Perfectly Fine. But... Odd?

The over 3000 people that attended the Women's Daf Yomi Siyum (TOI)

The idea of women studying Gemarah (Talmud) has been around for quite sometime now. While there have always been exceptional women who did that in Jewish history, it was not a popular option for most women until relatively recently. For a variety of reasons. Most of which is based on the Mishna in Sotah (21b) that frowns on the idea:

 Anyone who teaches his daughter Torah teaches her Tiflus. 

The word Tiflus is defined by Rashi as ‘immorality’.  That of course raises the question about how we can teach our daughters any Torah at all? The obvious answer is that women are required to observe Halcaha. Same as men. So they need to be taught what the Torah says about that. But that leaves many areas of Torah study that are not direct instruction about Halacha. Which raises another question. How did the Beis Ya’akov movement get started? 

Beis Ya’akov was established about 100 years ago to teach woman a variety of Torah subjects not directly related to Halacha. Such as Chumash and Meforshim (Rabbinic commentaries). That seemed to contradict the admonition of the Mishnah in Sotah.

It took a visionary woman by the name of Sara Schenirer to establish that movement. She initially faced a lot of opposition, But most rabbinic leaders came around to her way of thinking. They realized that a lot of women were at the time going to universities where many ideas foreign – and even antagonistic - to Judaism were being taught as gospel. Those rabbis did a 180 and came to support Sara Shenirer’s new school system for women.  They believed that the very state of observant  Judaism was at risk if the mothers were not given the opportunity to study Torah at a higher level.  As long as it was not at the level of Talmud study. It was deemed a Haora’as Shah. A propitious time to break traditional Judaism in one area for fear of losing all of it.

It was Rav Soloveitchik that took this idea to the next level. He gave the first Shiur in Gemarah at YU’s Stern College for Women with a similar Hora’as Shah argument. It was ridiculous, he said to say women weren’t intellectually capable of studying Gemarah at high levels if they were getting PhDs in a variety of secular fields. 

However, it is not clear how far reaching this innovation went. According to Rav Soloveitchick’s grandson, Rav Meir Twersky, Gemarah study by women was still limited to studying those Gemarahs that were part of every day life. Not the full Talmud.  Rav Yehuda Herzl  Henkin,  founder of the Yoetzet program and the Posek for Nishmat, woman’s seminary in Israel founded by his wife, Chana - felt the same way. 

Which brings me to the recent DafYomi Siyum HaShas. The Times of Israel reports that for the first time there were a group of women that actually completed the Daf yomi cycle and had there own Siyum. Which means they studied every single page of the Talmud.  

Have they crossed both Rav Soloveitchik’s and Rav Henkin’s red lines?

I don’t think so. Because the Mishna in Sotah that set the original standard clearly states that we may not teach our daughters Torah. It says nothing about women studying the Torah on their own. Which is apparently what these women did. I therefore see nothing inherently wrong with what they did and applaud their accomplishment. ‘Welcome to the club!’

That being said, I must admit, that I found this celebration a bit odd. Not because there was anything wrong with it. I do not believe there is. But because it was so unusual  - so out of the mainstream. So... not what I am used to seeing as a role for women in Judaism. 

My guess is that most of these women were Modern Orthodox based on the fact that it is mostly in this demographic that women can be found studying Gemarah at any level. What is it that motivated them to study the entire Talmud via a Blatt Gemarah every single day for 7 and ½ years? A study that until recently was reserved for men. A study that for the vast majority of women is never even thought about – let alone pursued with such dedication. 

I could be wrong but I doubt that there were any other groups of women anywhere in the world that did the Daf for all 7 and ½ years. Will there be any more doing so in the new cycle?

I additionally wonder how the rest of mainstream Orthodox women feel about this. Do they see it as something to aspire to themselves? Do they see it as a worthy venture for all Jewish women? Or do they think it is odd? I’m sure there is a wide variety of opinion about this. But what is the percentage of mainstream Orthodox women that might consider this a worthwhile endeavor for themselves or their daughters? Most? Some? Few?