Women's Torah Study

Torah Study for Women

Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein

Reprinted from Ten Da’at Vol. III No. 3 pp.7-8

To my mind it is desirable and necessary, not only possible, to provide intensive education for women even from Torah She’b’al Peh sources, whether resorting to the argument that since women are engaged in all professions, why should they be specifically limited regarding Torah, or because of the words of the Chofetz Chaim (when Beit Yaakov was founded), that if the Rambam can say that it is necessary to teach a convert the essentials of Judaism, an individual who grows up in a Jewish context should all the more so be afforded such an education. That is to say that it is clear that it is necessary to provide a woman with the education and knowledge that make it possible for her to realize a strong and rooted faith and to face reality with dignity. Women today receive a broad general education and many attend universities, and there - as well as within society in general - they come into contact with diverse worldviews and philosophies, to the point that the knowledge and values of Torah are urgently required by women...

When something is well learned, it creates personal commitment. There are things that can be known in a general way, but they are not felt existentially, and therefore they do not penetrate one’s consciousness. For example, one should learn the mitzvot that are dependent upon the land of Israel. A woman ought to know, from a practical point of view, how to tithe trumot and maasrot. But one should not be satisfied with this. The same revulsion felt when confronted with eating pork should be elicited by the thought of eating tevel, and this is not presently the case. The prohibition against consuming tevel Mid’Oraita is more stringent a transgression than eating pork, yet there isn’t a comparable revulsion. Why? A lack of knowledge. Simply, these laws were not properly studied and, therefore, a deep impression has been made neither on the intellect nor on the soul. Therefore, the study of Torah She’b’al Peh must be intensified.

From a practical point of view, it is appropriate to teach the Sedarim of Zeraim, Moed, and Nezikin and the small amount of applicable material in Nashim, Kodashim and Taharot. And when these areas are taught, they must be taught in depth. For example, when one teaches Vayikra, it must be taught properly. This includes of course Rashi, and Rashi cites sources from Torah She’b’al Peh. It is impossible to decide to teach women Rashi but not Mishna when Rashi himself cites Mishnayot. The fact that a particular Mishna filters down to a woman via her studying Rashi does not change its status of being a Mishna. It is impossible to teach “at the tip of a fork.” Either the material is to be studied or it’s not to be studied...

When one speaks about the ability to study a page of Talmud, to understand it and enjoy it, I see no reason to deny these teachings to women. And it is even necessary to establish this as an integral part of the school curriculum, an actual shiur. This is the way I teach my daughter and so was my wife educated. This seems to me to be the recommended approach regarding the women of our generation...

RABBI LICHTENSTEIN is Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel and serves as Educational Director of Yeshiva University’s Gruss Institute in Jerusalem.

Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, Peninei Halakha

Once women have studied the basic fundamentals (Yesodei haTorah), even though they do not have the obligation to continue with the further detailed study of the intricacies of the law (Limud haTorah), if they want to they may exercise that choice. In fact a woman may even study Gemorah in great depth with all the accompanying commentaries (Gemorah beIyun), exactly as her male counterparts would do at an advanced institution of learning.[12]

In fact, if she chooses do to so, our Sages say that she gets a zechut (merit) for her efforts, even though she does not have a halachik obligation to do so.

Throughout our history we have had a number of women who excelled in the Limud haTorah component and became Talmidot Chachamot (venerable scholars).

For the most part, however, historically women did not exercise this choice and were only educated up to the basic level of minimal fundamentals of Yesodei haTorah. This was the cultural norm for most of the earlier generations.

With the advent of the modern era where women began to assert themselves more and began doing things they never were able to do before, the necessity for them to learn more also became more pressing.

In a nutshell, the only halachik difference between men and women apropos Torah study, is that women have the luxury to choose as to how much they want to study, while men have no such choice in the matter.

The ideal therefore is actually for women to choose to study as much Torah as they can, in as much depth as they want.