Introduction
Judaism is a religion that identifies Abraham as its patriarch and believes in the existence of one supreme God who is neither masculine nor feminine. According to McDowell (1992), the Jewish people are scattered in many parts of Europe and the United States of America but there has been a trend to resettle in Israel nation from the year 1948 especially following the holocaust and the Second World War. The religious beliefs and the commandments (law or Torah) mosaic i.e. as handed over to Moses by God, the Creator of all things, on Mount Sinai.
This paper seeks to explore and underscore the various historical, religious, and socio-economic events and state of affairs that have interacted to determine the status of the woman with respect to Judaism. To deeply understand the pertinent issues regarding the role of women in Judaism, it is critical to examine the underlying historical connotations that have played vital roles in enforcing the present state of affairs in relation to the olden days’ view and the society’s recognized status of a woman.
Objectives
- To explore the place of women in relation to Judaism’s religion, culture, and traditions.
- to find out how Judaism’ religion and culture relate to the woman-gender
- To examine the forces, beliefs, and practices that work together to place the woman in her position with regard to Judaism.
- to determine the effects of modernity and the forces of social change on the status of women in Judaism
History and Judaism women
The Hebrew Bible, a Jewish religious book believed to have been written in the tenth century BC gives few women characters that played a key role in the development of the Jewish way of life, customs, beliefs, and practices.
For example, ester, the queen of Persia ensured that the Jews lived in Persia, present-day Iran, for over 2,000 years (Beal, 1997). The women who are adversely mentioned in the Bible owing to their contribution to the religious, cultural, social, and political state of the Jews in the olden days apart from Ester include Debora who was a judge among the Jews Miriam (who contributed to the liberation of Israel – Exodus verses two) and Abigael. These high-ranking women indicate that women could be active leaders especially in times of need like wars and God’s anger where a fortune teller would be required.
During the Middle Ages, however, Grossman (2004) points out that there the cultural and customary beliefs coupled with changing Judaism slowly began to undermine some Mosaic laws as the male took a central role in solely determining their wives, championing and arranged marriages. Since many centuries ago, the girl child and women have had unequal treatment compared to the opposite sex. For example, upon the birth of a female child, the Jewish would not bequeath her welcoming rituals and celebrations that were accorded to a male counterpart in a mitzvah rite.
Status of women in the synagogue
The synagogue, a holy worshiping place, is a highly respected place among the Judaists. Religiously and traditionally, there were separate places for sitting for women and men in the synagogue besides a woman being expected to dress modestly and cover their hair, showing how women made an extremely little contribution in the administration of rituals and prayers. Before major reforms were pushed for particularly by some liberal Judaism believers, the men and women were in most synagogues, even today, physically separated by a barrier with women occupy distant positions from the celebrant. The barrier according to most writers served to avoid physical and visual contact between men and women that could spur up sexual emotions and disrupt the holy prayers.
The women were also expected not to deeply engage in religious studies as this would make them not properly attend to the domestic chores as expected of them. Their attendances of the prayers in the synagogues were voluntary and their presence did not count as they had no obligation to follow the Torah guidelines on worship.
Traditional Judaism also prohibited women from becoming rabbi. This practice was accepted owing to the fact that the women were not required by the law to religiously take part in the worship and religious rituals.
Women in marriage
The Jewish Torah (law) puts a man under obligation to fend for his family and keep the wife materially and emotionally satisfied. The woman among the Jews has the role to be in charge of the family’s domestic affairs, act as a mother, and light the candle every Friday in preparation for the Sabbath. The Jewish religion also gives women an upper hand in sexual relationships in marriage as sex is viewed as a way of procreation and woman satisfaction, placing man’s satisfaction last. However, the mosaic laws as recorded in Deuteronomy 24: 1 gives the man free hand in divorce by merely writing a certificate of divorce:
“When a man takes a wife and marries her if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife, 4 then her former husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before the Lord. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance”
The mosaic laws and the customs of the Jews also prohibit women from having physical contact with their husbands for up to a period of seven days. On a different note, Judaism has been exhibited to give married women special status in society especially during biblical times. The wife of a rabbi, rebbetzin, was consulted by the husband on critical issues
Women and societal expectations
Traditionally, women are expected to have full-length dresses with their heads while appearing in public. Judaism prohibits body mutilation in any form. Contraception and sterilization are therefore not allowed unless the mother’s health is at risk.
Judaist conservatives have normally compounded on the mosaic laws as the principal guide to the societal settings and determinants as well as a guide to the way of life. According to them, it is their obligation as descendants of Abraham and adherent Judaists to protect the Torah as originally inherited from their ancestors. However, Hauptman (1993) explains that an obligation is attached to issues of social status. Owing to the developments in the women and empowerment of the minority, allowing full participation of women in the societal and religious issues would automatically put them under obligation as men to protect their religion, culture, and beliefs.
