Does Feminism Serve God?

3 woman taking the rabbinate exams after a four hour delay (Jerusalem Post)

I am once again forced to confront the tension between my advocacy for the equality of women in society and some of the contradictions that such advocacy can entail with my religious beliefs. This tension usually arises in areas where equality in certain roles intersects with halacha or long-held tradition. Such as the rabbinate.

I have always reconciled these competing values by placing ‘God’ before ‘man’. Meaning, my sense of equality is ultimately trumped by the will of God as expressed in the Torah. Whether explicitly stated or implied, and as it has been understood and practiced for centuries.

I am therefore opposed to the idea of a woman serving as a traditional rabbi, regardless of how well educated she may be in matters pertaining to that role. (The reasons for this long-held tradition are beyond the scope of this post.)

Although I supported the feminist movement in its earlier incarnations—when women were denied equal pay for equal work or were treated condescendingly by their male professional peers - that has long since ceased to be its primary purpose. Today, the goal often appears to be full equity in all areas, religious or otherwise. Unfortunately, this mindset has gained traction among not a few women in Orthodoxy.

This has resulted in a variety of positive developments, along with some negative ones. Some of which are direct byproducts of those positive changes. Women’s Torah education, for example, has advanced exponentially since the Beis Yaakov movement began - in the early 20^th century.

While there is no issue with women studying Torah at the highest levels they desiref, there have been unintended consequences. One of these is the demand by some women to be ordained as rabbis—a boundary that tradition has never permitted to be crossed. Yet there are some far-left Modern Orthodox rabbis who see no inherent problem with this, despite near-universal opposition from mainstream rabbinic authorities across the spectrum of Orthodoxy.

I have no problem with women studying Torah or being tested on their knowledge. But I do wonder why ordination is so important to some. My sense is that it is as much about breaking a ‘glass ceiling’ as it is about recognition of achievement. I say this because discussions by Orthodox feminists on these topics almost always include language reflecting that goal.

But breaking a glass ceiling is not what Judaism is about...

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