[Avodah] Women and tefillin

[garry vs. Zev Sero]

R' "garry" (hereafter: RG; who really owes us his last name, hint hint)
and R' Zev Sero (RZS) had a 10 part back and forth since I last moderated. I'm
trying to fold it into a single email, for space conservation reasons.

-micha

RG #1:

On 7/13/2011 12:34 PM, Zev Sero wrote:
>> Superiority in Binah was the only item I could readily find a 
>> reference for. I have read many times, though, that
>> women are naturally more modest than men are (in connection with 
>> Kavod hatzibur, for example) and that
>> they are on a higher madrega in general, hence requiring fewer rituals.

> But what has that got to do with ability to concentrate, or to have a
> guf naki?

Wouldn't a higher madrega indicate a greater ability to concentrate on 
kedusha?  The guf naki is a different issue; that presumably was the 
same for Rashi's daughters as for women today.

RZS #1:

And who says Rashi's daughters ever put on tefillin.  We know of no woman
since Michal who did, and the chachamim didn't approve of her doing so.

RG #2:

Huh? I thought Eruvin says ולא מיחו בה חכמים

RZS #2:

Yes, exactly.

RG #3:

You've lost me.  It says "v'lo".

RZS #3:

Yes.  That's my point.  What do you think it means?

RG #4:

They did not protest. What do you think it means?

RZS #4:

Just what it says.  They did not protest, which by definition means
there was something to protest over, i.e. they did not approve.

RG #5:

The fact that they did not protest shows that there was something to 
protest?  That seems quite a leap to me.  I would read it as "for those 
of you who think this is inappropriate, note that they did not protest."

What you're saying seems to be that it was wrong but they did not speak 
out about it?  Isn't that a severe failing that you're ascribing to the 
chachamim?

RZS #5:

If the chachamim approved it would have said so.