Questions tagged [women]

Questions about or that apply specifically to women.

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40 votes
23 answers
10k views

How to tactfully circumvent opposite-gender handshake

Say you're a man in a professional setting, and a woman who isn't used to dealing with observant Jews stretches out her hand to greet you -- but your practice is to avoid shaking hands even in ...
Dave's user avatar
  • 21.1k
38 votes
4 answers
8k views

What are the sources for women to wear/ not wear pants?

I have heard that the argument is beged ish / kli gever, and I have heard people say that even if that was once a real reason for it it doesn't apply today for various reasons. I understand that the ...
MEG's user avatar
  • 731
36 votes
6 answers
7k views

Does Judaism consider women inferior?

According to Orthodox Judaism, women may not be rabbis, be counted as part of a minyan, leyn from the Torah, or study the Talmud. It even says that to teach a woman Torah is to teach her obscenity! (...
SAH's user avatar
  • 19.7k
29 votes
5 answers
901 views

Female praying in masculine language

When women daven (pray), even by ourselves, it is convention to daven with male-gendered words ("modeh" vs "moda" as one of many examples). Why is this; are there sources that say we should be doing ...
morah hochman's user avatar
27 votes
12 answers
4k views

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

Women are generally exempt from time-bound mitzvot (Kiddushin 29a). I have heard two reasons for women being exempt from time-bound mitzvot and both seem problematic, so either there are additional ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
25 votes
5 answers
5k views

What is the original halachic source for a woman covering her collarbones out of modesty (tznius)?

Many contemporary instructions on women's modesty (tznius) say that necklines have to be high enough to cover the collarbones. I can certainly accept that if this is the communal standard, it should ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 133k
24 votes
2 answers
5k views

May my wife wear my jacket to keep warm?

The Sefer HaChinuch #564 writes that it’s forbidden for a woman to wear men’s clothing. If it’s cold outside, is a woman allowed to wear a man’s coat to keep warm? If #1 is a problem, are any ...
Gavriel's user avatar
  • 9,648
22 votes
3 answers
3k views

What is a woman's obligation when it comes to T'fillah?

In Orthodox practice it is commonly thought that women are not obligated in T'fillah (parts of it anyway) due to its time-bound nature. However, what is a woman's obligation? Which prayers must she ...
morah hochman's user avatar
21 votes
4 answers
1k views

How does an outsider know how to dress for a particular Orthodox community?

Standards of dress (at least for women) aren't nearly as consistent within Orthodoxy as we might wish. Wearing exactly the same halachically-correct clothing I have been under-dressed in some places ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
21 votes
3 answers
6k views

Mixed swimming in a pool?

What are the issues with mixed swimming, from a tzniut point of view? Does it make a difference if the swimmers are or aren't Jewish? For example, are there issues with me swimming with my wife and a ...
Naftuli Kay's user avatar
  • 3,924
20 votes
8 answers
7k views

Is it forbidden for a woman to learn Gemara?

Is it forbidden for a woman to learn Gemara?
Gershon Gold's user avatar
20 votes
5 answers
4k views

Why can't a woman demand a divorce?

The halacha as I understand it is that only the man can take the final decision on divorce. I hear there are workarounds, but conceptually - why is that so? Why can't a woman decide by herself to ...
Nathan H's user avatar
  • 2,619
19 votes
2 answers
2k views

Bootstrapping problem: havdalah ends shabbat (for one who didn't daven ma'ariv) but lighting the candle is melacha?

This answer (originally elsewhere, later merged here) to a question about melacha before havdalah notes that in that situation one should say "baruch hamavdil bein kodesh l'chol" first. Does that ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
19 votes
2 answers
4k views

Can you see your wife unclothed?

I think someone in another question here (or on another site?) said he was told by his "chassan teacher" not to look at his wife unclothed. It seems like this is not the real halacha to me, or at ...
Desert Star's user avatar
  • 3,393
18 votes
10 answers
12k views

Why do Jewish women wear so much black?

Usually, the color white is associated with purity (as indicated by the kittle). I don't know if the opposite color in the spectrum represents the opposite of purity (yes, I know it's not technically ...
sheimot's user avatar
  • 359
18 votes
5 answers
2k views

Why do men or boys have to cover their hair, but not unmarried women?

Whatever the reasons for covering hair (e.g. fear of heaven), they seem to equally apply to men and women. So why don't unmarried women have to cover their hair?
user avatar
18 votes
6 answers
2k views

What's the deal with female Rabbis?

