Women's roles in Judaism from biblical times to contemporary society

Women in Judaism: An Evolving Role in Religion and Society

Many laymen to Judaism look inward into the religion and view Jewish women as oppressed, their lives and choices dictated to them by the men who surround them. From rabbis to husbands to the Bible itself, the belief has generally been that women have been essentially inferior to men since the dawn of the religion centuries ago. However, in taking a contemporary view toward women in Judaism, and in marking the significant strides that the sex has made throughout the centuries, one can immediately see that all it takes to understand the power and respect that Jewish women afford themselves is merely to take a closer look. In viewing the changes and struggles that Jewish women have been through throughout the centuries as well as taking a strictly-religious view in understanding the way Jewish people view God to have made them, the truth regarding Jewish women's value in Jewish religion and culture is one that is revered. A Jewish woman's role is far more encompassing than one might believe, and in viewing her role in Judaism, it is clear that women are a vital part or the Jewish faith, community and culture.

Jewish Women in Biblical Times and Texts

The notion that Jewish women have been inferior to Jewish men is a belief that stems as far back as Biblical times, and this belief can be largely afforded to the lack of Jewish women in the Bible itself. Very few women are mentioned by name or role within Biblical texts, which as often suggested to the outside world that women rarely, if ever, participated in roles that would afford them a public presence or public notoriety. Because of this lacking presence, scholars and Jewish women alike have been left searching for a concrete description regarding what their role is supposed to be within the Jewish religion and within Jewish culture.

The question: "What does it mean to be a Jewish woman?" is one that has been researched and distributed throughout the world for ages. In beginning their search, many are lead directly to the Torah and the Bible. Within the Bible, the first group of women characters present include Eve (or Chavah in the Torah), who is noted as the mother of humankind as well as the four matriarchs of the Jewish people (Fishelov, 1). These five women function within the Bible as archetypes, who embody a certain set of morals, values and the capacity for potential which have been cited by many Jewish women who have come after them.

Perhaps no one has made it harder for Jewish women to earn respect throughout the centuries than Eve herself. Cast out of Eden for breaking God's one law given to her, Eve -- and all women who came after her -- have carried the stigma of sinner and temptress. Every mention of Eve brings with it a mention of "sin," whether undertaking these sinful actions herself or through her "leading" of Adam into the realm of sinners with her. Ever since Eve led Adam and herself from the garden, women, referenced in the Bible and the Torah carried with them the "capability" to seductively lure men into the realm of evil. Additionally, having been the first mention in any Biblical text of a male-female relationship, the story of Adam and Eve -- and especially Eve's wicked ways -- have laid the foundation for many more tales of the destructive woman to come.

In reading the story of Adam and Eve, Eve is noted as the one who will essentially burden the lives of women for all eternity. Through her actions, she has cast herself and everyone who will come after her out of the lustrous and sustaining garden and into a world of pain and suffering. God tells Eve that she will be forced to endure painful childbirth and a lessened status amongst mankind. Eve has brought this curse on herself. God tells her, linking her negative actions to the negative effects that she has had an all of creation (Bernbaum, 1). What she has done will not stop at herself, but will plague each and every woman to be born for all time.

As a counter to the sinful presence of Eve, Judaism sets forth in its texts, the four matriarchs of the Jewish religion: Sarah, wife of Abraham, mother of Isaac; Rebecca, wife of Isaac, mother of Jacob and Esau; Rachel and Leah, wives of Jacob, mothers of several of his thirteen children. The Talmud comments that women possess a certain power, that, when properly cultivated, exceeds its counterpart in men (Wein, 1). This intellectual power is referred to as "binah" a word that comes from the Hebrew word meaning "between;" with this binah comes the ability to analyze and then distinguish between situations or entities that on the surface seem similar, but are really very different (Wein, 1). Such differences are seen in viewing these "four matriarchs," who are credited with building the Jewish nation from within.

Each of these women is said to have possessed the ability to see what was not obvious to the men around them, no matter how revered these men were. For instance, Sarah was said to have had great clarity and beauty. Sarah is said to have made the decision to banish Ismael enabled her to act decisively for the good of all of Judaism regardless of the fact that this decision was widely frowned upon. Rebecca, is viewed as the next great matriarch in Judaism, is said to have been deeply in touch with the essential nature of her sons, Jacob and Esau, and through this connection is able to help them do great deeds within their lives. Finally, Rachel and Leah are said to have given crucial advice to their husband, Jacob, regarding the future of the Jewish nation, which without their counsel could have fallen into utter chaos and division.

Jewish Women through the Centuries

While the Bible and Torah look to the aforementioned woman in terms of pinpointing how womanhood has helped to shape Judaism, we must also look to the different roles of women in Judaism throughout the centuries in order to trace womanhood from its inception to today. Judaism understands that the roles of both men and women are unique to each other, yet essential to the overall whole which is the Jewish faith and culture. Despite the far overreaching presence of men within Biblical texts to the presence of woman, Judaism in its basis has sought to make it understood that the role of men and the role of women within the religion cannot be weighed against each other.

It is obvious that men and women have clear physical differences, but it must also be noted that there are many hormonal, neural and personality differences that have been noted to allow women to find directions and conceptualize differently than men (Women, 1). In Judaism (as well as in many other facets of society), women have the primary responsibility for bringing up the next generation, and Judaism, above any other culture in the world, has shown that it is the women who will mold the next generation in their values and psychological makeup (Women, 1). As Sarah determined that the whole future of Judaism would rest upon the potential of Ishmael outside of the Jewish nation, so do Jewish mothers have the ability to impart a value in their children to exist in truth both inside and outside of the Jewish context. As such, Jewish women have been able, through the years, to hold true to the core values of the Jewish faith while changing to meet the demands and changing times of the outside world.

