Questions tagged [women]
Questions about or that apply specifically to women.
605
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Wearing a birthstone or simply a gemstone as a man
Is a birthstone or any gemstone for that matter kosher for a man to wear (e.g: around the neck) according to the Rabbis or is it prohibited as 'You shall not wear a woman's garment as that is a ...
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4answers
3k views
Do women need to marry to be fulfilled?
The Talmud says:
Rabbi Tanhum stated in the name of Rabbi Hanilai: A man who has no wife lives without joy, without blessing, and without goodness. (Yevamot 62b)
Is there a parallel quote anywhere ...
2
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1answer
129 views
Are women less generous with guests than men?
Bava Metzia 87a:
The verse states: “Make ready quickly three measures of flour, fine flour” (Genesis 18:6). The Gemara questions the apparent redundancy. It is written: “Flour,” and it is also ...
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54 views
Do Women Look at Fingers for Havdala?
At least in some communities, women haven't been seen looking at their fingers during havdala for the bracha on fire. (Badei Hashulchan (96:12) – לא ראיתי שנשים יביטו בצפרנים אחר בומ״ה) Is it just me ...
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3answers
155 views
Was there a tradition that Jewish girls desired to be the mother of the messiah?
Are there any Jewish historical traditions that young Jewish girls often hoped and desired to be the mother of the messiah?
For this question, I am interested in the historical time period of the 1st ...
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3answers
155 views
Source for “no Yetzer Harah when a Torah Scroll is opened/read”?
Following my question on "separation of men and women on Hakhel",
in this Drashah (thanks Lee) R' Uri Sherki (Mercaz Harav) explains the lack of separation of men and women on Hakhel by the fact ...
2
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1answer
137 views
Was Hakhel performed in separation of men and women?
Mitzvat Hakhel requires the presence of men, women, and children in the Azara (135x135 Ama incl. 4 Lishachot), with a tremendous density (for 600K grown-up men it's around 4M people per 4,000 sq.m.), ...
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1answer
72 views
Why did the Rambam poskin that a Woman can’t be a King of Yisrael or Moshiach?
We know that many woman were Prophets, Judges, & Warriors, all qualities necessary to rule, so why did the Rambam determine that a girl cannot become a King or Moshiach? What’s the logic behind ...
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2answers
91 views
What is the official title for the wife of a Jewish king?
The Rambam in Hilchos Melachim U'Milchamot 1:5 writes:
אֵין מַעֲמִידִין אִשָּׁה בְּמַלְכוּת שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים יז טו) "עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ" וְלֹא מַלְכָּה.
We may not appoint a woman to the ...
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138 views
What is Rambam's source that the Sages issued a command to not teach your daughter Torah?
The Mishnah in Sotah (3:4) states:
אם יש לה זכות היתה תולה לה יש זכות תולה שנה אחת יש זכות תולה ב' שנים יש זכות תולה ג' שנים מכאן אומר בן עזאי חייב אדם ללמד את בתו תורה שאם תשתה תדע שהזכות תולה לה ...
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3answers
393 views
Annulment of women's nedarim
Can vows made by women nowadays still be annulled by father or husband (until sunset of the same day), as described in this week's parshah (mattos), or is this a practice of biblical/talmudic times ...
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70 views
What is the prohibition in women attending immodest parties?
Although females are not subject to the same prohibition as men, I am assuming that attending a party in which there are others immodestly dressed should also be a questionable environment for women. ...
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1answer
211 views
Why were women doing Brit Milah to their sons?
Unintentionally bumped into this verse (Macabbees A) that appears to be historically authentic:
והנשים אשר מלו את בניהן הומתו על פי המלך.
(And women who circumcised their sons were executed)
Do ...
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1answer
200 views
Is it permitted to learn Torah with one's wife?
Is it permitted to learn Torah with one's wife?
And if so, are there any special recommendations for what to study with her?
Generally speaking I understand that men don't take women as Chavrutas, ...
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1answer
84 views
Did Beruriah add to, “Women are light-headed,” to say, “…except Beruriah”?
I'm seeing a couple of secondary sources which suggest, without citing a primary source, that Beruriah may have supplemented her husband's teaching "Women are light-headed", either orally or in ...
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1answer
147 views
Are women allowed to have an alternative lifestyle haircut?
Is it permissible for a woman have a haircut where they shave half of her hair off and leave the other side of her hair untouched - a style strongly associated with lesbians, bisexuals, transgender ...
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1answer
95 views
Are women allowed to have a boy short haircut?
According to halacha, are women permitteed to have their hair styled in a man-typical way?
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34 views
Women answering “amen” to a bracha over a man's mitzvah [duplicate]
Can/should a woman answer "amen" to a bracha a man makes over a mitzvah specific to men? For example, tzitzis, tefillin, etc.
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1answer
62 views
Obligation and being included in a minyan
According to this answer, if six men are davening and ten men are present, the six can recite Kaddish and Kedushah. The case discussed is if the other four are not obligated because they already ...
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1answer
88 views
What is meant by “congregational honor” regarding disallowing women reading the Torah publically?
The Talmud Bavli (Megillah 23a) says that while, if a woman read from the Torah it counts towards the required 7 aliyot, the chachamim disallowed it because of kavod hatzibbur - the respect for the ...
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1answer
83 views
Why use a gendered MiShebeirach for sick people?
During leining, many synagogues have someone recite a prayer on behalf of sick people. The version I grew up with was for cholim (males) with the language including a reference to רמ"ח איבריו ושס"ה ...
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71 views
May a woman be a Ba'alat Kriah (Torah reader) if no men know how? [duplicate]
I am a bit unclear regarding the full applications of kavod hatzibbur as it regards women being involved in certain aspects of prayer. I gather that one application of this rule disallows women from ...
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1answer
1k views
Why the lack of hesitance to wear pads on the sabbath?
Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 301:13, and commentaries state that if a woman wears something only in order that her clothes don't get dirty from her menstrual blood, then that thing is not considered ...
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0answers
114 views
Do women have to have long hair according to Jewish law?
Does it say anywhere in the Oral Torah that women have to have long hair?
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1answer
140 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
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1answer
65 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
votes
1answer
84 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 ...
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1answer
54 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 ...
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1answer
74 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?
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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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37 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 ...
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1answer
103 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 ...
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1answer
102 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
42 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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43 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
62 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
61 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, ...
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1answer
82 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 ...
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1answer
789 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?
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0answers
64 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
195 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
73 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
40 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 ...
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3answers
128 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
301 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
165 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 ...
7
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1answer
173 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 ...
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2answers
138 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 ...
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1answer
169 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 ...
0
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1answer
104 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 ...
