[Avodah] Rav Shimon Schwab on Women Learning Torah

[via Avodah]

From: Ben Waxman via Avodah  <avodah at lists.aishdas.org>

>> Just to point out something  that may be obvious: By saying that a women 
can obtain prophecy without  learning Torah, RSS is also inferring that a 
man requires Talmud Torah to  obtain prophecy.  In that regard, RSS is 
agreeing with the Rambam and  my original question then returns: why the 
differentiation?  <<

Ben
 
 
>>>>
 
Sorry I don't remember sources and have no time now to look things up but I 
 have seen in many places the idea that what men gain from learning Torah 
lishma,  women gain from being careful about tznius.  I've seen it said in  
regard to schar in olam haba as well as acquiring yiras Shamayim but I 
suppose  it would cover nevuah too. 
 
One place I saw this recently was in the book Halichos Bas Yisrael by R'  
Yitzchak Yaacov Fuchs.  BTW he has an excellent chapter complete with  many 
footnotes on the whole subject of women learning Torah.  For anyone  who 
really cares about this issue it would be very kedai to read it.
 
This does not answer RBW's question, "why the differentiation?" which I  
can't do al regel achas but again, R' Fuchs' book does go into that question 
at  some length.  I don't know if RBW's question is merely rhetorical and  
means to imply that he doesn't believe that men and women are profoundly  
different.  But whether it's a rhetorical question or an honest request for  
information, whole books have been written on  that subject! 
 
We have on this list at least three women who are talmidei chachamim (no I  
am emphatically not including myself -- I have never learned Gemara!).   
They are very admirable and wise, but it is a fact that despite such 
exceptions  to the rule, the rule still is that learning Torah Shebe'al Peh in depth 
does  little or nothing for the vast majority of women from a spiritual 
point of  view. I heard this from my father, who said something similar to what 
R'  Schwab has been quoted as saying.  I will add that my father offered to  
teach me Gemara (I declined) so obviously he did not consider it to be 100% 
 assur but it would have to be on a case by case basis.  



--Toby  Katz
t613k at aol.com
..
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