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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body bgcolor=white lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto;background:white'><span style='color:black'> I truly believe that in the 21<sup>st</sup> century whatever it is permissible for women to do on halakhic grounds should be allowed for those women who wish to do them and in those congregations which are willing to accommodate them. The Lubavitcher Rebbe said very clearly to me that the greatest challenge facing 20<sup>th</sup> century Orthodox Jewry is making women feel included as much as possible within our religious ritual. The Talmud went even further when it overrode the hermeneutic teaching which excluded women from the activity of laying their hands upon a sacrificial offering to the Temple during the Festival; the Talmud insisted that women be allowed to do this ritual act "to give religious satisfaction to women." (Babylonian Talmud Hagiga 16b and Tosafot ad loc). <o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><div><p class=MsoNormal><strong><span style='color:#1F497D'>------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></span></strong></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I wonder whether the 2 halves of this statement are aligned. Is the concept of “to give religious satisfaction to women” mentioned elsewhere in the Talmud support of a leniency? When tosfot says “ein mmachin byadan” is it a blanket assertion to encourage these activities? Just wondering.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>KT<br>Joel Rich<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><br><br><table bgcolor=white style="color:black"><tr><td>THIS MESSAGE IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE <br>
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