabbalah is an esoteric discipline and entree into its portals is reserved for the elite. At first glance, it might seem inappropriate to draw upon Kabbalistic lore in an exoteric halakhic discussion of masorah and the role of the Jewish woman. Understanding at least one dimension of the relationship of Halakhah and Kabbalah will im yirtzeh Hashem dispel this erroneous impression and account for the exoteric relevance of the Rav's exposition. On one level, Kabbalah simply, in quotes, provides a deeper understanding of Halakhah. It delves into the conceptual metaphysical underpinnings of concrete normative Halakhah. Consider the following analogy. Electric appliances come with instructions for safe responsible use with explicit warnings about dangerous misuse. These instructions allow the consumer to safely use the appliance. Only with a knowledge of physics, however, is it possible to understand the scientific underpinnings of the instructions. The analogy is clear. In our context, the contours of the respective roles of men and women emerge clearly from halakhic sources. By providing insight into the underpinnings of their various halakhot, Kabbalah helps us better understand and appreciate Halakhah. Let's turn to some representative halakhic sources. The Torah associates the mitzvah of piryah verivyah of procreation with conquest.

ויברך אתם אלהים ויאמר להם אלהים פרו ורבו ומלאו את הארץ וכבשה ורדו בדגת הים ובעוף השמים ובכל חיה הרמשת על הארץ.

Based on this association between piryah verivyah and vekhivshuha, between procreation and conquest, Chazal see the mitzvah of piryah verivyah as being incumbent only upon men in as much as. as איש דרכו לכבוש ואין אשה דרכה לכבוש. It's the nature of aggressive man, not reticent woman to engage in conquest. The mitzvah of honoring one's parents is incumbent upon men and women. Nevertheless, the Torah associates it primarily with men. Chazal comment,

איש אמו ואביו תיראו, כל אחד מכם תירא אביו ואמו. אם כן למה נאמר איש? שהאיש סיפק בידו לעשות, אבל אשה רשות אחרים עליה.

Married women are often exempted from the mitzvah of kibbud av v'eim because they're subject to the authority of others, i.e., when it conflicts with her responsibilities to her husband. According to the Rambam, only men can be appointed to positions of serarah, authority.

אין מעמידין אשה במלכות שנאמר שום תשים עליך מלך ולא מלכה וכן כל משימה שבישראל אין ממנים בהם אלא איש.

Within the reciprocal bilateral obligations that husband and wife have towards each other, a husband is obligated to go out and provide a livelihood for his wife. Reciprocally, the wife shoulders domestic responsibilities. The Mishna in Ketubot: ואלו מלאכות שהאשה עושה לבעלה טוחנת ואופה מכבסת מבשלת etcetera. She grinds the flour, bakes, launders the clothing, cooks. The halakhic lines delineating the different personae and roles of men and women respectively are clearly drawn. The kabbalistic teachings regarding masculine and feminine tzelem Elokim broaden our perspective, enrich our understanding, and deepen our appreciation for the halakhic structure. But clearly, in this context, Kabbalah is interpreting halakhic norms, not generating its own. In the words of the Rav, commenting upon a Gemara in Masechet Kiddushin:

רב יוסף כי הוה שמע קל כרעא דאמיה אמר איקום מקמי שכינה דאתייא.

