Modern Orthodox Rabbis And Women Scholars Join To Decide Halakha For Women

Beit Hillel was formed to counter the increasingly hard line that rabbis in the religious Zionist community are taking against women in official religious roles. The group’s formation paves the way for Jewish legal positions formulated by women to be issued under the names of leading Modern Orthodox rabbis.

Women at the Beit Hillel conference

Women Seek Role in Deciding Halacha
Moderate Orthodox Alliance Pushes Back Against Hardliners
Push for Greater Role: Female rabbinic scholars and Orthodox rabbis have formed a group to push for a greater role for women in interpreting Jewish law.
By Nathan Jeffay • Forward

Tel Aviv — Even as Orthodox women take on clergy-like roles, the task of interpreting Jewish law has long been the exclusive domain of men. But a new group called Beit Hillel aims to bring down that barrier.

An alliance of 120 Orthodox rabbis and 30 female religious scholars, Beit Hillel was formed to counter the increasingly hard line that rabbis in the religious Zionist community are taking against women in official religious roles. The group’s formation, in February, paves the way for Jewish legal positions formulated by women to be issued under the names of leading Modern Orthodox rabbis.

“We have to stop talking about ‘what women feel and are all about’ and start hearing from women and having women as part of the halachic discussion,” said Oshra Koren, a Beit Hillel founder and the director of the Matan organization for women’s religious education, in Israel’s Sharon region. “We need to have women deciding and defining what we want.”

The Beit Hillel alliance has provoked strong criticism from some prominent Orthodox rabbis, including Shlomo Aviner, chief rabbi of the religious Zionist settlement of Beit El, deep in the West Bank. Aviner told the Srugim religious news website that women’s involvement in public life should be “modest and behind the scenes.”

In an interview with the Forward, Aviner went further in his criticism of the new group. “Women’s status in halacha doesn’t have any problems,” he said. He dismissed Beit Hillel’s focus on women’s inclusion as a “gimmick.”

Undeterred by its critics, Beit Hillel plans to re-evaluate Jewish legal positions on the role of women in synagogue and communal leadership, and in ritual practice, though it will not limit itself to gender issues. Specifically, the group will look at whether women may read certain biblical texts in a synagogue setting and whether female scholars may address mixed audiences.

The prominence of the Orthodox hard-liners like Rabbi Elyakim Levanon — who has declared facing a firing squad preferable to listening to women sing — prompted Orthodox moderates to establish Beit Hillel. The group is named for the ancient Academy of Hillel, which promoted humility and concern for the welfare of the general public.

Beit Hillel member Ronen Neuwirth, rabbi of the Ohel Ari congregation, in Raanana, told the Forward that a feeling that Judaism is “occupied by extremist values” motivates him and his fellow founders.

The Israeli Orthodox community is composed of two main groupings: ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, and Religious Zionist, loosely equivalent to American Modern Orthodox. But over the past 15 years, some members of the Religious Zionist community, such as Levanon, have moved closer to the ultra-Orthodox’s stance in opposition to secular culture and education and in favor of gender segregation. They are known as hardal, a combination of the words Haredi and dati-leumi, Hebrew for the term Religious Zionist.

Beit Hillel is the first rabbinical alliance that seeks to counter the power of hardalim. “The problem is that what we call hardalim have a strong influence on society in Israel and on Religious Zionist society,” said Beit Hillel founding member Amnon Bazak, a senior rabbi at the West Bank’s Har Etzion yeshiva.

He said that Beit Hillel will address the disconnect that exists between rabbis who make hard-line declarations on Jewish law and members of the religious public who feel that these religious leaders don’t match their understanding of Judaism.

Bar-Ilan University professor Isaac Hershkowitz, another Beit Hillel rabbi, said that he hopes the organization will boost the beleaguered image of Jewish law in the eyes of religious Israelis and the nonreligious public. It will showcase, he said, “halacha’s ability to deal with complex questions and without the need to see everything as black and white.”

Comments

[ultra haredi lite]

Maybe one of these women can enter the running to succeed Rabbi Eliashiv.

