i never gave much thought to the ban on orthodox women rabbis. i guess the maharat or rabbi/rabba thing is more like a degree, much like a masters degree or phd. so to me this isn't the problem. the big problem is sara hurwitz having a larger role in orthodox jewish communal life. in the fifties or in biblical times woman were just in the kitchen so the concept of a woman being a rabbi would be preposterous. in the 2000's women, even orthodox women have prestigious jobs and are leaders in the secular world so they would like to use these talents in the jewish world. beyond apathy the jury of my mind is still in deliberations as to what i really think of the concept of orthodox jewish women as rabbis.
women in general are more spiritual than men which is why men have more mitzvot. they need it to keep them in line. maybe this is why only men are supposed to be rabbis. it keeps them busy, make them feel important and keeps them frum.
though american jewish women have fought to have a bigger role in jewish communal life i think that the joke is on women. in american jewish folklore one always hears about the jewish mother. she may have the stereotype of being overbearing, but she is the one who seems to hold the family together as well as the one who has kept american jews jewish. does anyone ever hear about the jewish father? i know that i don't. in fact all i hear about jewish men is how non-jewish women like to hold out nets for them because they are known not to be wife beaters. i never hear about how they have held together the jewish family. then again maybe this is why an orthodox jewish woman would like to be a rabbbi or hold a more communal role. the jewish woman has been holding together jewish life for decades . she now just wants to make a more public role of it.
cant say that i would want to have that limelight, but i suppose i understand it.
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