Whenever Rav Yosef heard the footsteps of his mother, he would say, 'Let me rise because the Shechinah is coming.' The Rav comments: Behind every mother, young or old, happy or sad, trails the Shechinah, and behind every father, erect or stooped, in playful or stern mood, walks Malka Kadisha, the Holy King. This is not mysticism, it's Halacha. The awareness of Malka Kadisha and the Shechinah results in the obligation to rise before father and mother. The foregoing depiction of the Jewish woman, of the feminine tzelem Elokim culled from the Rav's writings, despite being limited to a representative sampling, draws from an incredibly broad and comprehensive array of sources. Biblical, halakhic, and kabbalistic sources converge; they paint a single, consistent, and beautiful picture. The complementary antinomies of public and private, mekabbel and mashpia, aggressive and reticent, gevurah and rachamanut, petach haohel and baohel, depict the respective roles and strengths of men and women. I've been asked to comment upon the consensus omnium amongst all Gedolim, past and present, that ordination of women violates Halacha. So b'ezrat Hashem, I now try to turn to that task. At the outset of our discussion, we noted the pivotal role of values and principles within our masorah, both Berit Avot as well as Berit Sinai. The eternal universal relevance and applicability of Torah depends upon applying masoretic values and principles to new situations. The mandate of tzniut is always operative; standards of tzniut must be adhered to in both the women in the secular sphere as well. The ensuing comments are not intended in any way to imply what those guidelines are. That's beyond the beyond the beyond the circumscription of tonight's topic. Nevertheless, there are at least two crucial defining differences between the two spheres, between the religious and the secular sphere. First of all, the religious sphere is real in a sense that the secular is not. There's no analogy whatsoever between the shul and the corporate boardroom. Whatever meaningfulness, if any, roles and positions in the boardroom possess, they don't in the least compare to the significance of roles and positions in the Torah community. Behavior in the religious sphere most directly upholds or violates the Torah's axiomatic gender differentiation in avodas hashem. Thus, the question of women serving as CEOs is not linked to the question of women being ordained and/or serving as rabbis. Second of all, regardless of the sincere l'shem shamayim motivation of some individual women who aspire to serve as rabbis, the broader religio-social context is crucial. Let's be honest and straightforward with ourselves. There's currently an undeniable concerted effort afoot to egalitarianize yahadus rachmana litzlan. The profane roots of this antinomian movement reach back to the 1970s with the demands for sifrei torah for women during hakafos and women's tefillah groups. Ordination of women is one of the more recent fronts in that misguided effort. In light of all the above, we're zoche to understand and appreciate the authoritative position of all gedolim. Of course, its authoritativeness doesn't depend upon our ofttimes inadequate understanding. It's overwhelmingly clear that a woman serving in the very public religious leadership role of rabbi directly violates and contradicts the entire masorah concerning the Jewish woman, concerning the tzelem elokim of זכר ונקבה ברא אותם. In an attempt to b'ezras hashem forestall misunderstanding, two further points must be underscored. Firstly, by no means am I implying that masorah is, quote, 'the only', unquote, impediment to having women rabbis. I comment from the masoretic vantage point because, as requested, that vantage point has been the focus of our discussion. Moreover, the claim that the possibility of women rabbis represents a new and unprecedented situation is somewhat dubious. Formal schooling and instruction for Jewish girls is relatively new. Instances of remarkably learned Jewish women are not. Most famously, Bruriah, wife of Rabbi Meir, daughter of רבי חנניה בן תרדיון, was a very great Torah scholar who was machria, who adjudicated a dispute between Rabbi Tarfon and the chachamim. Rabbinic literature and law through the centuries knows of other remarkable instances as well. And yet, the existence of such eminent, learned nashim tzenuos v'tzidkaniyos never yielded women rabbis or even a suggestion thereof. The politically incorrect yet historically correct explanation would seem to be simple. It was self-evident that such a development was unthinkable as it contradicts the Torah's religious gender differentiation. Communal introspection is vital and, to be candid, long overdue. With open minds and hearts, please join me. We tend to think And obviously such behaviors are painful instances of assimilation. But assimilation often begins more subtly. It often begins in the realm of thought, ideas, and values. Practical assimilation with its frightening manifestations is often the result of ideational and axiological assimilation. Ideational assimilation occurs when we absorb ideas and values antithetical to Torah from the surrounding culture. Often these ideas and values penetrate our minds and hearts imperceptibly by osmosis. Having penetrated our minds, they dictate our mindset. Sometimes the infection of assimilation reaches so deeply within our being that we mistake transient Western societal values for absolute universal values. And then we proceed to zealously, self-righteously reinterpret, in reality, misinterpret Torah accordingly. To be specific: Western society is aggressively egalitarian. It equates equality with uniformity and conversely diversity with inequality. This Western social axiom stands in marked contrast to the traditional Jewish view. In the words of the Rav: The Halacha has discriminated between axiological equality pertaining to their divine essence and metaphysical uniformity at the level of the existential personal experience. Men and women are different personae, endowed with singular qualities and assigned distinct missions in life. Hence, axiological equality should not level up the uniqueness of these two sexual personalities. Another truism: Over the past half century, Western society has denigrated traditional women's roles, attributing them to a misogynist patriarchal society. Once again, the Rav has