1) Is there a concrete halachic (Biblical?Rabbinic?) basis for women not being permitted to become Rabbis? 2) After 2000+ years, what changed so the JTS's Commission in 1979 decided that they can? ...
Gary's user avatar
  • 2,188
17 votes
3 answers
4k views

Why don't brides (always) cover their hair for their weddings?

Why don't brides (always) cover their hair for their weddings? I understand that in some ultra-religious groups they do, but there seem to be many groups within Orthodoxy where they do not cover their ...
SAH's user avatar
  • 19.7k
17 votes
5 answers
1k views

What is a good mussar/personal growth sefer for women?

Most mussar sefarim are very oriented towards men, with lessons on things such as how to treat your wife, the dangers of pursuing women, or the importance of learning. Also, many sefarim I've seen ...
Yaakov Kuperman's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
3k views

Angel in the womb for women?

The Talmud (Niddah 30b) teaches us that when a child is in the womb, an angel comes and teaches it the entire Torah, which he subsequently forgets. The simple reading of the Gemara gives no reason to ...
Y     e     z's user avatar
17 votes
5 answers
2k views

How to make Purim more female friendly?

At a recent Shabbat meal the conversation was about how Purim was a "guy holiday" where women felt like second class citizens, especially married women who often found themselves cooking the seuda, ...
user avatar
17 votes
4 answers
7k views

Minhag of married women shaving during marriage

The custom for married women to shave their heads is, evidently, a fairly widespread custom that exists at least amongst (certain) Hasidim. I have heard a variety of supposed, non-authoritative ...
The Lone Scribe of Volozhyn's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
2k views

Do Shaving Restrictions Apply to Bearded Women?

For example, if a woman were to have a beard, would she be permitted to shave it off with a razor or otherwise destroy it, or do these restrictions apply to both men and women?
Peter Olson's user avatar
  • 1,723
17 votes
4 answers
1k views

The practice of (not) printing pictures of women in magazines and newspapers under religious auspices

I was reading a My Encounter the other week (not available online) which had an interview with the editor of The Moshiach Times. In it he described how the practice of other religious magazines at the ...
Yishai's user avatar
  • 31.9k
17 votes
6 answers
3k views

Why don't we thank God for making us men/women?

In the brachos we say every morning, men thank God for "not making them a woman" (and women thank God for "creating them according to their needs"). Why don't both men and women just thank God for ...
WhoKnows's user avatar
  • 2,662
17 votes
1 answer
2k views

What was daily life like for Jewish women living in al-Andalus in the 10th/11th centuries?

The emir of Al-Andalus (approximately the Iberian peninsula) declared himself a new caliph, breaking off from the caliphate in the east, circa 950 CE. I have read that the next couple hundred years ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
2k views

Who was Cain's wife?

I saw this problem on reddit today and I think that we cursorily covered this in Tanach class. Who was Cain's wife? In בראשית ד' י"ז it says " וַיֵּדַע קַיִן אֶת-אִשְׁתּוֹ" but it never says who she ...
doomrobo's user avatar
  • 163
16 votes
3 answers
11k views

Why do divorced or widowed women still need to cover their hair?

I was recently reading the latest edition of Halachically Speaking. It says: A woman who is a widow r”l or divorcee still has an obligation to cover her hair. But why is this so? Why should they ...
yydl's user avatar
  • 38.6k
16 votes
3 answers
2k views

The laws behind the separation of men and women

In Israel there is a hot debate because of instances on some communities where extra steps are taken to separate men and women in every day life. For example in some bus lines women seat in the back ...
Nathan H's user avatar
  • 2,619
16 votes
1 answer
914 views

Time-frame for naming a newborn girl

I have heard many differing Minhagim as to the time-frame for naming a newborn girl. There are those that name at the first possible opportunity and some that wait till the second Shabbos. Many others ...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
16 votes
4 answers
492 views

Can a yefas toar be Jewish?

I realize that when the torah discusses אשת יפת תואר it specifies כִּי-תֵצֵא לַמִּלְחָמָה, עַל-אֹיְבֶיךָ (Devarim 21:10). When you go out (of the land of Israel) to wage war on your enemies (...
user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
1k views

Definition of mini-skirt in Yabia Omer YD 6:14

In Yabia Omer YD 6:14, Rav Ovadia Yosef ruled that it is preferable for a woman to wear women's pants than to wear a "mini-skirt" (חצאית-מיני). He writes that a full skirt is preferable to both. In ...
Double AA's user avatar
  • 98.9k
15 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why can men wear pants if pants are immodest?

I have a question from another post here. If pants are considered to be immodest garments in general, aside from the issue of them being a male garment, why are they permissible for men to wear? Are ...
יוחנן-John's user avatar
15 votes
3 answers
603 views

Halachic Source for Women-Only Mikvaoth?

