Why are women exempt from (many) time-bound mitzvot?

Question

I have heard two reasons for women being exempt from time-bound mitzvot and both seem problematic, so either there are additional explanations or I am not properly understanding these two:

1. Women have to spend time on maintaining the household and raising the children, so they do not have time for time-bound mitzvot. But if that's the reason, the rabbis could have said "those with child-care duties (etc) are exempt". As it stands, women with no children don't have the reason but are still excused, and men who have child-care duties are still obligated. (Granted that the rabbis of the talmud were probably not considering this latter case.) It seems odd to me that a stay-at-home dad is obligated while his teenage daughter is exempt.

2. Women are on a higher spiritual plane and do not need as many mitzvot. It seems surprising to me that we could make that kind of statement about all women (and the converse about all men). Just looking around at the people I've met, there are wise men who seem not to need extra help and women who struggle and might need the help of more mitzvot.

What am I failing to understand about these two reasons? Or are there others?

Answer 1

The technical reason is a Gemara in Kiddushin that says that since women are not obligated in Tfilin (which is mentioned in a verse near the verse that speaks about Torah learning, where it says (Vshinantem levanecha, you shall teach your son(and not your daughter))), which they are free from because , they are not obligated in any commandment similar to Tfillin. Since Tfillin is a positive commandment which is time-bound (one can't wear them at night or on Shabbos/Yom Tov), so too women aren't obligated in all positive commandments which time-bound.

However, even after this technical answer (women are free from positive time-bound mitzvos) women could still ask: "Why should I lose out the benefits of Mitzvos? Mitzvos connect me to Hashem?" This is where the answers that you mentioned come in. Since women are not obligated in these mitzvos, it means that the connection one could accomplish with these mitzvos is accomplished on its own. (For a similar idea, when we aren't allowed to blow Shofar on Shabbos, Shabbos accomplishes what the shofar does, but on a higher level.)

Answer 2

With regards to the first reason, I think you've fallen victim to political correctness. The Abudraham gives the following reason why women are exempt from time-bound positive commandments:

‫והטעם שנפטרו הנשים מהמצות עשה שהזמן‬ ‫גרמא לפי שהאשה משועבדת לבעלה לעשות צרכיו.‬ ‫ואם היחה מחוייבת במצות עשה שהזמן גרמא אפשר‬ ‫שבשעת עשיית המצוה יצוה אותה הבעל לעשות מצותו‬ ‫ואם תעשה מצות הבורא ותניח מצותו אוי לה מבעלה‬ ‫ואם תעשה מצותו ותניח מצות הבורא אוי לה מיוצרה‬ ‫לפיכך פטרה הבורא ממצותיו כדי להיות לה שלום עם‬ ‫בעלה . וגדולה מזו מצינו שהשם הגדול הנכתב‬ ‫בקדושה ובטהרה נמחה על המיס כדי להטיל שלום‬ ‫בין היש לאשתו‬

Women are exempt from time-bound positive commandments because a women is subjugated(?) to her husband to fulfill his needs.

If she was obilgated in a time-bound positive commandment it is possible that while she is doing the commandment her husband will command her to do something. If she puts aside her husbands command to do G-d's command, Woe unto her from her husband.

If she puts aside G-d's command to fulfill her husbands command, Woe to her from her creator.

Therefore G-d exempted her from time-bound positive commandments, so she can have peace with her husband.

[Don't be astonished by this, since] We see G-d is even willing to have his name erased in order to have peace between a man and his wife (in the case of a Sotah).

The only question that remains is why are unmarried women exempt from time-bound positive commandment? I would have to answer Lo Plug, G-d didn't make this distinction, but made a blanket exemption.

[the Abudraham then brings 7 time-bound positive commandment that women are obligated to do and explains why those are the exceptions]

Answer 3

As mentioned in the other answer, women are not obligated in time bound positive mitsvot and also mila, pidion haben and peot.

It is not a matter of higher or lower spiritual level, but different roles. A neshama is divided in two bodies: with one you fulfill the mitsva of mila, with the other the mitsva of nida: it is not a matter of better or worse.

The same way you can't say your left arm is better/worse than your right arm. With one arm you put your tefilin, the other should accept it.

Similar thought in tsedaka: there are two sides of it, the giver and the recipient.

As mentioned in the comment to the question, why women are obligated on kidush is a big question: in a first look one may say that she is not since it is a time bound mitsva. If you really want, I may try to look where I saw this (I believe hazon ovadia). And btw, learning is considered time bound.

Answer 4

I do not know the source of this answer, but it is the answer that I have grown up with and makes sense to me.

The answer actually combines the 2 answers you list in your question, and explains them a bit more.

Women are not obligated for positive time bound mitzvot because of their monthly cycle. Since women have a monthly cycle, they are already given an internal way to mark the time and seasons thus accomplishing what many of the positive time bound mitzvot are intended to accomplish for men. (They are also given ways to make this cycle more dedicated to Hashem)

This can also give greater meaning to the positive time bound mitzvot that women are supposed to do, such as Rosh Chodesh, or the more national oriented mitzvot such as Simcha during Sukkot, or Matza on Pesach.