בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ מֶֽלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁלֹּא עָשַֽׂנִי אִשָּׁה:
Blessed are You, Adonoy our God, King of the Universe, Who did not make me a woman.
How I Deal With “Thank You For Not Making Me A Woman” (Shelo Asani Isha) Blessing, Allison Josephs
Rashi clearly saw the blessing as problematic enough [to] require an explanation. He said exactly what the outreach professional had told me years earlier:“shelo asani isha” refers to a man’s greater obligation in mitzvos. But that’s not all – the rabbis of old were also bothered by the negative phrasing of the blessing, and the Bach concludes that it’s a grammatical technicality that requires the blessing to be the negative in order for a man to reach the required daily allowance of 100 blessings a day.
I admit – this is not a beautiful, elegant answer, neatly wrapped up in a bow. Having an emotionally charged issue end with a lesson in grammar is about as unsatisfying as it gets! At the same time, sometimes, this is the nature of Judaism. Like a marriage, it comes as a package deal which means that some parts of it are less appealing than others. So too, like with marriage, I can choose (and do choose) to accept it because it is a meaningful and mostly beautiful fixture in my life.
Rashi clearly saw the blessing as problematic enough [to] require an explanation. He said exactly what the outreach professional had told me years earlier:“shelo asani isha” refers to a man’s greater obligation in mitzvos. But that’s not all – the rabbis of old were also bothered by the negative phrasing of the blessing, and the Bach concludes that it’s a grammatical technicality that requires the blessing to be the negative in order for a man to reach the required daily allowance of 100 blessings a day.
I admit – this is not a beautiful, elegant answer, neatly wrapped up in a bow. Having an emotionally charged issue end with a lesson in grammar is about as unsatisfying as it gets! At the same time, sometimes, this is the nature of Judaism. Like a marriage, it comes as a package deal which means that some parts of it are less appealing than others. So too, like with marriage, I can choose (and do choose) to accept it because it is a meaningful and mostly beautiful fixture in my life.
Blossom, "Interesting Discussions: Chabad & SheLo Asani Isha" and the Siddur, imamother.com
Really the Shelo Asani Isha is a praise for the women. Since the men cannot fathom how we deal with periods, pregnancy and childbirth, and they think that they would never be able to go thru all this thus they thank Hashem that they don't have to.
Really the Shelo Asani Isha is a praise for the women. Since the men cannot fathom how we deal with periods, pregnancy and childbirth, and they think that they would never be able to go thru all this thus they thank Hashem that they don't have to.
Daniel, comments on "Do Orthodox Jews still say a blessing every morning thanking G-d for not making them a woman?," chabad.org
If this construct was solely human made, then both male and female would have been made a-sexual and completely the same like other animals. The fact is that we are physically different so having roles that promote those differences has nothing to do suppression. Am I being suppressed because I am not in the NBA due to my height? There are realities with differences.
On another note, it is hard to say that woman are "less than" men in our religion. I work 16 hours a day (for not a lot of money), my wife works very part time and takes care of our children. I would trade with her in a second to spend that amount of time with my kids.
If this construct was solely human made, then both male and female would have been made a-sexual and completely the same like other animals. The fact is that we are physically different so having roles that promote those differences has nothing to do suppression. Am I being suppressed because I am not in the NBA due to my height? There are realities with differences.
On another note, it is hard to say that woman are "less than" men in our religion. I work 16 hours a day (for not a lot of money), my wife works very part time and takes care of our children. I would trade with her in a second to spend that amount of time with my kids.
u/Upbeat_Teach6117, "Frum/observant feminists or progressives (men or women): How do you relate to "She-lo asani isha" during Shacharit?," R/Judaism, reddit.com
What do I think?
I think it's sexist, like many elements of Orthodox Judaism are. I'd rather acknowledge this than listen to someone from Aish twist him/herself into a pretzel with apologetics.
For me, at least, realizing that Orthodoxy can be sexist is far more comforting, enlightening, and honest than pretending it isn't.
What do I think?
I think it's sexist, like many elements of Orthodox Judaism are. I'd rather acknowledge this than listen to someone from Aish twist him/herself into a pretzel with apologetics.
For me, at least, realizing that Orthodoxy can be sexist is far more comforting, enlightening, and honest than pretending it isn't.
u/inkfountain, "Frum/observant feminists or progressives (men or women): How do you relate to "She-lo asani isha" during Shacharit?," R/Judaism, reddit.com
As an Orthodox woman…re the second class citizen issue, it’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, Chazal definitely did value women and their contribution and we were also there at Har Sinai. On the other hand…by virtue of the fact that for thousands of years the religious leadership was a boys only club (bc culture more than anything) that leads to some inevitable sexism in there too. Including the fact that Chazal, not expecting women to ever read the Gemara, were not exactly always respectful of them. (See, for example, R Eliezer.)
Today, women are sometimes second class citizens in religious spaces, and sometimes not. It all depends on the degree of sensitivity by religious leadership. As for shelo asani isha…likely rooted in the extra obligations, and quite unfortunately phrased (again, lacking sensitivity.) I personally tend to skip sheasani kirtzono for now. I’m a work in progress.
As an Orthodox woman…re the second class citizen issue, it’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, Chazal definitely did value women and their contribution and we were also there at Har Sinai. On the other hand…by virtue of the fact that for thousands of years the religious leadership was a boys only club (bc culture more than anything) that leads to some inevitable sexism in there too. Including the fact that Chazal, not expecting women to ever read the Gemara, were not exactly always respectful of them. (See, for example, R Eliezer.)
Today, women are sometimes second class citizens in religious spaces, and sometimes not. It all depends on the degree of sensitivity by religious leadership. As for shelo asani isha…likely rooted in the extra obligations, and quite unfortunately phrased (again, lacking sensitivity.) I personally tend to skip sheasani kirtzono for now. I’m a work in progress.
u/carrboneous, "Frum/observant feminists or progressives (men or women): How do you relate to "She-lo asani isha" during Shacharit?," R/Judaism, reddit.com
Do we disagree that men are better off? Like, isn't that the essence of (at least second wave) feminism? From the physical risks that women's bodies are subject to (eg the risks of pregnancy) to the social advantages men typically enjoy, and so much in between, "shelo asani isha" quite often comes quite naturally to me as something to be grateful for. I don't see it as a diminution of women at all, I think it's at worst a recognition of the reality, and maybe even an invitation to check my privilege.
Do we disagree that men are better off? Like, isn't that the essence of (at least second wave) feminism? From the physical risks that women's bodies are subject to (eg the risks of pregnancy) to the social advantages men typically enjoy, and so much in between, "shelo asani isha" quite often comes quite naturally to me as something to be grateful for. I don't see it as a diminution of women at all, I think it's at worst a recognition of the reality, and maybe even an invitation to check my privilege.