[Avodah] Ladies not making Havdallah

[Micha Berger]

On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 05:47:42PM -0400, Aryeh Herzig wrote:
: Yerushalmi Berachot says we say Havdallah in Chonen Hadaat because : Im Ein
: Daath Havdallah Minayin".  Since Nashim Daatan Kaloth they can not make
: havdallah. ( Maariv is reshus so ladies don't daven Maariv anyway so it is
: only relevant on Havdallah al HaKos.)

Women are mechuyavos in havdallah, the question is only Havdallah al
haKos. But saying or being yotzeit at least "barukh hamavdil bein qodesh
lechol" is mandatory (Rama OC 299:10).

So it would seem their daas qalah is sufficient for havdalah to be an
applicable concept. For that matter, the concept you're arguing would
imply that women would be outside halachic distinctions, non-capital-H
havdalah altogether -- look at the body of the berakhah. And yet they
are mechuyavos in Shabbos, qodshim, most of the extra mitzvos encumbant
upon Yisrael over those of the amim...

About the Y-mi, it's a machloqes in Shabbos 5:2 (39a vilna). Chakhamim
put Havdalah in Chonein haDaas. Then there are two other shitos:
Havdalah as its own berakhah after ChD because without daas there is
no havdalah. Havdalah before ChD, because you shouldn't make baqashos
until after Havdalah.

The gemara doesn't say this, but notice how the Chakhamim's position
addresses both, at least as we today implement it. We say "Atah Chonein"
and praise HQBH as the Giver of daas, then Havdalah, then we go to
"[ve]choneinu mei'itkha..." startgin the baqashah part of the berakhah!

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             A person lives with himself for seventy years,
micha at aishdas.org        and after it is all over, he still does not
http://www.aishdas.org   know himself.
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            - Rav Yisrael Salanter