Click here here to view analysis of these sources and additional features on Deracheha: womenandmitzvot.org
(יח) עֵץ־חַיִּ֣ים הִ֭יא לַמַּחֲזִיקִ֣ים בָּ֑הּ וְֽתֹמְכֶ֥יהָ מְאֻשָּֽׁר׃ (פ)
(18) She is a tree of life to those who grasp her, And whoever holds on to her is happy.
(יב) הַקְהֵ֣ל אֶת־הָעָ֗ם הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֤ים וְהַנָּשִׁים֙ וְהַטַּ֔ף וְגֵרְךָ֖ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶ֑יךָ לְמַ֨עַן יִשְׁמְע֜וּ וּלְמַ֣עַן יִלְמְד֗וּ וְיָֽרְאוּ֙ אֶת־ה' אֱלֹֽקֵיכֶ֔ם וְשָֽׁמְר֣וּ לַעֲשׂ֔וֹת אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֖י הַתּוֹרָ֥ה הַזֹּֽאת׃
(12) Gather the people—men, women, children, and the strangers in your communities—that they may hear and so learn to revere the LORD your God and to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching.
(1) Moses summoned all the Israelites and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the laws and rules that I proclaim to you this day! Study them and observe them faithfully! (2) The LORD our God made a covenant with us at Horeb.
(7) Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up.
(8) Let not this Book of the Teaching cease from your lips, but recite it day and night, so that you may observe faithfully all that is written in it. Only then will you prosper in your undertakings and only then will you be successful.
תניא ליקוטי אמרים פרק ה
כשאדם מבין ומשיג את ההלכה במשנה ובגמרא לאשורה, על בוריה, הרי שכלו תופש ומקיף אותה וגם שכלו מלובש באותה שעה….הרי זה משיג ותופס ומקיף בשכלו ותופש רצונו וחכמתו של הקב”ה…ובידיעת התורה מלבד שהשכל מלובש בחכמת ה’ הנה גם חכמת ה’ בקרבו…
Tanya Likutei Amarim Chapter 5
When a person understands and comprehends, correctly and fully, a halacha in the Mishna or in the Talmud, his intellect grasps and encompasses it and his intellect, too, becomes dressed by it at the same time. …Behold he comprehends and grasps and encompasses with his intellect the will and wisdom of the Holy One, Blessed Be He….And in knowledge of the Torah, aside from the fact that the intellect is dressed in God’s wisdom, God’s wisdom is also within it…
(19) and teach them to your children—reciting them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up;
(א) ולמדתם אותם את בניכם לדבר בם - בניכם ולא בנותיכם
(1) (Devarim 11:19) "And you shall teach them to your sons to speak in them": and not to your daughters
The Gemara asks: And from where do we derive that she is not obligated to teach herself? The Gemara answers: As it is written: “And you shall teach [velimadtem],” which can be read as: And you shall study [ulmadtem], which indicates that whoever others are commanded to teach is commanded to teach himself, and whoever others are not commanded to teach is not commanded to teach himself. And from where is it derived that others are not commanded to teach a woman? As the verse states: “And you shall teach them to your sons” (Deuteronomy 11:19), which emphasizes: Your sons and not your daughters.
מִכָּאן אוֹמֵר בֶּן עַזַּאי, חַיָּב אָדָם לְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּתּוֹ תוֹרָה, שֶׁאִם תִּשְׁתֶּה, תֵּדַע שֶׁהַזְּכוּת תּוֹלָה לָהּ. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר, כָּל הַמְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּתּוֹ תוֹרָה, כְּאִלּוּ מְלַמְּדָהּ תִּפְלוּת.
From here Ben Azai says: A man is obligated to teach his daughter Torah, for if she drinks [as a suspected-adulteress], she will know that the merit suspends it for her. Rabbi Eli'ezer says: Whoever teaches his daughter Torah is considered as if he taught her tiflut (nonsense, lewdness).
Rabbi Abbahu says: What is the reason for Rabbi Eliezer’s statement? It is as it is written: “I, wisdom, dwell with cunning” (Proverbs 8:12), which indicates that once wisdom enters into a person, cunning enters with it.
