(1) And when Rachel saw that she bore Jacob no children, Rachel envied her sister; and she said unto Jacob: ‘Give me children, or else I die.’ (2) And Jacob’s anger was kindled against Rachel; and he said: ‘Am I in God’s stead, who hath withheld from thee the fruit of the womb?’
SHEVACH: PRAISE
מראשונה והקיפוה גזוזטרא והתקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מלמעלה ואנשים מלמטה תנו רבנן בראשונה היו נשים מבפנים ואנשים מבחוץ והיו באים לידי קלות ראש התקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מבחוץ ואנשים מבפנים ועדיין היו באין לידי קלות ראש התקינו שיהו נשים יושבות מלמעלה ואנשים מלמטה היכי עביד הכי והכתיב (דברי הימים א כח, יט) הכל בכתב מיד ה' עלי השכיל אמר רב קרא אשכחו ודרוש
Our rabbis have taught: Originally the women used to sit within [the Court of the Women] while the men were outside, but this would cause levity, it was instituted that the women should sit outside and the men inside. But they would still come to levity. It was instituted that the women should sit above and the men below. But how could they do so? Is it not written, “All this [do I give you] in writing as the Lord has made me wise by His hand upon me?” (I Chronicles 28:19). Rav said: They found a verse and expounded it:
Rabbi David Golinkin’s “May Women Wear Tefillin?” Conservative Judaism, Fall 1997, pp. 3-18.
The mitzva (commandment) of tefillin is mentioned four times in the Torah, including in the Shema: “And you shall bind them for a sign upon your arm and they shall be totafot between your eyes” (Deut. 6:8). Tefillinsymbolize tying our physical and mental capacities to the service of God. We say when we wrap the tefillin on our hands: “I bind myself to you forever, I bind myself to you in Righteousness, in Justice, in Kindness and in Mercy; I bind myself to you forever, and in that way I come to Know You.” When we wear tefillin we bind ourselves to ideals through which we can come to know God.
Despite the Torah’s generic language, it was understood that women are exempt from this mitzva. The Mishna (the second-century CE law compendium) records: “Women, slaves and minors are exempt from the recitation of Shema and from tefillin, but are obligated for the Amida Prayer, mezuza, and Grace after meals” (Berakhot3:3).
Although exempt, may women voluntarily perform this mitzva? The Talmud states, “Mikhal the daughter of King Saul used to wear tefillin, and the sages did not protest” (Eruvin 96a). During the period of the Rishonim (1000 to 1500 CE), some sages, including posqim such as Rashi and Rambam, say that women may perform mitzvot from which they are exempt but do so without reciting a berakha (blessing), since the berakha‘s phrase “who has commanded us” would not apply. Rambam writes: “Women, slaves, and minors are exempt from tzitzit from the Torah…Women and slaves who want to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so without aberakha. And so too with other such mitzvot from which women are exempt: if they want to perform them without a berakha, one does not protest” (Hilkhot Tsitsit 3:9).
The largest group of sages of this period rule that women may perform such mitzvot and recite the berakha as do men. These sages include Rabbenu Tam (1100-1171) and Rabbi Zerahia haLevi (12th c. Provence) among many others. The Rashba (1235-1310 Spain) states in a teshuva (responsum): “I agree with those who say that if they desire they can do all such mitzvot and recite the blessings, on the basis of Mikhal bat Shaul who used to wear tefillin and they did not protest; indeed she did so with the approval of the sages (kirtzon hakhamim) and by the nature of the matter since she puts on tefillin she blesses” (Teshuva 123).
In addition to the endorsement of many great sages, there is some precedent for prominent women wearingtefillin. Besides Mikhal the daughter of King Saul, stories persist of Rashi’s daughters wearing tefillin. Likewise, Fazonia, the first wife of Rabbi Haim ben Attar, wore tallit and tefillin, as did Rabbi Haim’s second wife. The Maid of Ludomir (Hanna Rachel Werbermacher) in the 19th century also wore tefillin. These are prominent cases; little is known of less prominent women.
Although Rabbi Meir of Rothenberg (d. 1293 Germany) and his followers opposed women wearing tefillin, it is safe to say that the vast majority of sages in the past two thousand years allowed specifically or in principle the wearing of tefillin by women.
(י) ותקרבנה בנות צלפחד - אותו הדור היו הנשים גודרות, מה שאנשים פורצים, שכן את מוצא שאמר להן אהרן (שמות לב): פרקו נזמי הזהב אשר באנזי נשיכם ולא רצו הנשים ומיחו בבעליהן, שנאמר: ויתפרקו כל העם את נזמי הזהב וגו' והנשים לא נשתתפו עימהן במעשה העגל. וכן במרגלים שהוציאו דיבה (במדבר יד): וישובו וילינו עליו את כל העדה, ועליהם נגזרה גזירה שאמרו: לא נוכל לעלות, אבל הנשים לא היו עימהם בעצה, שכתוב למעלה מן הפרשה (שם כו): כי אמר ה' להם מות ימותו במדבר, ולא נותר מהם איש כי אם כלב בן יפונה. איש, ולא אשה, על מה שלא רצו ליכנס לארץ, אבל הנשים קרבו לבקש נחלה בארץ, לכך נכתבה פרשה זו סמוך למיתת דור המדבר, שמשם פרצו האנשים וגדרו הנשים:
Yalkut Shemoni on Ruth Chapter 606:In the merit of the righteous women the Jews were redeemed.
