Rabbi Joshua Maroof was recently quoted as affirming “that not only would he support [Sara] Hurwitz’s ordination as a rabbi, but so would many Orthodox rabbis, who he notes privately recognize there is no legal problem with a woman assuming the title.”
On the other hand, on his
blog, Rabbi Maroof seems to rule out the possibility that a woman might be a
recognized authority in halakhah on a par with male authorities on the subject.
I quote:
Prohibiting women from holding positions of שררה [the authority to adjudicate
halakhah, according to Maroof something akin to receiving the original form of
semikha that was conferred from Rabbi to student from the days of Moshe Rabbenu
until persecutions led to its discontinuation during the Talmudic period] ensures
that they remain free from communal obligation so that they can dedicate
themselves to maintaining the integrity and sanctity of the Jewish family which
was placed in their care by הקב"ה
[The Holy One, blessed be He].
Cross-culturally, complementarian logic of
this kind has often been a foundation for excluding women from positions of
authority outside of the home.
There is no doubt that communal obligations
and family obligations come into conflict often enough in the life of a pastor
or rabbi. But how does this differ from the same conflict as it plays itself
out in the life of a doctor, lawyer, business owner, or other vocation that
requires a 24/7 commitment (in principle; rarely in practice)? I fail to see a
difference.
It is well-known that our culture has not
found an adequate solution to the difficulties parents face in raising a family
and holding down two demanding, full-time jobs at the same time. In reality,
outside the realm of high-sounding theory, the model works well in practice far
less often than it ends in failure.
Complementarianism addresses real problems. Insofar
as it is counter-cultural in our age, it also creates new ones. In any case,
the problems to be addressed are not specific to families in which a parent is a rabbi or pastor. The same problems obtain in
families in which the parent is, for example, a doctor or a lawyer.
I appreciate your insightful comments as always.
Let me clarify one point: Becoming a recognized authority on halakha is absolutely and fully possible for a woman.
This is purely a matter of scholarship, and the Jewish historical record demonstrates that there were and are women, from Biblical times to the present day, who have achieved just such a level of mastery of the Law.
However, Jewish law itself places a greater share of the communal responsibility on the shoulders of men and expects women to manage the home and family instead.
This division of labor, we believe, is not only practical; it reflects natural biological and psychological differences between males and females.
So, while Jewish law does not prevent women from scaling the heights of scholarship, nor does it ban them from any particular profession, it does reserve certain communal religious offices and functions for men (at least, that is the mainstream viewpoint; granted, there are differences of opinion on many aspects of this subject as well, and arguments have been made against it, as you have probably seen mentioned in the footnotes to my article).
From Judaism's standpoint, this is a pragmatic issue and not a matter of spiritual discrimination at all. The pursuit of knowledge and wisdom is the primary means by which the Torah tells us we experience connection to God. In terms of the ability to have this most important experience, man, woman, Jew and Gentile are all created equal, even though they may have different covenantal obligations, etc.
Posted by: Joshua Maroof | March 16, 2009 at 09:18 AM
Joshua,
I am grateful for your commitment to work through this issue in a way that is sensitive and faithful to Torah and fully cognizant of the possibilities and challenges of our day.
Your example is a model for us all.
As I see it, you are making a distinction between charism and office (Amt), to use terms familiar from the sociology of religion (Max Weber et al).
This works itself out in Eastern Christianity and in many branches of Western Christianity, including the Catholic Church, in such a way that it is possible for gifted women to become teachers and scholars and for their gifts to be fully appreciated such that everyone, men and women, sit at their feet (metaphorically and sometimes literally) and learn from them, even if particular communal offices, such as that of presbyter (priest) and bishop, remained reserved for men.
Orthodox Judaism's commitment to traditional family values is "signified" in multiple ways, one of which has been and remains the reservation of certain communal functions to men.
In a day and age in which the family is subject to disintegration at alarmingly high rates, the exclusion of women from carrying out certain communal responsibilities can be understood as an attempt to stabilize a deteriorating situation.
There are trade-offs involved in any arrangement. My own religious context, in which women are not excluded from any positions on principle, but nevertheless choose to occupy them at significantly lower rates than men do, can be viewed as experiment worth watching.
Posted by: JohnFH | March 16, 2009 at 09:50 AM