[Avodah] Maharat

[Noam Stadlan via Avodah]

R. Micha wrote:
"In any case, I do not think semichah is required for hora'ah in every
situation. Semichah today is recieving reshus to pasqen, which is
unnecessary if one's rebbe passed away or is otherwise unreachable.
And in practice, it's an easy way for someone to know that someone
else assessed R Ploni and is willing to put his name on approving
R Ploni answering questions.

(The Rabbanut semichah test system does not fit this model. I believe
this raises problems with the system, not pointing to a floaw in the
model.)

This is a tangent from the original question. Regardless of whether or
not one needs semichah to be a poseiq, can one give a woman a "heter
hora'ah lerabbim" -- as the big print in the Maharat semichah reads --
or is hora'ah simply not something she can do with out without her
rebbe's license?"

me- this response shows why it is very necessary for R. Micha and all those
opposing ordination for women(or leadership for women) to clarify precisely
the meaning of the words they are using.  They are hiding behind
ambiguity.  if semicha is not required for hora'ah, then saying that women
cant have semicha doesn't imply that women can't do hora'ah.  AND, you cant
use the model of semicha to prohibit women from hora'ah, becuase in the
Venn diagram of the topic, there is hora'ah outside the lines of semicha.
So R. Micha et al need to provide some other basis for their issur of
hora'ah, AND, address all those who write that a woman can provide
hora'ah.  AND, address the quote from R. Penner that the semicha for REITS
graduates is not one to pasken(or perhaps even to give hora'ah).  AND,
address why(rather than simply say) the Rabbanut semichah test system,
perhaps the most popular semicha in Orthodoxy, does not undermine his
entire thesis.  One can give a woman 'heter hora'ah l'rabbim' because
there has not been a cogent argument presented not to do so, and  there are
many poskim who write that a woman can give hora'ah.  The argument
regarding 'what would HKBH' want is interesting.  Does he want us to
restrict women from doing things just so that we can say there are
differences between men and women? Or, did He establish Halakha to help us
sort out those that He wants, rather than ancient ones that and are
gradually being re-evaluated, similar to how we have gradually moved away
from embracing slavery, polygamy(in the vast majority of instances),
restrictions on the deaf/dumb, the devaluation of women(see Mishna in
Horiyyot 'men's lives are saved prior to women....),  the idea that a
women's wisdom is only with the spindle, one who teaches his daughter Torah
has taught her tiflut, etc.
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