יהי רצון מלפניך שלא יכשלו בי בני אדם קיבול שכר מאלמנה דההיא אלמנה דהואי בי כנישתא בשיבבותה כל יומא הות אתיא ומצלה בי מדרשיה דר' יוחנן אמר לה בתי לא בית הכנסת בשיבבותך אמרה ליה רבי ולא שכר פסיעות יש לי כי קאמר כגון
...[Confidence in] the bestowal of reward from a widow — a certain widow had a Synagogue in her neighbourhood; yet she used to come daily to the School of R. Johanan18 and pray there. He said to her, 'My daughter, is there not a Synagogue in your neighbourhood?' She answered him, 'Rabbi, but have I not the reward for the steps!'19 —
A Tanna reported in the name of R. Pappias: It was a reproach to Hezekiah and his company21 that they uttered no song [to God] until the earth broke into song, as it is written, From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to the righteous. Similarly we read, And Jethro said, Blessed be the Lord who hath delivered you;22 whereon a Tanna taught in the name of R. Pappias: It was a reproach to Moses and the six hundred thousand [Israelites] that they did not bless [the Lord] until Jethro came and did so. - Sanhedrin 94b
(טז) ועיני לאה רכות - אמוראי דר' יוחנן תרגם קודמוי ועיני לאה הוו רכיכין. אמר לו: עינוהי דאימך הוו רכיכין?! ומהו רכות? רכות מבכיה, שהיו אומרים: כך היו התנאים, הגדולה לגדול, והקטנה לקטן, והיתה בוכה ואומרת: יהי רצון שלא אפול בגורלו של רשע. אמר רבי הונא: קשה היא התפלה, שבטלה את הגזירה, ולא עוד, אלא שקדמה לאחותה. ורחל היתה יפת תואר עיקר סמניה של רחל לא היתה, אלא נאה ורחל היתה וגו':
And soft Leah's eyes - Amorai Dr. John translate its predecessors and hook Rcicin Leah's eyes. He said, tortured Daimc hook Rcicin ?! And what is soft? Soft on crying, they say, so were the conditions, grow big and small, and there'd cry and say: May you not fall in the fate of the wicked. Rabbi Huna said: It is difficult to desalination, which has dismissed the decree, rather than more, but preceded her sister. Rachel was handsome Most of the markers was not Rachel, but Rachel was handsome, etc.:
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And the eyes of Leah were weak.33 What [is meant by] weak?34 If it is suggested [that the meaning is that her eyes were] actually weak, [is this, it may be asked,] conceivable? [If] Scripture did not speak disparagingly of an unclean animal, for it is written, of the clean beasts, and of the beasts that are not clean,35 [would] Scripture speak disparagingly of the righteous?36 — But, said R. Eleazar, [the meaning of rakkoth37 is] that her bounties were extensive.38 Rab said: [Her eyes were] indeed actually weak, but that was no disgrace to her but a credit; for at the crossroads39 she heard people saying: Rebecca has two sons, [and] Laban has two daughters; the elder [daughter should be married] to the elder [son] and the younger [daughter should be married] to the younger [son]. And she sat at the crossroads and inquired: 'How does the elder one conduct himself?'40 [And the answer came that he was] a wicked man, a highway robber.41 'How does the younger man conduct himself?' — 'A quiet man dwelling in tents'.42 And she wept until her eyelashes dropped.43 And this accounts for the Scriptural text, And the Lord saw that Leah was hated.44 What [could be the meaning of] 'hated'? If it is suggested [that it means that she was] actually hated, [surely] it may be retorted, is this] conceivable? [If] Scripture did not speak disparagingly of an unclean animal, [would] it speak disparagingly of the righteous? But the [meaning is this]: The Holy One, blessed be He, saw that Esau's conduct was hateful to her, so he opened her womb.45
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[Confidence in] the bestowal of reward from a widow — a certain widow had a Synagogue in her neighbourhood; yet she used to come daily to the School of R. Johanan18 and pray there. He said to her, 'My daughter, is there not a Synagogue in your neighbourhood?' She answered him, 'Rabbi, but have I not the reward for the steps!'19 Sotah 22a
Each era is redeemed only in the merit of the women that of the righteous women who live in that era. It is in the merit of the righteous women that the people were redeemed from Egypt and in the time to come it will be in the merit of the women that redemption shall come again" - Rabbi Aca - 4th Century on the Yalkut Shimoni on Megillat Ruth Ch 606:4 - Gershon Winkler ibid.
The reason the wives of the sages of our time are domineering of them is because these men are reincarnated souls of the very men who rebelled during the ancient wilderness journey, and their wives, as we know, the women were not involved in any of these acts of dissention. ( rabbi Chayim Vital 16th Century - Kabbalist Sefer Sha'ar HaGilgulim, Ch. 20) - The Way of the Boundary Crosser - Gershon Winkler Rowman and Littlefield Publishers 2005