תלמוד ירושלמי מסכת סוטה ג:ד
מטרונה שאלה את ר’ לעזר: מפני מה חט אחת במעשה העגל, והן מתים בה שלש מיתות? אמ’ לה: אין חכמתה שלאשה אלא בפילכה. דכת’ (שמות לה) “וכל אשה חכמת לב בידיה טוו.” אמ’ לו הורקנוס בנו: בשביל שלא להשיבה דבר אחד מן התורה, איבדת ממני שלש מאות כור מעשר בכל שנה. אמ’ ליה: ישרפו דברי תורה ואל ימסרו לנשים.
Talmud Yerushalmi Sota 3:4
A matron asked Rabbi Eliezer: Why is there one sin in the story of the [golden] calf, but they die for it three [types] of death? He said to her: A woman’s wisdom is only in her spindle, as it is written, “And every woman wise of heart wove [for the mishkan] with her hands” (Shemot 35). His son Hyrkanos said to him: For the sake of not answering her one matter from the Torah, you have lost for me 300 measures [roughly 360 liters] of the [Levite] tithe per annum. He [Rabbi Eliezer] said to him [his son]: [Better that] matters of Torah be burnt and they not be transmitted to women.
בינה יתירה באשה יותר מבאיש
There is more discernment [bina] in a woman than in a man.
(דברים לא, יב) הקהל את העם האנשים והנשים והטף אם אנשים באים ללמוד נשים באות לשמוע טף למה באין כדי ליתן שכר למביאיהן
They said to him that Rabbi Elazar ben Azarya interpreted the following verse: “Assemble the people, the men and the women and the little ones” (Deuteronomy 31:12). This verse is puzzling: If men come to learn, and women, who might not understand, come at least to hear, why do the little ones come? They come in order for God to give a reward to those who bring them
תוספות סוטה כא:
ונראה דפי’ דמצוה לשמוע הנשים כדי שידעו לקיים מצוה…
Tosafot Sota 21b
And it appears that its explanation [is] that [it is] a mitzva for the women to hear in order that they [can] know [how] to fulfill [the] command….
(א) חייב אדם ללמוד לבנותיו המצות כגון פסקי הלכות ומה שאמרו שהמלמד לאשה תורה כאלו מלמדה תיפלות זהו עומק תלמוד וטעמי המצות וסודי התורה אותן אין מלמדין לאשה ולקטן אבל הלכות מצות ילמד לה שאם לא תדע הלכות שבת איך תשמור שבת וכן כל מצות כדי לעשות להזהר במצות
A man is obligated to teach his daughters the mitzvot, such as halachic rulings. And that which they said, that he who teaches a woman Torah is as though he teaches her tiflut, that [refers specifically to] depth of Talmud and reasons for commandments and secrets of the Torah. Those we do not teach to a woman and to a minor. But the laws of mitzvot he should teach her, for if she will not know the laws of Shabbat, how will she keep Shabbat? And similarly all mitzvot, in order to perform [them and] to be careful [to observe] the mitzvot.
ואי משום דידעו לקיים המצות אפשר שילמדו ע"פ הקבלה השרשים והכללות וכשיסתפקו ישאילו למורה כאשר אנו רואין בדורינו שבקיאות הרבה בדיני מליחה והדחה וניקור והלכות נדה וכיוצא בזה והכל ע"פ הקבלה מבחוץ
And if [you suggest formal study in order] that they should know to perform mitzvot, they can learn the key points and the rules through received tradition. And when they have a doubt they will ask a halachic authority. As we see in our generation, that they are quite expert in the laws of salting and rinsing [meat after slaughter] and removing the sciatic nerve and the laws of nidda and the like, and everything through the received tradition from their environment.
