Questions tagged [women]
Questions about or that apply specifically to women.
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1answer
81 views
Women-only Kabbalat Shabbat
Does anyone know how women-only Kabbalat Shabbat prayer came about? I have only come across it in newspapers from about the late 2000s in some United Synagogues. Have there been cases way before this? ...
2
votes
1answer
50 views
Permissibility Of Unneeded Hysterectomy
Is it halachically ok for a woman have a hysterectomy if there is no medical need? If not, is it permissible as a form of contraceptive?
2
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1answer
66 views
Women standing for their husbands when called up for an Aliyah
I have noticed women in several sefardic communities to stand while their husbands are called up to the synagogue. Yalkut Yosef in Hilkhot Shavuot brings down the halakha of a child or a student ...
1
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1answer
45 views
What Torah verses (and Talmudic chapters) provide the basis for banning women rabbis? [duplicate]
I am trying to find the logical basis for why women cannot be Rabbis in most Orthodox communities. Some people seem to pin it on "Tziut" but there doesn't seem to be a clear biblical basis for that ...
2
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1answer
51 views
Women's prayer books in Yiddish/English
Does anyone know of a good siddur/prayer book designed for women that is in Yiddish and English?
12
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2answers
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 ...
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0answers
30 views
Why verbally hurting one's wife is found in Choshen Mishpat?
צריך ליזהר באונאת אשתו לפי שדמעתה מצויה:
(C"M 228)
I understand that the whole chapter is about fraud (הונאה) and לשון נופלת על לשון, but the question is:
Does the fact that haMechaber listed ...
7
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1answer
80 views
Who are “the women who twist yarn by the moon”?
Sotah 6:1 talks about when a man who hears about his wife violating his warning divorces her rather than invoking the sotah test:
Someone who warned his wife [against being secluded with a certain ...
1
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1answer
92 views
Is there anything in the Tanakh or Talmud about co-wives helping raise the child of other co-wives upon widowhood (or absence of husband)?
I just met an Israeli woman, who said that she became a widow when her first and only child was five years old.
She said that if it wasn't for her husband having more than one wife, with whom she ...
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0answers
39 views
Have there ever been women prophetesses in the history of Judaism? [duplicate]
Male prophets are well known - people like Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Who are the women that are normally considered prophets in Judaism and where is the best place to learn about them?
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0answers
39 views
Kaddish: Men Before Women
Someone recently told me the Chida writes someone saying kaddish for a father has precedence before someone saying kaddish for a mother. Where is this Chida and what is the reasoning?
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1answer
47 views
Why does Tanach specifically describe these women as “beautiful”?
Companion question to Why does Tanac"h specifically describe these males as "beautiul"?
Off the top of my head, the pesukim describe the following women as being beautiful:
Sarah (...
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1answer
44 views
Women and Oral Law
I see that there are numerous poskim who permit women learning the Written Torah, but not the Oral Torah. What I don't understand is that you can't understand the Written Torah without the Oral Law, ...
4
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1answer
59 views
Why isn't there a Shalom Zachor equivalent for newborn girls?
The Rama in Yoreh Deah 265:12 brings the custom for a Shalom Zachor:
עוד נהגו לעשות סעודה ומשתה בליל שבת לאחר שנולד זכר נכנסים אצל התינוק לטעום שם והוא ג"כ סעודת מצוה
It is customary to make a ...
4
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1answer
771 views
Whose head covering takes precedence: mine or my wife's?
Suppose there's a hypothetical scenario where there's only one head covering available (e.g. a baseball hat) — should I wear it or should my wife?
Whose head covering would take precedence and why?
2
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0answers
55 views
Is a contraceptive diaphragm considered to be a chatzizah for mikvah immersion?
In comparison with many intrauterine contraceptives, the diaphragm is "readily removable" by the female user between uses. Would an inserted diaphragm be considered a chatzizah for mikvah immersion? ...
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2answers
127 views
Can women in niddah dance and hold a sefer Torah on Simkhat Torah?
Is there any opinion that allows women in niddah to dance holding the sefer Torah on Simkhat Torah?
