I have very often stated that I am a feminist. And that is true. I have explained that my feminism is based on the belief that economic opportunity and compensation in the workplace is an ideal which I subscribe to. As is the ideal that women should be treated with the same respect as men are socially. One sex should never be considered superior to another.
But I am not an Orthodox feminist. I do not believe that feminist ideals as currently understood are compatible with Torah ideals and should not be applied to a Torah society. This was the message behind much of my last post. And for this reason I am opposed to novel ways of connecting to God that are feminist in origin, such as Women’s Teffilah Groups.
This does not mean to say that all women who participate in Women’s Teffila Groups are themselves motivated by feminism. Not at all. In fact I'd be willing to bet that many of these women are sincere and do not think that feminism has anything to do it. What I am saying, however, is that the very idea that women need to find a traditionally male modality to express their connection to God smacks of feminist origins. Is it really true that many women today may feel more fulfilled if thy adopt some of the traditionally male practices? I think that in a world so permeated with feminist ideals many have been unduly and unwittingly influenced by it and bring it into the Torah world.
Many if not most of these women are L'shma. But why exactly are they choosing male modalities to express themselves at this point in history? Isn’t reasonable to say that feminism has at least something to do with it? And should it be feminism that motivates a woman or should it be doing God’s will that motivates her? Isn’t it better to find our what God wants of us and do that, rather than to search for something that is more "meaningful" to… ourselves?
Let us look at our mothers and grandmothers. Were they so backward that adopting male worship practices didn't occur to them? Did they not rise to great spiritual heights without adopting male practices…in their God given roles as women with their own set of Mitzvos plus those shared with men? Let us even look at contemporary Charedi women. How many of these women look towards fulfillment by adopting male practices? Is there even one Charedi woman who wishes she could be a Shaliach Tzibur? Isn’t it reasonable to say that they have no real desire to do so because their exposure to feminism is so miniscule?
Does a woman really have to get an Aliyah L'Torah in order to feel fulfilled as a woman... and servant of God? Why would any woman even think of doing that? Isn’t it reasonable to say that it is the feminist Zeitgeist that is driving this energy, at least subconsciously? I think it is. And that’s what makes it wrong to me. Once there is another agenda driving things then tradition becomes secondary and all manner of compromise starts seeping into religious practice.
Service to God has as its priority trying to do what is right in the eyes of God. All of us, men and women alike, would do well to make that our primary motivation. Our energy shouldn't be spent looking for ways to fulfill our own conceptions of serving God. Self fulfillment should only be a secondary concern. While feeling good about serving God is preferable it is not primary. What is primary is doing what God wants of us. That should guide our actions towards Him, not Orthodox Feminism.