שו”ת מהרי”ל החדשות צג
הנח להו לבנות ישראל, אם אינן נביאות הן, בנות נביאות הן. ומנעוריהן בקיאין הן על פי אימותן והורתן. ושורש רוב החומרות דרבנן, דמקילי הרבה בנות ע”ה ונשותיהן. על כן מוטל על כל חכם ות”ח להודיעם ולהפרישם מאיסור ולהדריכן בדרך ישרה, ולכל הפחות בני ביתו והם יודיעו לחברותיהם…
New Responsa Maharil 93
Leave it to them, to the daughters of Israel, [for] if they are not prophetesses, they are daughters of prophetesses. And from their youth they are expert in accordance with their mothers and their teachings. And the root of most rabbinic stringencies is that many daughters and wives of the unlearned are lenient. Therefore, it is incumbent upon every sage and student of the sages to inform them and to separate them from that which is prohibited and to guide them in the straight path, at the least the members of his household, and they will inform their friends…
(ב) וגם כתב עוד (לומר) לנשים המצות הנוהגות להם עשה ולאו ותועיל להן הקריאה והדקדוק בהן כאשר יועיל עסק התלמוד לאנשים
…He also wrote for women the mitzvot that apply to them, positive and negative, and they will benefit from reading and learning them precisely, just as the occupation with Talmud benefits men.
הגה ומ"מ חייבת האשה ללמוד דינים השייכים לאשה (אגור בשם סמ"ג) ואשה אינה חייבת ללמד את בנה תורה ומ"מ אם עוזרת לבנה או לבעלה שיעסקו בתורה חולקת שכר בהדייהו (הגהות מה'' פ"א דת"ת וסמ"ג):
Rama: Nonetheless, a woman is obligated to study laws that are relevant to her.
(יג) אִשָּׁה שֶׁלָּמְדָה תּוֹרָה יֵשׁ לָהּ שָׂכָר אֲבָל אֵינוֹ כִּשְׂכַר הָאִישׁ. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁלֹּא נִצְטַוֵּית. וְכָל הָעוֹשֶׂה דָּבָר שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְצֻוֶּה עָלָיו לַעֲשׂוֹתוֹ אֵין שְׂכָרוֹ כִּשְׂכַר הַמְצֻוֶּה שֶׁעָשָׂה אֶלָּא פָּחוֹת מִמֶּנּוּ. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ שָׂכָר צִוּוּ חֲכָמִים שֶׁלֹּא יְלַמֵּד אָדָם אֶת בִּתּוֹ תּוֹרָה. מִפְּנֵי שֶׁרֹב הַנָּשִׁים אֵין דַּעְתָּם מְכֻוֶּנֶת לְהִתְלַמֵּד אֶלָּא הֵן מוֹצִיאוֹת דִּבְרֵי תּוֹרָה לְדִבְרֵי הֲבַאי לְפִי עֲנִיּוּת דַּעְתָּן. אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים כָּל הַמְלַמֵּד אֶת בִּתּוֹ תּוֹרָה כְּאִלּוּ לִמְּדָהּ תִּפְלוּת. בַּמֶּה דְּבָרִים אֲמוּרִים בְּתוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה אֲבָל תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב לֹא יְלַמֵּד אוֹתָהּ לְכַתְּחִלָּה וְאִם לִמְּדָהּ אֵינוֹ כִּמְלַמְּדָהּ תִּפְלוּת:
A woman who learned Torah receives a reward, but it is not equivalent to the man’s reward because she is not commanded, and anyone who does something that he is not commanded to do, his reward is not equivalent to the reward of one who is commanded and did, but rather less than that. And even though she receives a reward, the sages commanded that a man not teach his daughter Torah because most women’s minds are not oriented to study. Rather, they transform matters of Torah into matters of nonsense in accordance with the poverty of their intellects. The sages said, ‘Anyone who teaches his daughter Torah is as though he has taught her nonsense. To what does this refer? To Oral Torah. But Written Torah, he should not set out to teach her, but if he taught her it is not as if he taught her nonsense.
(ד) אבל תורה שבכתב. ...נראה לי דהתם לא דרש המלך כי אם פשוטי הדברים וזה באמת מותר אף לדידן לכתחלה כמו שהוא המנהג בכל יום מה שאין כן בלימוד פירוש דברי תורה דרך התחכמות והבנה אסרו לכתחלה
It seems to me that there [in hakhel] the king only explained the simple meaning of the matters and this is truly permissible even for us from the outset, as is the custom every day. Which is not the case in learning the explanation of matters of Torah through wise thinking and understanding, [which] they prohibited from the outset....