formulated the Torah outlook. The narrative in the Bible that both male and female were created in the image of God suffices to refute the misogynist tradition. The Bible sees the uniqueness of man expressed in his ability to withdraw, to sacrifice, in his giving of himself to others, in his craving for communion with God. Therefore, there is hardly any cogent reason to place the worth of man above that of woman. On the contrary, sacrificial action is more characteristic of woman than of man. Both of these axiomatic Western values, that is, egalitarianism and denigration of traditional women's roles, have infiltrated and infected our minds and hearts. They represent insidious ideational assimilation. Deeply disturbing and entirely intolerable in its own right, but they are also fueling practical assimilation, and if unchecked will continue to do so rachmana litzlan and at a frightening pace. Let's step back for a moment and reflect. Obviously, there's never any reason whatsoever to feel apologetic, insecure, or inferior in openly rejecting transient societal mores and axioms in favor of ratzon Hashem. But a moment's reflection will be'ezras Hashem strengthen our yetzer hatov in combating the yetzer hara. Without minimizing the accomplishments or virtues of modern society, an objective assessment is simply staggering. In the realm of intimacy where above all kedusha is to be sought and realized, popular Western culture rejects chastity and sanctity in favor of vulgarity and promiscuity. Western culture rejects tznius in favor of ostentatiousness. It rejects self-effacement in favor of self-aggrandizement. It rejects It rejects moral religious discipline, the bedrock of halacha, in favor of self-gratification. It rejects inwardness and authenticity in favor of extroversion and empowerment. Obviously, such a society cannot appreciate the sanctified lifestyle of tznius. Obviously, such a society cannot understand or appreciate the feminine tzelem elokim. But bnei yisroel bayshonim and we have the torah hakedoshah. We can appreciate authentic Torah values. Why do we allow ourselves to be brainwashed and assimilated? And why, even when we appropriately reject a mimesis of secular women, why do we ourselves, why do we do ourselves the disservice of constantly talking about increasing leadership roles for women as though that were an ideal? Such talk only reinforces ideational assimilationist tendencies. Instead of such shortsighted accommodationism, we should be accurately and effectively and proudly projecting the Torah's beautiful vision of tznius and avodas hashem. In our generation, surrounded as we are by self-aggrandizement and extroversion, every single one of us should commit to memory and etch in our hearts the following passage from Rav Chaim Vital's shaarei kedushah. hodaas maasav labriyos, making one's good deeds known to others. Gratuitous, seeking gratuitous publicity and recognition for what one does. ידעת מה שאמרו חז"ל about a woman who was being punished in gehennom על שהיתה מספרת לחברותיה היום התעניתי. She was being punished in gehennom for telling her friends, "You know today I fasted, I was fasting today." ולא די שאינו מקבל שכר אלא שנידון בגיהנום. Not only does that undermine one's mitzvah that one loses, one forfeits the schar, but rachmana litzlan, one is judged in gehennom. כי הרי מגלה דעתו. By looking for public attention, harei megaleh daato, a person thereby indicates שאין מעשיו לשם שמים. If my audience is people, it means my audience isn't ribono shel olam. veim yuchal haadam, what's the ideal says Rav Chaim Vital? אם יוכל האדם שיעשה כל דרכיו לשמים. If a person could arrange it that he does everything leshem shamayim ולא יפרסם לבריות אפילו אחד מהם and people won't be aware of anything, people won't be aware of any element of the person's avodas hashem. scharo kaful umuchpal, that person's reward is compounded many times over. mipnei shekvod elokim, the way one gives honor to hakadosh baruch hu, haster davar is by keeping things hidden. It's undoubtedly true that being called upon to resist such societal influences poses an additional challenge to the modern Jewish woman in devoting herself to authentic avodas hashem. Undoubtedly it was with this additional challenge in mind that the Rav penned the following lines: The biblical woman is modest, humble, self-effacing. She enters the stage when she is called upon, acts her part with love and devotion in a dim corner of the stage, and then leaves softly without applause and without the enthusiastic response of the audience which is hardly aware of her. It's quite interesting that although Avraham survived Sarah by 38 years, his historical role... death of Rachel. Without Sarah there would be no Avram, no Yitzchak were it not for Rivka, no Yaakov without Rachel. The Halacha was cognizant of the greatness of the covenantal mother when it formulated the rule that Kedushas Yisroel, one's status as a Jew, can only be transmitted through the woman. The Halacha was also conscious of the loneliness and the tragic note in the feminine commitment when it accepted a seemingly contradictory rule that the child takes his father's name and family status. We conclude with one last quote from the Rav. The specific context was an initiative to try and obviate the need for Gittin. The mindset which produced that initiative is hauntingly familiar. The excerpt that we, im yirtzeh Hashem, are about to read together addresses that mindset. We must not yield, I mean emotionally, it is very important. We must not feel inferior, experience or develop an inferiority complex, and because of that complex yield to the charm, usually it's a transient and passing charm, of modern political and ideological svaros. I say not only not to compromise, certainly not to compromise, but even not to yield emotionally, not to feel inferior, not to experience an inferiority complex. The thought should never occur that it's important to cooperate just a little bit with the modern trend or with a secular modern philosophy. In my opinion, Yahadus does not have to apologize to the modern woman. There is no need for apology, we should have pride in our mesorah, in our heritage. And of course, certainly it goes without saying that one must try not to compromise with these cultural trends, and one must try not to gear the halachic norm to the transient ways of a neurotic society, which is what our society is.