[Avodah] Women reading a ketuba

[Meir Shinnar]

RJR
> You might find this article of interest
> http://media.www.yuobserver.com/media/storage/paper989/news/2008/12/30/T
> houghtsOfStudentLeaders/Women.In.The.Framework.Of.Halakha-3581376.shtml
> My response was : Women/halacha - IMHO the general current YURabbinic
> thinking is that anything that seems to give a positive response to
> something that could be construed as feminist generated (or worse
> conservative generated), even if there are many women who want it for
> all the right reasons, will not be viewed positively (a la R' Moshe's
> Tshuva)
Several comments:

1) I have been at a wedding where the mesader kiddushin had impeccable
haredi credentials (both family, education and smicha, as well as
ongoing involvement and speaking at aguda functions), and the ketuba
was read by a woman (the bride had studied under her) - I don't think
this was the rabbi's optimal choice, but it was done without a
whimper.

2)About YU rabbinate - This seems an accurate description of RHS and
RM Willig - I am not sure whether it accurately reflects all of YU
rabbinic opinion (although don't know to the contrary - especially if
one limits oneself to the rashe yeshiva)

3) That, however,  is more  a reflection that both  RHS and RW Willig
(as well as others in their sphere of influence) are not MO in any
reasonable sense of the term as I understand it (see eg
http://www.jcpa.org/cjc/jl-383-helmreich.htm) - (not a personal
attack, but they are far closer to the hardal community than to the MO
community - being zioni and for torah uparnassa is not quite MO..) -
and this reflects their attitude towards women's issues, but also
multiple other issues.  This is the major tension in the MO community
today - as rabbinate of YU - the premier MO institution - are no
longer MO.

I would add that for many in the moderate MO community, the attitude
of opposition to anything that could be construed as feminist, rather
than focusing on the halachic issues, , is viewed as the
politicization of halacha - essentially the flip side of the more
egalitarian radicals, and equally as problematic - and undermines
their credibility  in setting any standards and limits (tafasta merube
lo tafasta..)

Meir Shinnar