[Avodah] Women Davening with a Minyan

[Prof. Levine]

We just came back from spending a few days in Brookline, MA. On 
Monday and Tuesday mornings I davened at the YI of Brookline at the 
first minyan. Much to my surprise, on Monday there were two women in 
the ladies section and on Tuesday there was one. This got me to thinking.

I know that a woman is not required to daven with a minyan. Indeed, 
here in Brooklyn it is not uncommon to see women davening on buses 
and subways. However, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minyan says:


According to Maimonides in his 
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishneh_Torah>Mishneh Torah (Hilkhot 
Tefillah 8.1):

The prayer of the community is always heard; and even if there were 
sinners among them, the Holy One, blessed be He, never rejects the 
prayer of the multitude. Hence a person must join himself with the 
community, and should not pray by himself so long as he is able to 
pray with the community. And a person should always go to the 
synagogue morning and evening, for his prayer is only heard at all 
times in the synagogue.

Now I am sure that women want their prayers to be heard. Therefore, 
it occurred to me,  "Why aren't women who are able to go to shul 
(women without children, women whose children are no longer at home) 
encouraged to go to shul to daven regularly (daily) with a minyan?"

[This could lead to a new question for the parents of a boy who is 
redd a shidduch to ask. "Does she daven daily with a minyan?" >:-}]

Yitzchok Levine 
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