Gender Roles in Judaism: Limmud 2019

(27) And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

(4) Men- Blessed are you, Hashem, our God and Ruler of the world, who did not make me a woman.

Women- Blessed are you, Hashem, our God and Ruler of the world, who made me according to his will.

(8) What distinguishes a man from a woman? A man lets loose his hair and rips his clothes [as a metzora], and a woman does not let loose her hair or rip her clothes. A man makes a vow rendering his son a Nazirite, and a woman cannot make a vow rendering her son a Nazirite. A man shaves concerning the Nazirite status of his father [if his father dies], and a woman does not shave concerning the Nazirite status of her father. A man sells his daughter, and a woman cannot sell her daughter. A man betroths his daughter, and a woman cannot betroth her daughter. A man is stoned naked, and a woman is not stoned naked. A man is hanged [after execution], and a woman is not hanged. A man is sold for his theft [i.e., to repay it], a woman is not sold for her theft.

For the entire Torah was said in masculine language, and even so a woman is included...

MISHNA: With regard to all positive, time-bound mitzvot, i.e., those which must be performed at specific times, men are obligated to perform them and women are exempt. And with regard to all positive mitzvot that are not time bound, both men and women are obligated to perform them. And with regard to all prohibitions, whether they are time-bound or whether they are not time-bound, both men and women are obligated to observe them, except for the prohibitions of: Do not round the corners of your head, and: Do not destroy the corners of your beard, and concerning priests: Do not contract ritual impurity from a corpse.

Women and slaves and children are exempt from fringes from the Torah. But it is from the words of the [rabbis] that every child who knows how to wrap himself is obligated [to wear] fringes, in order to educate him in the commandments. And women and slaves that want to wrap themselves with fringes, may wrap themselves without a blessing. And so [too] other positive commandments that women are exempted from; if they want to do them without a blessing, we do not protest against them. A tumtum (a person with recessed sexual organs) and an androginos (a person with both male and female sexual organs) are obligated in all [of these commandments] because of a doubt. Therefore, they should not recite a blessing, but rather do them without a blessing.

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: The verse states: “When a man or woman shall commit any of the sins of a person” (Numbers 5:6). The verse equates a woman with a man with regard to all punishments in the Torah. The school of Rabbi Elazar taught: “And these are the civil laws that you shall set before them” (Exodus 21:1). The verse equates a woman with a man with regard to all civil laws in the Torah. The school of Ḥizkiyya and Rabbi Yosei HaGelili taught: The verse states “And it killed a man or a woman” (Exodus 21:29). The verse thereby equates a woman with a man with regard to all killings in the Torah.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: It is forbidden for a person to walk four cubits [aprx. 5-6 feet] with an upright posture, which is considered an arrogant manner, as it is stated: “The entire world is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:3). Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, would not walk four cubits with an uncovered head. He said: The Divine Presence is above my head.

It is forbidden for a man to pluck even one white hair from among the black because of "A man shall not wear" (Devarim 22:5). It is likewise forbidden for a man to color (Rama: the white hairs so that they will be) black hairs, even one hair. It is likewise forbidden for a man to gaze at his reflection. (Rama: See above Siman 156.)

A woman who has a discharge of blood from her uterus, whether due to outside factors or purposefully, is tameh (impure) if she felt it flowing out. If she felt the discharge she is tameh even if the blood did not flow out of her body, and even if she only saw a drop of blood the size of a mustard seed; she must observe seven clean days for it {Rema: as will be explained in Siman 196. And there is no distinction between a married and an unmarried woman with regards to the laws of niddah (Rivash in Siman 425 as brought by Bet Yosef), because all who have intercourse with a niddah are liable for karet.}

The Rabbis taught in a baraita: All Jews count towards the seven prescribed readers even a minor, and even a woman. But the sages said: A woman should not read the Torah for the congregation out of consideration for the dignity of the congregation.

All negative commandments in the Torah, both men and women are obligated, except for [not destroying the beard and sideburns] and the Kohen's prohibition of defiling himself to the dead [that apply only to men]. And every positive commandment that is occasional and not constant, women are except, except for Kiddush, eating matzah on the night of Pesach, slaughtering and eating the Pesach sacrifice, Hakhel, and rejoicing [on Festivals] which women are obligated to do.

And a minor: ...From here we learn that a woman is obligated to hear the reading of the Torah, and even though women are not obligated in the commandment of learning Torah, they are still commanded to hear it as in the commandment of 'hakhel' in which women and children are obligated...

Women are as obligated to hear the Torah reading as men, and it is a commandment to translate for them that they may understand.

On the question of whether a woman must adopt the customs of her husband, many poskim consider a married woman to be in the category of someone who has moved from one place to another with no intention of returning and therefore adopts the customs of his or her new location. This is cited in Resp. Igrot Moshe, Orach Chayim, part 1, no. 158, and Yabi'a Omer, vol. 5, Orach Chayim, no. 37. Resp. Yabi'a Omer quotes Resp. Tashbatz, part 3, no. 179:

Where communities that are divided in their regulations (takanot), which is the equivalent of their having separate batei din … and a man from one community marries a woman from another, without doubt this woman is included with her husband in all his obligations, for "his wife is like his body" (ishto k'gufo) in all matters, and she is released from [membership in] her father's community. This is obvious and there is no doubt about it, so that if the communities are split over a difference in regulations, there should not be two people sitting at the same table but divided by their dough, what is forbidden to one being permitted to the other.

We thus find three reasons why a wife should adopt the customs of her husband: because she is considered as having moved from one place to another, because "his wife is like his body," and to avoid marital strife, "being divided by their dough."

A woman's voice is to be regarded as 'ervah; as it is said, "For sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely" (Shir ha-Shirim 2:14).

Rabbi Yitzḥak stated: An exposed handbreadth in a woman constitutes nakedness.. Rather, it is referring even to his wife, with regard to the recitation of Shema. One may not recite Shema before an exposed handbreadth of his wife. Along these lines, Rav Ḥisda said: Even a woman’s exposed leg is considered nakedness, as it is stated: “Uncover the leg and pass through the rivers” (Isaiah 47:2), and it is written in the following verse: “Your nakedness shall be revealed and your shame shall be seen” (Isaiah 47:3). Shmuel further stated: A woman’s singing voice is considered nakedness, which he derives from the praise accorded a woman’s voice, as it is stated: “Sweet is your voice and your countenance is alluring” (Song of Songs 2:14). Similarly, Rav Sheshet stated: Even a woman’s hair is considered nakedness, for it too is praised, as it is written: “Your hair is like a flock of goats, trailing down from Mount Gilead” (Song of Songs 4:1).

What is meant by "the Jewish faith"? The customs of modesty that Jewish women practice. When a woman performs any of the following acts, she is considered to have violated the Jewish faith:

a) she goes to the marketplace or a lane with openings at both ends without having her head [fully] covered - i.e., her hair is covered by a handkerchief, but not with a veil like all other women,

b) she spins [flax or wool] with a rose on her face - on her forehead or on her cheek - like immodest gentile women,

c) she spins in the marketplace and shows her forearms to men;

d) she plays frivolously with young lads,

e) she demands sexual intimacy from her husband in a loud voice until her neighbors hear her talking about their intimate affairs, or

f) she curses her husband's father in her husband's presence.