[DS]

I don't see why they are so concerned about women leining and delivering shiurim. These questions were addressed already. In the first instance, Partnership Minyanim have women lein on a regular basis; in accordance with bMegillah 23b, if the men in a congregation don't believe it is a blow to their kavod, women may have aliyot and lein. R' Ovadia Yosef matired women reading megillah for men. In the instance of women addressing mixed audiences, Morah Nehama Leibowitz, zt"l, did that all the time, and many Modern Orthodox female scholars do that all the time. It is more of a Christian concern, rooted in Paul's dictum that a woman cannot teach men, rather than a Jewish concern. Nonetheless, I hail any organization whose goal is to counter the fundamentalism and misogyny which pervades the Chardal/RCA/Haredi-Lite/Centrist/Kahanist faction in America and Israel.

[Jeff]

I'll repeat my comment here: Aviner is at it again. It seems there is nothing in the Orthodox velt on which he doesn't have an opinion, and they're all idiotic.

[Sol]

under the names of leading Modern Orthodox rabbis.

I get the feeling that the MO women crowd have no real major issues that need this sort of a coalition.

I don't see how this will help the haredi women.

[Malka Gittel]

Sol - um, maybe you should ask a woman a out that?

[Garnel Ironheart]

> The Israeli Orthodox community is composed of two main groupings: ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, and Religious Zionist, loosely equivalent to American Modern Orthodox.

Yeah, this is where the writer reveals his ignorance. Religious Zionism and Modern Orthodoxy are not the same thing AT ALL.
Religious Zionism is a breakaway from mainstream Chareidism that believes that helping build up the State of Israel is a religious value. Modern Orthodoxy is an entirely different approach to Torah observance and learning from Chareidism. A Modern Orthodox Jew who lives in Israel is not automatically a Religious Zionist.
At any rate, neither approach is right. JOFA in the States already promotes a "here's a selection of teshuvos that agree with us" approach and the Chareidim are doing the same thing but with the strict approach. Neither side advocates an intelligent approach to halachic decision making.

[Jeff]

Yeah, this is where the writer reveals his ignorance. Religious Zionism and Modern Orthodoxy are not the same thing AT ALL... A Modern Orthodox Jew who lives in Israel is not automatically a Religious Zionist.

I agree, although I'd add that I think most of the "Modern Orthodox" in Israel are Religious Zionists - because there's really no such thing any longer as Modern Orthodoxy. True Modern Orthodoxy, the Modern Orthodoxy of several generations ago, is gone. One sees a vestige of it within small pockets of "Left Wing" Modern Orthodoxy - such as Avi Weiss' community (whatever one may think of him personally) - but after decades of intimidation, the vast majority of "Modern Orthodox" have moved so far to the Right that in terms of hashkafah (I think I’m using the term correctly), they're nearly indistinguishable from Haredim. The only differences, as far as I can see, are that they dress comparatively normally and don’t eschew secular education.

I know a liberal Modern Orthodox young man, a son-in-law of the MO rabbi I often mention here (whom I would also describe as a Religious Zionist masquerading as MO). He and his wife recently moved to Israel. When I asked him why they were going (we’ve talked about some of the problems there; I’d often email him links to Shmarya’s posts), he replied: “Modern Orthodoxy in the Diaspora has failed.” He went on to say that the liberal denominations have likewise failed, and that “Haredism” is “stupid and wrong”. They went because, apparently, there’s a small cluster of very young MO people doing “exciting things” with the tradition. That’s what he told me, anyway.

Since they moved, I’ve asked him twice, “If Haredism is stupid and wrong, and Modern Orthodoxy has failed in the Diaspora, and the liberal denominations have failed altogether, and the only hope for the future of Judaism is to be found in a small neighborhood in Jerusalem among you and your friends – what are the other 13 million of us supposed to do? How can you then complain if we convert to other religions?” Of course, he had no answer; he didn’t even try.

It’s all gone, Garnel, The Haredim killed it, and the Modern Orthodox just went along for the ride. It’s positively shameful.

[Sol]

Sol - um, maybe you should ask a woman a out that?

Posted by: Malka Gittel | February 28, 2012 at 08:26 AM

I will ask my wife, if she can spare some time from all the women only groups and shiurim that she attends - most with refreshments.

On the other hand the men's shiurim have no refreshments and the food selection on the men's side in kidushim in my shul have a smaller selection than what is on the women's side.

