[Avodah] Schooling for women (was 12 steps)

[Shoshana L. Boublil]

 Date: Tue, 10 Oct 2006 15:31:04 GMT
> From: "kennethgmiller at juno.com" <kennethgmiller at juno.com>
> Subject: Re: [Avodah] 12 steps

[del] Such is 
> the nature of shaas hadchak, some of which have been going on for 
> even longer periods of time. 
[del]
Perhaps schooling for women might be 
> in this category.

I must say that this has always bothered me. The idea that teaching women Yiddishkeit in an organized way is only b/c of "sha'at had'chak".

Even more so, after learning the G'mara that in the time of Chizkiya, when they checked, they couldn't find a "Tinok o Tinoket" who didn't know all Torah SheBe'al Peh including Tohorot.

We also have the examples in the G'mara of the various educated ladies; We have examples of Nevi'ot, again women who had to be educated on a above average level in Yahadut (and there is a saying in the G'mara that gives a very high number of Nevi'ot, even though not all were listed for the future).

Even in the discussion that is the source of the idea of not teaching, it is a Da'at Yachid, and in the same place other opinions that encourage teaching did exist.

(And the Tanna who originated the idea, IIRC, was later put in Cherem and his psak NOT accepted for other matters!)

It is also logical that a woman can't keep the mitzvot she is obligated to keep without some basic study.

So, when did the Jewish nation take on the surrounding non-Jewish influence that led to keeping women (mostly) ignorant? Why is it so popular even today, when we know that this is not the idea behind "Ko Tomar LeBeit Yisrael...."?

If Hashem created the world and everything in it, and He gave the Torah, why the fear of women learning Torah that exists even today?

Shoshana L. Boublil