(יג) ...שֶׁבְּחָמֵשׁ מִצְוֹת הָאֵלּוּ הֵם שֶׁחֲכָמִים הָרִאשׁוֹנִים קוֹרְאִין אוֹתוֹ פַּרְדֵּס כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ אַרְבָּעָה נִכְנְסוּ לַפַּרְדֵּס... וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר שֶׁאֵין רָאוּי לְטַיֵּל בַּפַּרְדֵּס אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁנִּתְמַלֵּא כְּרֵסוֹ לֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר. וְלֶחֶם וּבָשָׂר הוּא לֵידַע הָאָסוּר וְהַמֻּתָּר וְכַיּוֹצֵא בָּהֶם מִשְּׁאָר הַמִּצְוֹת... וְאֶפְשָׁר שֶׁיְּדָעֵם הַכּל קָטָן וְגָדוֹל אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה בַּעַל לֵב רָחָב וּבַעַל לֵב קָצָר:
…That in these five mitzvot [belief in God, rejecting other gods, recognizing God’s unity, loving God and having awe of God], these are the ones that the early sages call Pardes, as they said “Four entered the Pardes“…I say that the only one fit to walk in the Pardes is one whose belly is full with bread and meat. “Bread and meat” means to know what is prohibited and permitted, and similar matters from among the other mitzvot….and everyone can know them, a minor and an adult, a man and a woman, a person of great understanding and a person of less understanding.
שו”ת מהרי”ל החדשות סימן מה
ודווקא המלמד לבתו אבל היא שלמדה בעצמה יש לה שכר… שהיא מכוונת לטוב’.
New Responsa Maharil 45
And specifically [Rambam referred to] one who teaches his daughter, but if she learned on her own, she receives reward for she intends for good.
(א) ...אבל אם למדה לעצמה אנו רואות שיצאו מהרוב ולכך כתב לעיל שיש לה שכר ור"ל אם למדה התורה על מכונה שאינה מוציאה לדברי הבאי אבל האב אינו רשאי ללמדה דדילמא תוציא דבריה לדברי הבאי כי הוא אינו יודע מה שבלבה:
But if she learned for herself, we see that she is an exception to the majority and therefore he [the Rambam] wrote that she receives reward, that is, if she learned Torah correctly and is not transforming it to nonsense. But the father is not permitted to teach her for perhaps she will transform its [Torah’s] words to nonsense, for he does not know what is in her heart.
Rav S. R. Hirsch Torah Commentary Devarim 11:19
…This same understanding of Jewish literature and this knowledge of the mitzvot, which is demanded in order to fulfill “and fear the Lord your God and observe to perform all the words of this Torah” (below 31, 12)—this should be transferred to our daughters no less than to our sons…and so they have practiced among [the people] Israel always, and testament to that is the complete literature in Yiddish that was written primarily for the need of women in order to enable them [to have] comprehension of the Bible and of the prayers and to transfer to them common knowledge of Halacha and of ethical teachings of our sages.
Sarah Schenirer, Em BeYisrael, Part I pp. 39-40
It is not in the power of secular studies to quench the flame of the Jewish soul, which only learning of Torah study has the capacity to satisfy. Secular studies are to the soul as gold to the body. Can gold satisfy physical hunger? Never!… A Jewish soul will not be satisfied from secular studies. Only sacred studies will satisfy its hunger, for only its Creator can know what nourishes it. I highly doubt that there is any student as happy, at times, to the extent that I am happy when I read our sacred texts.
לקוטי הלכות חפץ חיים סוטה כא
המלמד את בתו תורה…נראה דכל זה דוקא בזמנים שלפנינו שקבלת האבות היתה חזקה מאוד אצל כל אחד ואחד להתנהג בדרך שדרכו בו אבותיו וכמאמר הכתוב, “שאל אביך ויגדך” (דברים לב:ז). בזה היינו יכולים לומר שלא תלמוד הבת תורה ותסמוך בהנהגה על אבותיה הישרים. כעת בעוונותינו הרבים קבלת האבות נתרופפה מאוד מאוד וגם מצוי שאינו במקום אבות כלל. בפרט אותן שמרגילין עצמן ללמוד כתב ולשון העמים בוודאי מצוה רבה ללמד אותן חומש וגם נביאים וכתובים ומוסרי חז”ל כגון מסכת אבות וספר מנורת המאור כדי שתאומת אצלן ענין אמונתינו הקדושה. אם לא עלול שיסורו לגמרי מדרך ה’ ויעברו על כל יסודי הדת ח”ו.