Women and economic status
Jewish women were expected to fully depend on their husbands for economic support and sustenance. This was provided for in the marriage contract whose breach would land the husband to the rabbis’ court (Rabbinical Court) or result in either divorce or fine. The women were therefore expected not to deeply get the insights of the Torah as their obligations as domestic attendants required a lesser understanding of the law. However, with the growing liberalization of the Jewish society and religious practices, the women today are becoming economically independent with some today being sole family breadwinners.
Most Jewish women who practice Judaism today receive formal education up to advanced levels including universities. The ability to study formally has greatly empowerment most Judaism women thereby improving their status in society economically unlike before. Schenirer, a leading woman Judaism believer is credited with the immense contribution to socio-economic empowerment of women through education in the early 20th century through the ‘house of Jacob’ network.
Changing trends
The stringent religious practices and beliefs that gave men almost complete dominion over women are slowly lessening with more changes being witnessed. There is an emerging trend of Jewish women who opt not to strictly observe and do not observe at all the religious requirements expected of them. This can be attributed to modernity and globalization and the universal quest for observation and respect of individual’s basic universal human rights.
Today mitzvah ceremony, which acts as an official welcoming of a child into the Jewish society, is being carried out for both male and female children in many places. This positive development signifies the growing urge for equal treatment of both sexes even in religious practices. Religious-wise, the women are increasingly becoming not only active participants but also proactive celebrants in worship as rabbis. Women today are gainsaid in their marriages in case the man fails to meet his marital requirements. According to the ketubah, a marital agreement, the wife has a right to divorce and compensatory claims upon divorce or failure by the husband to meet his sexual and material support obligations.
Women today are counted in the prayer by most rabbis to provide a required quorum for prayers. The reading of the Torah by women has been also allowed as an equally acceptable and countable way of offering prayers that are communally recognized. Before these changes gained wide acceptance, the presence of a woman in the time of worship was inconsequential and could not be counted as the minimum of ten people required for a service to proceed. Judaism, therefore, viewed women as second-placed with reference to men in religious undertakings and were not obliged to strictly observe the rules and commandments.
There is, therefore, a need to let every cultural practice, not religious belief, that is impracticable due to changes with time naturally fizzle out to pave way for a new order that conforms to the current state of affairs (Schechte, 1986). Schechte further argues that the differences in the prevailing circumstances between the current age and the classical or the medieval ages are so divergent that some o the inherited practices are naturally impracticable today.
Conclusions
Most scholars have predicted more developments in relation to the continued liberation of women among Judaism believers. This has been perpetuated by more developments that have seen women serve as rabbis and cantors, read the Torah loudly, and passing of various laws in different countries to abolish discrimination on gender. However some conservative Judaists notably the Haredi groups have not fully embraced the new concept of Judaism in a contemporary society where men and women, boy and girl seek to be fair to one another in the religious practice as championed by the Committee on Jewish laws and standards (CJLS).
In 1973, The CJLS permitted the Jewish women to count minyan (public service prayer), which Rabbi Sigal refers to as a compulsory requirement among the Judaism believers, that served as a landmark in allowing active participation of women in religious affairs. To ensure more universal developments, women need to be treated equally as men and given equal opportunities as opposed to favor. Meyer argues that similar religious foundations and teachings of Judaism would serve as the best way to enhance God’s love and spirituality of both women and men (p. 324.). Consequently, there has been a growing trend of splinter Judaism groups that, without much restriction, allow women to actively take part in religious services.
Finally, it can be generally argued that there has been a tremendous change regarding the status of women in Judaism. The various factors which have led to this development include modernity, globalization, Judaism women advocacy, the flexibility of some rabbis, socio-economic factors, and increased awareness on the need for tolerance and human rights enhancement.
References
McDowell, Josh and Don Stewart, (1992.) Handbook of Today’s Religions. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
Beal, Timothy K. (1997), the Book of Hiding: Gender, Ethnicity, Annihilation, and Esther. NY: Routledge.
Grossman, Avraham. (2004) Pious and Rebellious: Jewish Women in Medieval Europe, Brandeis University Press
Paula E. Hyman, (2001) “Gender and the Immigrant Jewish Experience in the United States,” JW 312-336.
Ellen Umansky, “Jewish Women’s Religious Lives in the United States in the 19th and 20th Century,” JW 337-364.
Michael A. Meyer, (1997) German Jewish History in Modern Times (New York: Columbia University Press, vol. 2, p. 324.
Judith Hauptman, (1993):.Women and Prayer: An Attempt to Dispel Some Fallacies; Judaism.
Phillip Sigal, (1996) Women in a Prayer Quorum. Siegel, ed., Conservative Judaism and Jewish Law, p. 284.
Schechter, (1896) Studies in Judaism, First Series [Philadelphia], p. 211).