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0answers
49 views
Severity of covering the hair for women
I've heard Rabbi Yaron Reuben saying women who do not wear kisui rosh (putting the dispute of wigs as an exception), are like a woman who sinned before her husband. The Rabbi said that the kohen used ...
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0answers
38 views
Gender transition and divorce [duplicate]
If a married woman undergoes gender reassignment surgery(warning: explicit language is used) and hormonal treatments to become a male how would a halachic divorce be performed? Would one even be ...
1
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3answers
124 views
Why is it called Seder Nashim?
Why is Seder Nashim called Seder Nashim?
The mitzvos discussed do apply to women (except for some tangents like the 7th chapter of Sotah), but so do:
The overwhelming majority of Zeraim (everything ...
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2answers
143 views
Can a woman be a Nazir?
We know that a man can be a nazir- is it also possible that a woman can be a nazir?
3
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1answer
130 views
Humming or whistling being Kol Isha
I've heard various opinions from lay-people if a woman's whistling and/or humming a tune are considered kol isha, which a man shouldn't listen to, and something women should be considerate of. I ...
5
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1answer
103 views
May a woman tie tzitzit to be worn by a man?
Would tzitzit be kosher if tied by a woman? A woman may not wear tzitzit.
Would there be a halachic problem with a woman knotting the tzitzit on a garment to be worn by a man? What are the relevant ...
3
votes
2answers
108 views
Women and the 248 words in Shema
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 61:3) brings from the Zohar that there are 245 words in the three paragraphs of the Shema that we say. Since there are 248 limbs in a person's body, the SA and the Rema provide ...
6
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1answer
154 views
Are Noahide women permitted to undergo a tubal ligation?
Shalom!
I am a non Jewish G-d fearing woman with two children and even though I am still quite young (24) I don't want to have any more children. I have severe depression and anxiety so the two I ...
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1answer
72 views
Which is the “miracle of Channukah”?
I have seen questions and discussions which argue whether the miracle of Channukah was the military victory (rabim b'yad me'atim) or the finding/lasting of the pure oil. However, it seems that neither ...
2
votes
2answers
201 views
Origin of exemption on covering hair for unmarried women
I've studied tons of various Poskim and websites discussing aspects of covering hair for women so I am familiar with the practical Halachot.
If I'm right, the default state is that all women (married ...
7
votes
1answer
116 views
Men making Kiddush for women after eating at shul
Women and men are both equally chayiv in kiddush, at least on shabbos. Additionally there is a commonly known rule that a non obligated person (or obligated on a lower level) cannot fulfill a mitzvah ...
2
votes
1answer
63 views
When does “The House of Somebody” mean “The Women”?
When God gives the Torah to the Jews, He uses the following preamble (Ex 19:3):
וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה, אֶל-הָאֱלֹקים; וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו ה', מִן-הָהָר לֵאמֹר, כֹּה תֹאמַר לְבֵית יַעֲקֹב, וְתַגֵּיד לִבְנֵי ...
3
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2answers
594 views
Can a man walk by a womans Mikvah
Someone just told me that he was taught that a man should not walk by a women's mikvah at night
Is this true?
Is there a source for this?
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1answer
187 views
When did knee-high skirts become the standard of Haredi women?
Long skirts and dresses, covering ankles and feet was the standard of the women's fashion before on the dawn of the 20th century when the Beyt Yaakov movement began (actually earlier, but that's not ...
2
votes
1answer
105 views
What was the size of the כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר?
What was the size of the כָּתְנוֹת עוֹר (garments of skins for Adam and his wife) (Genesis 3:21)?
By "size", I mean, was the garment just covering the area that an underwear would cover, or was it a ...
1
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1answer
105 views
The male name “Feivel” transposed for girl [closed]
My deceased father's Hebrew name was Feivel. I am now pregnant with a girl, but would like to name her after him. Can anyone please share any female equivalent Hebrew names to Feivel?
5
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2answers
107 views
Why a married woman is exempt from honoring her parents?
Although the wife should listen to the husband and make her best to please him, it is not a Mitzvah at all, and there are no DeOraytah obligations on the wife toward her husband (Rambam Ishut 22-24). ...
