[Avodah] women leaning at seder

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Eli Turkel asked:

> Ashkenazi women usually don't lean at the seder based on the
> Raaviya. Since we don't pasken like the Raaviya does this mean
> that women should lean lechatchila and only bideved they rely
> on the Raaviya? My personal observations are that women do not
> lean lechatchila - what is the justification?

I saw this *exact* question over Shabbos in the Halichos Shlomo of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach.

IF I recall correctly, he said that at a certain point in history, the status of women changed. And *if* they would have had this status earlier, then Chazal would have required them to lean. But they didn't, and therefore they were never included in the original takana, and technically, they don't really need the Raaviya to begin with. But now that they do have this status, Raaviya provides a convenient explanation of why they did not voluntarily *begin* leaning.

I found it very interesting that RSZA specified the time period of this new status for women as being the time of Rabbenu Gershom. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense. But I don't recall Rabbenu Gershom being mentioned in this context before. (Or maybe it's just my memory that's going bad. I hope I'll remember to check all this tonight, and to post the exact cite in the Halichos Shlomo.)

Akiva Miller

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