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We just came back from spending a few days in Brookline, MA. On Monday
and Tuesday mornings I davened at the YI of Brookline at the first
minyan. Much to my surprise, on Monday there were two women in the ladies
section and on Tuesday there was one. This got me to thinking.<br><br>
I know that a woman is not required to daven with a minyan. Indeed, here
in Brooklyn it is not uncommon to see women davening on buses and
subways. However,
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minyan" eudora="autourl">
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minyan</a> says:<br><br>
<br>
<font size=3>According to Maimonides in his
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mishneh_Torah">Mishneh Torah</a>
(<i>Hilkhot Tefillah</i> 8.1):<br><br>
<i>The prayer of the community is always heard; and even if there were
sinners among them, the Holy One, blessed be He, never rejects the prayer
of the multitude. Hence a person must join himself with the community,
and should not pray by himself so long as he is able to pray with the
community. And a person should always go to the synagogue morning and
evening, for his prayer is only heard at all times in the synagogue.
<br><br>
</i>Now I am sure that women want their prayers to be heard. Therefore,
it occurred to me, "Why aren't women who are able to go to
shul (women without children, women whose children are no longer at home)
encouraged to go to shul to daven regularly (daily) with a
minyan?"<br><br>
[This could lead to a new question for the parents of a boy who is redd a
shidduch to ask. "Does she daven daily with a minyan?"
>:-}]<br>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
Yitzchok Levine</font></body>
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