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0answers
18 views
Grouping of women in the beginning of Parashat Nitzavim
Parashat Nitzavim starts with the following Psukim (Devarim 29,9), grouping the Jewish Nation into two parts:
"אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם לִפְנֵי ה"א רָאשֵׁיכֶם שִׁבְטֵיכֶם זִקְנֵיכֶם ...
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1answer
104 views
Time-related Mitzvot - much more obligation than Ptur
The Mishnah in Kiddushin 1, 7 says:
"וְכָל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֲנָשִׁים חַיָּבִין וְנָשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת. "
And every positive commandment that is time-dependent, men are ...
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2answers
98 views
How women's Ptur from time-related Mitzvot works?
THis is a follow-up question to the long-forgotten "why-are-women-exempt..." (2011).
What is the meaning of the word Patur (exempt) here - does it mean like דחויה or הותרה?
Were they obligated on Mt ...
-5
votes
1answer
98 views
Women in the world to come - united or separated?
The Gemmorah in Taanit 33a says:
"אמר עולא ביראה אמר רבי אלעזר עתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא לעשות מחול לצדיקים והוא יושב ביניהם בגן עדן וכל אחד ואחד מראה באצבעו וכו'"
Ulla of the city of Bira’a said ...
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1answer
172 views
Reward for women wearing Tzizit
There is a general rule that a person who is not obligated cannot do a mitzvah on behalf of someone who is obligated, and according to at least one Rishon this is because a person who is obligated has ...
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0answers
76 views
Women - less Mitzvot more body parts?
According to the Gemmorah sources:
Women have much less positive Mitzvot than men, as they are freed from most of the time-related Mitzvot (Mishna Kiddushin 1:7).
Women have more body parts than men, ...
2
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3answers
609 views
Collection of laws of davenning for women?
The laws of davenning for men are codified and also collected in reference volumes (e.g. Tefillo Kehilchoso). Is there a sefer to study which collects the those laws of davenning that apply to women?
...
2
votes
1answer
230 views
Can a pregnant woman enter a cemetery?
I heard that a pregnant woman should not enter a cemetery. I understand this is a minhag and not halacha but would be interested to understand more about this topic.
What is the source of that minhag?...
3
votes
1answer
64 views
Men's Earth vs. Women's Bone
Someone recently mentioned to me that there is a Chazal saying אדם was created from עפר which gets hot quickly but doesn’t retain the heat too long, while women were created from bone which takes ...
7
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0answers
70 views
poetical works authored by women?
Are there any examples of songs, poems, piyyutim or kinnot from the time of the first temple until the 1700's (c.e.) which were authored by women and were adopted by traditional/orthodox communities.
...
1
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2answers
191 views
Does a Jewish woman have a responsibility, according to halacha, to get married?
Does a Jewish woman have a responsibility, according to halacha, to get married?
My question references the halacha.
The other question does not reference halacha, and neither do the answers ...
2
votes
1answer
214 views
Tznius status of the chest area
In common nowadays practice the woman's chest area is treated on par with the lower part and must be covered (swimsuits etc, ads, movies rating etc).
According to the laws of Tznius (modesty), is ...
5
votes
3answers
424 views
Does a pregnant or nursing woman fast on a postponed Tish'ah B'Av?
According to this answer pregnant and nursing women generally fast only on Tish'ah B'Av and Yom Kippur, but not the other "minor" fasts. (This is certainly the case where fasting would cause them pain....
5
votes
2answers
333 views
Wife's obligation to submit to her husband for relations
Some people say only a husband is obligated to provide relations to his wife but the wife has no obligations. If she wants to she submits, if not she does not (since her husband is not allowed to rape ...
0
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0answers
64 views
Honoring female Rabbis - sources [duplicate]
Sorry I'm stuck with this topic...
I am looking for sources on various Halakhot of honoring female Rabbis (knowledgeable women that tech Judaism). My basic assumption is that as many rule that כיבוד ...
3
votes
1answer
192 views
If a woman proclaims “I am a male”, will she become obligated to observe all mitzvos which men are obligated, because of שוייה לנפשה חתיכה דאיסורא?
If a woman proclaims "I am a male, (and I underwent gender-change surgery)", will she become obligated to observe all mitzvos which men are obligated, because of שוייה לנפשה חתיכה דאיסורא - She ...