Some of the shiurim that my wife attends are held in this lovely mansion with special guest lecturers.

[maven]

Shmarya, I find it problematic that you showed a picture of women without blurring their faces :)

[BeenThereDoneThat]

They looked distorted to me :)

[JK2]

Hey, Sol. How do you think the food and drink at the gatherings your wife attends happens? The Refreshment Fairy?

The men reserve all the money, power and authority to themselves, but they aren't capable of calling in an order or stopping by a store to pick up something?

[Sol]

Hey, Sol. How do you think the food and drink at the gatherings your wife attends happens? The Refreshment Fairy?

The men reserve all the money, power and authority to themselves, but they aren't capable of calling in an order or stopping by a store to pick up something?

Posted by: JK2 | February 28, 2012 at 03:06 PM

Doesn't explain the discrepancy in the kiddushim.

[Dave]

Jeff, I have a new idea:- I think we should organize a coalition between the remaining Modern Orthodox and the Karaites.
I know it sounds impossible, but if people decide to suppress their ego for the greater good of the Jewish people, I think it could work.
What do you think?

[Abracadabra]

Dave - Why the Karaites? They have their own fundies and extremism. Same crap, different name.

[Abracadabra]

Do you think the Forward's photographer's are blind? How in the world could they have taken such a bad picture? My 4-year old nephew takes better shots than that (albiet from a lower angle). Seriously - what the heck?!

[Jeff]

I think we should organize a coalition between the remaining Modern Orthodox and the Karaites.

What kind of coalition, and to what end? For political purposes?

Do you know any Karaites? I know they're still around (in name, at least), but to my knowledge, I've never known anyone who's even met one.

[Malka Gittel]

So, Sol, shiurim in lovely mansions with great food means that nothing could be problematic in women's lives? Sounds all kinds of patronizing to this woman.

[Dave]

Jeff and Abracadabra,
Yes, the Karaites are still around, although very few. There are about 30,000 in Israel, and about 2,000 to 5,000 in the U.S.A. (1 synagogue in the Albany New York area, and 1 near Palo Alto, CA.).
Most of them are originally from Egypt, but there are some from the Crimea area of Russia (for more on that Google "Mordechai Kefeli")
I am not planning on becoming a Karaite, but if you read their websites, EVEN though they don't have any interest in the Oral Torah, they manage to be frum and yet flexible.
As far as why would MO and Karaites get together? In the interests of countering assimilation. Karaites go by patrilineal descent and of course MO go by matrilineal descent.
From my reading most "patrilineal" Jews don't want to "convert" to Judaism.
With the Karaites they don't have to, and they can still join a frum Jewish movement.
Between the Karaites working with "patrilineal" Jews and MO working with assimilated halachic (matrilineal) Jews, they have different "target markets".
I call this solution "no Jew left behind", ha ha !

[Yankl]

Why can't women rabbi's be hot? Who do they all have to look like Lynne Stewart?

[Abracadabra: World Famous Mekubal, Gadol, Baal Moifes & Lamed Vavnik. Brachos Only $36, 3 for $100.]

Because they don't want to be a sex object, but rather a spiritual leader without being objectified as tends to happen with women. Meet Yankl - Exhibit A.

[Jeff]

Karaites go by patrilineal descent and of course MO go by matrilineal descent.

I still don't understand what the purpose of an alliance would be, but that kills it right there. No frum Jew would align himself with someone who claims to be Jewish but accepts patrilineal descent, to say nothing of not recognizing the Talmud.

And as I said to Garnel the other day, there is no more "Modern Orthodoxy", anyway. They're largely Haredi now in all but name.

[Dave]

Jeff, we (the Jewish community) has tried all kinds of approaches to combat assimilation, Chabad has tried, Aish has tried, Birthright, and on and on. And it hasn't made any difference. Why not try my radical solution?
Have you read ANY Karaite websites?
Does anyone on this web have any possible solutions, instead of just kvetching?

[yankel]

my wife disagree's she says women are superior. actually gdolei yisrael say so too. reb chayim volzener and reb shamshen refael hirsh , however one is blind and with anon tora agenda to say that they are the same Y and B