Likkutei Halachot Sota 21
One who teaches his daughter Torah…It seems that all this applies specifically to earlier times, when the received ancestral tradition was very strong for each and every person to act in the way of his forefathers, according to the verse: ‘Ask your father and he will tell you’ (Devarim 32:7). Thus we were able to say that a daughter should not learn Torah and she should rely in her conduct on her righteous forebears. Now in our great iniquities, the received ancestral tradition has become very, very weakened and it is also common that one does not live in the place of one’s forebears at all. Especially those [women] who accustom themselves to study writing and language of the nations [i.e. secular learning], certainly it is a great mitzva to teach them Chumash and also Prophets and Writings and the ethics of our sages of blessed memory such as [Mishna] tractate Avot and the book Menorat Ha-maor, in order that the matter of our holy faith be authenticated for them. If not, they are liable to deviate completely from the path of God, and to transgress all the fundamentals of the religion, God forbid.
רב ישראל מאיר הכהן, אגרת, כ”ג שבט תרצ”ג
כל מי שנגעה יראת ד’ בלבבו המצוה ליתן את בתו ללמוד בבי”ס זה וכל החששות והפקפוקים מאיסור ללמד את בתו תורה אין שום מיחוש לזה בימינו אלה.
Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan, Letter, 23 Shevat, 5693
Anyone that the fear of God is in his heart, the mitzva is to let his daughter learn in this school. [As for] all the concerns and hesitations [arising] from the prohibition to teach his daughter Torah, there is no concern for this in these days.
שו”ת אגרות משה יורה דעה חלק ג סימן פז
עכ”פ משניות שהוא תורה שבע”פ צוו חכמים שלא ילמדום והוא כאילו למדום תפלות, ולכן צריך למונעם מזה ורק פרקי אבות משום שהוא עניני מוסר והנהגות טובות יש ללמדם בהסבר לעוררן לאהבת תורה ולמדות טובות, אבל לא שאר המסכתות…
Responsa Iggerot Moshe Y. D. 3:78
In any case, Mishnayot, which are Oral Torah, the sages commanded not to teach them [to women] and it is as though he teaches them tiflut. Therefore he must prevent them from this, and one should teach them only Pirkei Avot because it consists of matters of ethics and good conduct, with explanations to arouse them to love of Torah and to good character attributes, but not the rest of the tractates…
מאמר מרדכי א יו”ד יא
כבר כתבו האחרונים שבימינו מותר לאשה ללמוד תורה, הן תורה שבכתב והן תורה שבעל פה…ואף המורה רשאי ללמדה…שבימינו אין הנשים ספונות בביתן כפי שהיה בעבר, ומוטב שתלמד דברי קודש מאשר תקרא דברים אסורים ודברי הבאי.
Ma'amar Mordechai I Y. D. 11
The later halachic authorities have already written that in our days it is permitted for a woman to learn Torah, both Written Torah and Oral Torah…and even the teacher is permitted to teach her…for in our days women are not enclosed in their homes as was in the past, and it is preferable for her to study holy matters than to read forbidden or frivolous matters.
רב יעקב אריאל "גדר ביטול תורה גם לנשים"
יום של ביטול תורה הוא חור באישיותה של האישה, ויש להתייחס אליו במידה מסוימת כ”ביטול תורה,” אף שאינו “ביטול תורה” במשמעות המקורית של המושג. אין כאן ביטול בידע התורני, אך יש כאן ביטול באישיותה הרוחנית של האישה….
