[Avodah] Tzeni'us and gender roles

[Jonathan Baker]

RRW:
> Meir Shinnar:

[redacted for space]

>>[some oppose theoretically correct solutions to feminist issues because]
>> they ascribe impure motivations to either the male rabbis endorsing the
>> proposal or the women involved - wihtout any evidence that they exist,
>> nor, even if they did, that they should matter....

That's the R' Tendler expansion on RMF's letter that theoretically
allows women's tefillah groups. RMF allowed them if the motivations of
the women were pure, not driven by feminism. RMT clarified that this
was pure theory, that RMF didn't believe such women could exist.

> Conversely I have hears things like:
> Since [X Rishon, Acharon or Rav] will not allow women to [do Y].

> Therefore they have a misogynistic agenda.
> With no regard to their halachic analysis
> So this works both ways.

Perhaps, but such criticism tends to come more from outside the OJ system
than inside. At which point, their motives become suspect. Esp. if
it's an ad-hominem like "misogynist", rather than "society drove them
to it, but society has changed". That's at least a debatable point.
The other is just personal insults tossed at Chazal or Rabbonim.

-- 
jon baker         |   blog: http://thanbook.blogspot.com
thanbo at gmail.com  | web: http://www.panix.com/~jjbaker