VAYAKHEL 1998

In the Torah portion, Vayakhel, we learn how the women donated gladly to the construction of the Mishkan.  It says, "The men came with the women, everyone whose hearts motivate him brought bracelets, noserings, all sorts of gold ornaments."  We all learn, "All the women whose hearts inspired them brought spun yarn of turquoise, purple, and scarlet wool, and the women joyously gave to the building of the Mishkan."  This was in sharp contrast to what they did when the men built the golden calf.  The women refused to participate.  The men had to forcibly take their jewelry to make the golden calf.  The rabbis teach us that it was because of the moral strength of the women that we were even redeemed from Egypt.  The men had given up, but not the women.  The women also did not listen to the counsel of the evil spies, who did not want the Jewish people to enter the land of Israel.  They were willing to enter the land of Israel, and the women did not worship the golden calf.  Because the women did not worship the golden calf, they have a special holiday, Rosh Chodesh, on which they do not have to do housework.  Many men, even pious men, forget about this holiday, but women have this special holiday dedicated to them in our tradition because they did not worship the golden calf.  It is true that if the women would have just not given their jewelry to the golden calf, we could have claimed they did not give their jewelry to build the golden calf because they wanted to keep their jewelry, but, as the Ramban points out, when we learn in this Torah portion how the women willingly gave their jewelry to build the Tabernacle, we know that it was not because of stinginess or a desire to keep their jewelry that the women did not give their jewelry to build the golden calf.  It has been true throughout all Jewish history that when the women want to keep Judaism, Judaism is secure, but when the women have no interest in Judaism, then Judaism crumbles and disappears in that part of the world where women have no interest in it.

We learn in a famous Medrash, which comments on the fact that when G‑d was about ready to give the Torah to the Jewish people it says, "So you shall say to the House of Jacob, and you shall tell to the Sons of Israel," The rabbis say that the House of Jacob refers to the women; the Sons of Israel refers to the men.  G‑d knew that He had to give the Torah to the women first because if the women would accept the Torah, the Torah would be kept in Israel, but if the men accepted the Torah, the Torah would not be kept in Israel.

Unfortunately, in this country until about 50 years ago, the women's Jewish education was very weak.  Most women learned about religion and spirituality from the public schools which they attended, and they tried to refashion Judaism to reflect the type of spirituality they learned in public school.  In those days, the distinction between religion and public school education was not as firm as today.  Some people claim that the resurgence of orthodox Judaism in American can really be traced to the founding of Sterne College, which later had many imitators.

Many times in life we think we know difference subjects because everything we know is true, but, unfortunately, we put them in the wrong order, and the things we think we know we really do not know.  I am reminded of the story they tell about a soldier who went to get minor plastic surgery for an old wound.  Another soldier was sitting there about to be operated on.  He asked, "What type of operation are you getting today?" He said, "I am getting a circumcision."  The soldier replied, "I have to warn you about something."  He asked what, and he replied, "I have to warn you that I was circumcised when I was eight days old, and I did not walk for another year."

Today is also Parshas Porah, We read about ritual purity.  The laws of ritual purity apply only to the Temple.  They did not apply to the synagogue.  They applied not only to women but to men.  The main way that a person can be ritually unclean was when they came into contact with the dead.  Contact with the dead depresses us and does not allow us to have the necessary joy to serve G‑d.  One also became ritually impure when one had a flow.  This applied to men as well as women.  This also had to do with the fact that potential life did not come into being.  Women who had their period could not enter the Temple, and neither could men who had a nocturnal emission, but a synagogue is not a Temple and these rules do not apply to the synagogue.  As we learn in Brochas 22A, "It has been taught Rabbi Judah Ben Bethira used to say, The words of the Torah are not susceptible to ritual impurity for it is said, "Is not My word like fire," says the Lord (Jeremiah 29:29), as fire is not susceptible to ritual impurity, so are the words of the Torah not susceptible to ritual impurity,'" in other words, anybody who touched a sefer Torah.  As the Rambam states, "All who are ritually impure, even women on their period and even a gentile, may hold the sefer Torah and read from it because the words of the Torah are not susceptible to ritual impurity.  All this is permissible with the proviso that one's hands should not be unclean or soiled with clay, in which case they should wash their hands and afterwards touch it."  In other words, the only requirement is that a person should not by physically dirty.  If you are afraid that your hands will touch your face, which is dirty and then the Torah, it would not be allowed.  This applies to both men and women.  If a person does not feel that they are physically clean and because of it, their hands will be dirty, they should not touch the Torah, but if there is no such fear, there is no reason a person cannot touch the Torah, especially today when we have so many hygienic precautions which prevent anybody's hands from becoming physically dirty.  In fact, this principle is so clear that even Rabbi Eliahu Shmuel Wend, who is a leading rabbinic decider of the ultra orthodox, Edah Haredit community in Jerusalem, states that the custom of women who have their period not to touch a sefer Torah is a custom with no real basis.  Rashi and all the rishonim, except for one, agree with this position, and the Rishon who disagrees says it is a mere stringency.  Therefore, there really is no reason why women should not be able to carry the Torah, if they would want to.  However, this does not mean that everything that is permissible has to be done.

I understand that many women in our congregation are not interested in carrying a Torah.  They have approached me and said that they are not happy with introducing this new custom in our synagogue, because this would put too much pressure on them.  They do not want to be branded as medievalists or anti-feminists because they do not want to carry a Torah.  I had expected some opposition from the men, but I did not realize the depth of the opposition from the women.  What we are doing now is to have the Cantor walk the Torah through the women's section.  Many synagogues do this.  The Lincoln Square, a premiere orthodox synagogue in New York, does it, and it is certainly accepted practice.  Other synagogue have handed the Torah over to the women, and they carry it through the section turning it over to the Cantor.  Of course, the great majority of synagogue do not pass the Torah through the women's section, and the women can either come to the end of their section and kiss the Torah or not.  Because so many women opposed having other women carry the Torah, or if they do not oppose it directly, they say they do not care if somebody else carries it but they do not want to carry it, I do not feel that this is the time to enact a new custom in our synagogue.  Until such time as the overwhelming majority of the women want to carry the Torah, I think we should wait.  This subject will obviously come up again and again.  Throughout Jewish history, the same problems are discussed through new vantage points.  Perhaps in a year or so, opinions will change, but I do not think that we should push on the women a custom most of them do not want.

I am reminded of the story of an elephant who was walking along with his friend and spotted a turtle.  He kicked the turtle 40 feet.  His elephant friend said, "Why did you do that?" He replied, "Because 40 years ago he bit my toe."  His friend said, "Oh, you have turtle recall."  Throughout Jewish history, different subjects come up over and over again.  We all know about the subject of kohels and how much time people should spend learning and how much earning a living.  Women's issues, too, will come up again.  Women are much more educated today, as are men, and have more responsible jobs.  They have taken on many responsibilities they could or did not want to assume.  I am sure that when we revisit this issue there may be different opinions, but, as of now, I think we should continue to do what we are doing.  When the women are ready, I am sure they will tell us what they want.  Because of the merit of the women, we were redeemed from Egypt, and because of the women, I am sure, too, the Mashiach will come quickly in our day.  Amen.