[Avodah] Amah Ivriya

Akiva Miller via Avodah avodah at lists.aishdas.org
Sun Feb 19 05:34:38 PST 2017


I have heard it said (usually in the context of military service) that the
Torah forbids a woman to be under the control of anyone other than her
father or husband.

It seems from the beginning of Mishpatim that Amah Ivriya is an exception
to that rule. Or perhaps it's not an exception, but that the rule is
actually "father, husband, or Adon," and we simply drop the last one
nowadays because it isn't l'maaseh. Either way, I'd like a better
understanding of the difference - Why is the military supposedly forbidden
even for an adult woman, while an Adon is allowed even for a young girl?

My first guess would be that the Amah Ivriya is only a concession for a
father who is in a desperate situation. But my understanding is that the
military issur is because of the potential immortality of the situation,
and it seems clear to me that such problems are even bigger with the Adon
and girl.

Please understand that I am asking only according to those poskim who
forbid military service for women for the reasons I've described; for
poskim who allow women's military service for whatever reason, the question
falls apart.

Thank you

Akiva Miller
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