However, while women in Judaism have clearly played a massive role in the creation and fostering of the family unit, the Jewish woman's role in actual practiced religion within the Torah and synagogue is far more limited than a woman's role in the faith-building that takes place within the family unit or within herself. It is in the area of women in the practicing of Judaism within the Temple that women are still as limited in their abilities as they were at the inception of the religion. However, despite this exclusion, Judaism makes it clear that there are firm and fast reasons for this practice.

Jewish Women in the Synagogue

The role of women in the synagogue is vastly limited. While women are revered and respected in the Jewish religion, the synagogue is one place that there has been little reform since the religion's inception. In order to understand the limited role of women in synagogue life it is important to understand the nature of the mitzvot -- or commandments -- in Judaism and the aforementioned separation of men and women.

Judaism has long-recognized that women are not required to perform certain commandments, and thus, their presence at certain commandments does not count toward group purposes (Rich, 1). For instance, a woman's attendance at a daily worship service does not count toward a "minyan," or the 10 people necessary to recite certain prayers (Rich, 1). The minyan has been defended by Jewish leaders by a belief that men tend to need lessons in community building in order to thrive in a communal situation. As such, Judaism believes that the exclusion of women from the minyan is not based in discrimination but in the fostering of values and community relationships for Jewish men.

Many Jewish leaders have noted that women who seek to dissolve the minyan or push toward the inclusion of women are merely seeking to unnecessarily and selfishly seize such an opportunity for the males in their synagogue. Many Jewish individuals -- especially men -- believe that men need the role in the minyan for their respective spiritual completion, saying that without their presence in the minyan, their religious beliefs would not be as fulfilled. Therefore, they believe that any woman who would wish to take this opportunity away from men is going against the fundamental teachings of the Jewish religion and an act of selfishness -- not spirituality.

Women are not permitted to take part in as many commandments as men and they are certainly not able to hold positions of power within the synagogue, but this is the way that it has always been in Judaism, and few women have stood up to confront it. Throughout the course of history, many women have stood up to the restrictions that the Jewish faith has placed upon them as well as those who have spoken out in order to ensure that women are always treated equally in the eyes of Judaism as they are in the eyes of God. There are many noted women who have gained a public position in order to bring positive light on Judaism as well as to ensure that the faith is respected and renowned for years to come.

The Future of the American Jewish Woman

Jewish women first arrived in the United States of America in 1654 when a boatload of refugees including four women, six men, and thirteen children landed in New Amsterdam after fleeing Dutch Brazil (Jewish Virtual Library, 1). Today, the most recent figure of Jews in America lies between 6.4 million and 6.6 million individuals (Zeveloff, 1). As seen, the American Jewish population is thriving, and among this population are many women who are working to achieve a sense of self within their faith, their work, their families and the like.

American Jewish women began to find new voices almost as soon as their arrival in America and the American Jewish Feminist movement continues to go on today. Scholars have noted that there is a continuing need within the Jewish community for talented, well-educated, and trained female role models to both inspire new leadership and to create new and emerging opportunities for the Jewish women of today and the future (YUNews, 1).

As the years go on, America continues to become more secular, and the need for firm, value-based and present religious institutions throughout the country is clearly apparent, especially within the Jewish community. Rabbi Ari Segal of the Women's Leadership Fellowship recently stated:

"As women play leadership roles that are on par with men in the corporate world, it has become increasingly imperative that young women are encouraged to pursue leadership roles in the community. If these women are not shown an equally engaging and empowering notion of Judaism, they will be left with an imbalanced perspective of what Judaism has to offer" (YUNews, 1).

As seen in recent initiative such as this, Judaism in America does not labor under the false representation that if you are a Jewish woman, you have nothing to offer that a man hasn't already offered himself. Instead, American Jewish women are being pushed to rally their full potential and go out into the world to make a difference for themselves, their families and the entirety of the American Jewish population. Gone are the ways of the past the sought to keep Jewish women under the thumbs of their male counterparts, and here are the days when Jewish women in America (and throughout the world) are being encouraged by the whole of the Jewish community to excel -- not only for the religion, but for themselves.

Today, universities such as Yeshiva University and its Center for the Jewish Future have set forth initiatives to empower women and force them to understand that they, as a group and as individuals, have the capacity to change the world. With such forward-thinking initiatives, women of the Jewish faith are no longer limited to what the Torah or the Bible specifically tell them. While these teachings still encompass what the Jewish faith seeks to promote, such initiatives have moved to change with the times. As such, American Jewish women are now told that their lives need not adhere to the ways of the Bible, as days when men oversaw women in every capacity are simply no longer here. Instead, the Jewish faith seeks to promote camaraderie and a capacity to wish our fellow man well.

Conclusion

A Jewish woman's role is far more encompassing than one might believe, and in viewing her role in Judaism, it is clear that women are a vital part or the Jewish faith, community and culture. As seen in viewing the teachings of the Jewish faith, the history and evolution of the role of Jewish women in the eye of the religion and throughout the world, in noting specific achievements of Jewish women who have always held true to their faith, and in understanding the future of the American Jewish woman, one can see that the role of the Jewish woman should never be taken at face value. Jewish women, like all women, have the same capacity to succeed and general potential as any man around them. These women have been shaped by the teachings of their Jewish faith and have gone out into the world to make their marks for themselves in a manner that pays respect to their religion and all they have been taught to believe. The Jewish woman is capable of great things and must never be held down. The current status of the Jewish religion does not allow for discrimination, and as such we must never act in a manner that is any less than the most Jewish women have to give.