Why did rabbinic Judaism look down on, &/or subjugate women?
2007-01-06 17:56:49 · 7 answers · asked by *~SoL~ * Pashaa del Ñuñcaa. 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Duh - Where does that come from? Women are the bosses in Jewish marriage, the men are supposed to be learning all day while the women work and raise the family and manage the entire household.
Look at the last chapter of Proverbs for example.
Old Jewish saying: If the Jewish man represents the head, then the women is the neck, because whichever way the neck turns, so must the head.
Anyway, there are numerous Jewish Women Heroines throughout the bible, just open it up and look.
It is true that traditional Judiasm dictates that Men and Women must be segregated in the Synogogue during times of prayer. There are many reasons for this, some say that it is because men are the weaker sex and can't concentrate on prayer when they see women in front of them singing.
Actually, a better reason is that because women always had the role of running the household and businesses, women were exempted from obligatory prayer. Men have an obligation to pray, for women it is voluntary and they are praised for doing so but it's not an obligation. They get more reward for running the household then they do for running to the synagogue to pray 3 times a day.
Therefore, from way, way back, women did not have a tradition of running to the synagogue 3 times a day. Synagogues did not have a separate women's seating section because women never came to pray there in the first place. It is only in the last 150 years or so that women's sections were added on to synagogues as an afterthought.
Many believe that the decline of Jewish practice came about when women abdicated their role as leaders of the Jewish home, and took up the banner of male/female equality.
But that a wider societal issue. not for here.
Anyway, Judiasm has no tradition of subjugation of Women. Why didn't you provide any examples?
2007-01-09 18:51:59 · answer #1 · answered by Sunhouse 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
For starters, no, it didn't.
Secondly, what people describe as "rabbinic Judaism" is really Judaism. Judaism has always been both "rabbinic" and "biblical" even during the time that some historians decribe in general terms as "biblical Judaism".
2007-01-07 14:23:47 · answer #2 · answered by BMCR 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As an Orthodox Jewish woman, I can honestly say that the notion that Judaism looks down upon women is simply untrue.
Women are exempt from some commandments because they are more spiritual than men, not because they are inferior!!!
2007-01-07 04:00:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
i'm not orthodox, but come on. you're expecting men from thousands of years ago to be as englightened as we are today? yeah right. its a nice but unrealistic ideal. the talmud says some pretty crappy stuff about women, but it also says some really nice things as well. whats really important is the steps judaism is taking to improve the status of jewish women. its not content to remain in the dark ages with regards to women's rights, its doing its best to update its views on women while still remaining true to the essence of judaism. its admirable. why condemn history when you can improve the future instead?
2007-01-07 02:09:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
It doesn't. I'd explain but am unsure how since you don't give specific instances: you can email my girlfriend (her name on yahoo is LadySuri) and she will do her best to answer your question.
2007-01-07 02:01:56 · answer #5 · answered by Mozes 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It did not. This is a familiar libel.
2007-01-07 05:49:05 · answer #6 · answered by Ivri_Anokhi 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
because they laughed at their penises
2007-01-07 02:01:38 · answer #7 · answered by Dylan m 3 · 0⤊ 3⤋