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<DIV><BR><BR>>>So, when did the Jewish nation take on the surrounding
non-Jewish influence that led to keeping women (mostly) ignorant? Why is it so
popular even today, when we know that this is not the idea behind "Ko Tomar
LeBeit Yisrael...."?<<<BR><BR><BR>Shoshana L. Boublil</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>Ko tomar lebeit Yakov, I think you meant to say. (Don't worry, we all
slip sometimes.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>As for the beginning of that paragraph -- the Gemara itself says that women
are not supposed to be taught Torah sheba'al peh. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I think that anyone who says that that Gemara is not Torah miSinai --
but is only a response to the surrounding culture of its time -- has
herself been influenced by the "surrounding non-Jewish influence" of /our/
time.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There have been very learned woman, but in each case -- be it
Devorah or Bruriah -- she was very much an exception to the general run of
Jewish women. How many female shoftim have there been? One.
How many female tannaim? One. (If Bruriah counts.)
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>So while there does seem to be an allowance made for the exceptional
circumstance, it is not the norm for women to be talmidei chachamim.
Their exemption from the mitzva of limud Torah (except for the specific halachos
they need to know) is, BTW, related to their exemption from other mitzvos that
would interfere with their higher duties -- raising the next generation of
Jews.</DIV><BR></DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>