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| A student at Rabba Sara Hurwitz’s Yeshiva Maharat (JTA) |
I have no doubt she would reject that notion - and
likely condemn it. But I say it with no malice in my heart. Only with sympathy
for someone seeking to break a glass ceiling in Judaism that in my view - ought
not be broken. She reflects a broader trend in which even observant Jewish
women are drawn - by the spirit of the times - to roles historically reserved
for men, roles Jewish women did not pursue prior to 20th-century feminism.
Properly understood, feminism—equal pay for equal work and
equal dignity - was a positive development. But when feminism became an end in
itself, it began challenging long-standing Jewish norms, including clearly
defined religious roles, and at times even Halacha itself.
Judaism is not a democracy. It is a system of obligations
based on law and tradition. One cannot claim observance while selectively
redefining its rules or roles. These are rooted in the Torah as interpreted
across generations by its sages.
The priesthood illustrates this well. It is not based on
merit, but lineage. Only male descendants of Aharon were designated for that
role, by Divine command. No amount of scholarship or piety can change that.
The modern rabbinate is not biblical, but it emerges from an
earlier tradition that was. Today, ordination requires years of Torah study and
mastery of halachic texts. Yet women have historically been excluded from this
role, in part due to the halachic concept of serarah, which restricts
certain forms of authority over men.
One may debate its fairness—but it remains Halacha.
Workarounds offered in modern times do not alter that reality, which is why the
OU and RCA reject women as rabbis, regardless of alternate titles like Rabba or
Maharat.
There are practical concerns as well...
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