Rav Ya'akov Ariel, 'The Safeguard of Bitul Torah Applies also to Women'
A day of bitul Torah [wasting time one could spend learning] is a hole in the character of a woman, and one should relate to it, to some extent, like [the halachic category of] bitul Torah, even though it is not bitul Torah in its original sense. There is no bitul of [obligatory] Torah knowledge, but there is bitul regarding the spiritual character of the woman.
'People: Shira Smiles,' Jewish Action
We live in an age where women are more learned than ever before. Women want to be challenged to think, and they appreciate the intellectual rigor of an in-depth shiur. Yet challenging the mind without engaging the heart is too limiting. People are searching for meaning. I try, with my shiurim, to provide a message for life, to nurture the soul as well as the mind.
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, 'Talmud Study for Girls in Yeshiva Elementary and High Schools (b)'
Not only is the teaching of Torah she-be-al-peh to girls permissible but it is nowadays an absolute imperative. This policy of discrimination between the sexes as to the subject matter and method of instruction which is still advocated by certain groups within our Orthodox community has contributed greatly to the deterioration and downfall of traditional Judaism. Boys and girls alike should be introduced into the inner halls of Torah she-be-al–peh.
רב יוסף דב סולובייציק, ציטוט מתוך מאזעסאן, הרב מאיר , "חינוך הבנות"
…הנשים לא יסכימו להתנהג לפי התורה אם הענין לא יהיה מובן להן ממקורו במקרא ובגמרא…יש בעיות מסובכות המופיעות בכל יום בעולם הטכני שלנו, ואם בנות לא ילמדו יסודות התורה מן החומש ומן הגמרא עם פירושי הראשונים, אז ח”ו תפסיק היהדות האמיתית שלנו
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik, in Rav Meir Moseson, 'Chinuch Ha-banot'
…Women will not consent to conduct themselves in accordance with Torah if the matter is not understood by them from its source in Scripture and in Gemara… There are complex problems that appear every day in our technical world, and if girls do not learn the fundamentals of Torah from the Chumash and from the Gemara with the commentaries of the early authorities, then God forbid our authentic Judaism will cease.
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, 'Women, Talmud Study, and Avodat Hashem'
If Torah is to be taught [to females] at all, and be taught it must, certainly in our contexts, then it needs to be taught seriously, to ensure that indeed Torah is understood and absorbed with the seriousness and with the earnestness, with the exhilaration, with the excitement, the passion that is coming to it. But secondly, not only respect for Torah requires this of us, but respect for women as well. Respect for their abilities, their commitment, for their potential…
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, 'Torah Study for Women'
Many women seem to lack the motivation, a societal support is missing and, more importantly, there is lacking a desire to be unconditionally committed to such learning in the future… I am also not convinced that it is desirable to press women to study Talmud in such an intensive form. After all, Halacha does differentiate between men and women in this matter, and their respective life roles are also different. But 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.
ר’ מנחם מ. שניאורסון, לימוד תורה לנשים
…הרי לא זו בלבד שמותר להן ללמוד תורה שבעל פה, אלא יתירה מזה, על פי טעם הלכה זו עצמה – צריך ללמדן תושבע”פ, לא רק לימוד הלכות פסוקות בלי טעמיהן אלא גם לימוד טעמי ההלכות, ועד לשקלא וטריא שבתורה, שמטבע האדם (איש או אשה) שחפץ ומתענג יותר בלימוד זה, שעל ידי זה תהיה אצלן התפתחות החושים והכשרונות (“ערמומית”) ברוח תורתנו הקדושה..שענין זה הוא מהחידושים לטובה שבדורות האחרונים: אע”פ שה(היתר, ויתירה מזה ה)צורך בדורות האחרונים בלימוד תושבע”פ לנשים הוא מצד ירידת הדורות…הרי, התוצאה בפועל ממש (תהי’ הסיבה איזו שתהי’)—היא לטובה, שע”י זה נתוסף יותר בלימוד התורה. ויש לומר שהטעם שזכינו להוספה בלימוד התורה דנשים בדורות האחרונים דוקא…כיון שבסוף זמן הגלות מודגשת יותר ההכנה לזמן הגאולה.”