Some (actually many) Mikvaoth are designated for women's use only, generally for reasons of cleanliness. Is there Halachic literature supporting (or urging) this? (This question is not asking for ...
Seth J's user avatar
  • 41.6k
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Rape for a girl and is looking to get married

If a young Jewish girl was raped, what are the protocols for her getting married? Is there anyone that she can't marry other than the Kohen or Kohen Gadol? What are the halachot for these types of ...
Anz12's user avatar
  • 307
15 votes
1 answer
732 views

Woman and Zimun: What is the requirement?

What is a woman's requirement to say Bircat Hamazon with a Zimun of women? What is a woman's requirement to say Bircat Hamazon with a Zimun of men?
RCW's user avatar
  • 6,748
15 votes
4 answers
688 views

Women and Mayim Acharonim

I very often eat at meals where after the meal, all of the men wash mayim acharonim, but none of the women do so. I am aware of a number of halachic sources that say both men and women should wash ...
Chanoch's user avatar
  • 10.9k
15 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is hair sometimes considered *erva* (nakedness) but sometimes not?

Why do people say that the hair of a married woman is considered as nakedness, but not the hair of a single woman? Isn't hair just hair? What if a man grew his hair long - would it also be ...
Adam Mosheh's user avatar
  • 6,025
15 votes
5 answers
1k views

What did women have to do with the moon's shrinking?

In the Mishna Berurah (426:1) it says (with loose translation): ונשים פטורות מלקדש הלבנה דהוי מ"ע שהזמן גרמא ואף דכל מ"ע שהזמן גרמא נוהגות הנשים שמקיימות ומברכות עליהן מ"מ מצוה זו אין ...
yydl's user avatar
  • 38.6k
14 votes
4 answers
3k views

Rashi's Daughters wearing Tefillin

There is a commonly held "tradition" that Rashi's daughters wore Tefillin. One highly educated rabbi/professor has publicly stated that he's spent 35 years searching for a source but to no avail. ...
Seth J's user avatar
  • 41.6k
14 votes
5 answers
3k views

Why are women invalid as Halachic witnesses?

Why are women Pasul leEidus ? Does this still apply?
Shmuel's user avatar
  • 10.5k
14 votes
5 answers
3k views

Is a mechitza required for dancing at Jewish weddings? Why?

If the men and women aren't dancing together, is it strictly required that there also be a mechitza between them? If so, why? What guidelines would this mechitza have to meet? Or is it simply a smart ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 133k
14 votes
3 answers
1k views

If women are not obliged to daven maariv, should they daven if they wish to?

This source said that women are not obliged to daven maariv but may do if they wish. He since revised his view - see the source quoted by @Double AA's comment 25 Mar 16. This question was posed on ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
14 votes
1 answer
1k views

Does a woman have to cover her head if she is bald?

The Gemara in Ketubot 72a outlines the issue of married woman covering her hair. This issue has been discussed already on this forum. Rav Yehuda Herzl-Henkin has wonderful and thorough treatment of ...
Chaim's user avatar
  • 4,349
14 votes
3 answers
684 views

Why didn't women complain about not being able to bring the Pesach?

During the first year in the desert, some men were tamei and complained that they couldn't bring the Pesach. This resulted in the mitzvah of Pesach Sheni. Men and women are equally obligated to ...
Heshy's user avatar
  • 9,136
13 votes
8 answers
3k views

Marrying a wife that is older than you?

What example is there in the Torah about (lichatchila i.e a priori according to halacha) marrying a wife that is years older than you?
hazoriz's user avatar
  • 7,506
13 votes
3 answers
3k views

Can a female be a Shochet? (slaughter animals)

Can a female slaughter animals according to Halacha? (sources)
Gershon Gold's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
2k views

Historically, were women trained for obligatory wars? Or did they serve some other military function?

Sotah 8:7 says that for obligatory wars all go out to fight, "even a bridegroom from his chamber and a bride from her canopy". Historically, was this in fact our practice? Did women participate in ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
13 votes
2 answers
221 views

Why sell chametz to a woman?

I see that someone claims that, when it comes to selling one's chametz to a non-Jew before Pesach, יש מחלוקות ודעות שונות איזה קנינים לעשות, ואם למכור לגוי או דוקא לגויה — in my own, loose ...
msh210's user avatar
  • 73.7k
13 votes
2 answers
4k views

Why don't Israeli women fast?

More than one Israeli has told me that women in Israel don't fast. More specifically, that a large percentage of otherwise observant (healthy, non-pregnant, non-nursing) Jewish women in Israel do not ...
msh210's user avatar
  • 73.7k

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