Rav Menachem M. Schneerson, 'Torah Study for Women'
Not only is it permissible for them to learn Oral Torah, but more than that, according to the rationale of this very halacha—[one] must teach them Oral Torah, not just learning halachic rulings without their rationales but also learning the reasons behind the halachot, up through the give-and-take that is in the Torah, for it is the nature of a person (man or woman) to desire and take greater pleasure in this learning, through which they will develop senses and skills (“cunning”) in the spirit of our holy Torah…For this matter is among the positive new developments of the latest generations: even though the (permission, and more than that, the) need in recent generations for women’s learning Oral Torah is from the aspect of the decline of generations…behold, the actual result really (let the reason be what it may)—is for good, for by means of this, there is additional Torah study. And one could say that the reason we have merited an increase in women’s Torah study specifically in recent generations…is because at the end of the period of exile, the preparation for the time of redemption is more emphasized.
Ravina said: …Through…reading [verses] and repeating [mishnayot to] their sons and watching out for their husbands until they come from the bet midrash, do they not share the reward with them?
רב מנחם מ. שניאורסון ,”שותפות בלימוד”
והבנים מספרים לאמותיהם על לימודים, הן במקרא והן במשנה, וגם בגמרא…והאמהות מוסיפות להסביר ולבאר להם את לימודם, ועל דרך זה בנוגע לבעליהן…שמביעות דעתן וסברתן וכו’.
Rav Menachem M. Schneerson, 'Partnership in Study'
The children tell their mothers about their studies, both in Scripture and in Mishnah, and also in Gemara…and the mothers contribute, explaining and clarifying for them what they have learned, and similarly regarding their husbands…that they express their opinions and reasoning, etc.
Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, 'Women, Talmud Study, and Avodat Hashem'
There exists an obligation for a girl to study the halakhot of niddah and taharat ha-mishpahah, and also kashrut and Shabbat because these impinge on her daily life. What is intended is that we need to ensure, minimally, that the depth of intensity, knowledge, and sensitivity which are needed in order to assure commitment, even if we are not interested for the moment (if that be the case) in the knowledge per se, but instrumentally, as molding a woman in becoming an ovedet Hashem, a keli in serving the Ribbono Shel Olam, that certainly needs to be studied. And, of course, within the modern context, that applies to areas of Torah that are far, far remote from the level of practical implementation.
Rabbanit Esti Rosenberg, 'The World of Women's Torah Learning: Developments, Directives, and Objectives'
Is the dream and vision underlying women’s Torah learning to produce female Torah scholars who will be able to participate in scholarly Torah discussions at the highest level, or perhaps the primary goal is to raise ba’alei batiyot [laywomen] who are dedicated to and love the Torah?
רב יהודה עמיטל, והארץ נתן לבני אדם, עמ’ 45.
שגם נשים, הפטורות ממצוות תלמוד תורה, חייבות בזמננו בלימוד תורה מצד מצוות עבודת ה’, שכן כאמור, מרכיב מרכזי בקיום עבודת ה’, במיוחד בזמננו, הוא על ידי תלמוד תורה, שהוא עבודת ה’ בשכל.
Rav Yehuda Amital, Ve-ha-aretz Natan Livnei Adam, p. 45.
For also women, who are exempt from the mitzva of talmud Torah, are obligated in our time in learning Torah from the perspective of the mitzva of avodat Hashem. For so, as was said, a central component of fuflfillment of avodat Hashem, especially in our time, is through talmud Torah, which is avodat Hashem through the intellect.
The Gemara relates that Rav Yosef, on the day of Shavuot, would say: Prepare me a choice third-born calf. He said: If not for this day on which the Torah was given that caused the Jewish people to have the Torah, how many Yosefs would there be in the market? It is only due to the importance of Torah study that I have become a leader of the Jewish people, and I therefore have a special obligation to rejoice on this day.
Shayna Goldberg, 'Why I Believe in Women and Their Batei Midrash'
I learn and teach Torah because it is invigorating, thought- provoking and stimulating. I learn and teach Torah because it builds my religious world and shapes its contours. I learn and teach Torah because it enriches my life and fills it with meaning. I learn and teach Torah because it brings me closer to my Creator. I learn Torah because I cannot imagine my life any other way.