Women Rabbis And Poskot

There is a great בלבול in the present raging debate and I would like to shed some light.

Who Is A Posek?

To be a posek one needs to be an expert in all of shas and poskim. To pasken a niddah shyla it is not sufficient to know all of the gemaras, shulchan aruch and the many commentaries on the shulchan aruch. One must also know hilchos shchita, hilchos agunos etc. etc. This is because the topics that arise in hilchos niddah appear in other areas of halacha as well. Chazakos, for example, are a broad topic, that span the breadth of numerous areas of halacha. One cannot pasken many a niddah shyla without knowing all of the chazaka sugyos. 

To master all of this knowledge takes years and years of intense, full time study.

There is not one woman alive who has proven that she is on this level. All of the various "Rabbahs" took a "course" in halacha, looked at a few sources and learned about various questions that arise. That is NOT how one becomes a posek. That IS how one does NOT become a posek. Being a posek is not a two year degree but the fruit of many years of study of topics that don't directly relate to halacha. It also involves shimush talmidei chachomim - faithfully learning from the mouths of great scholars who pass down the Mesorah that they received from their rabbeim - all the way from Sinai.

So the whole question of whether women can become poskot is a moot question. Let a woman master Torah, serve great scholars for years and then we can talk. No woman wants to do that because her children and husband would suffer - as would she...

Who Is A Rabbi?

A rabbi is a spiritual functionary. In theory a woman could function as one. Many, even in the Charedi world, already do. They give shiurim, counsel, guide, daven on behalf of others etc. etc. just as any rabbi does. They just don't need a title and are not in any way interested in breaking down barriers, furthering women's rights etc. etc. It is not about women's lib but about Hakadosh Baruch Hu. 

Once people rid themselves of our modern conceptions of equality, they can appreciate how much opportunity there is for women to make a major difference in the spiritual makeup of Am Yisrael. 

So as I have written numerous times in the past - let people put all ego aside, focus on bringing more light and kedusha in the world and we will see such great wonders from both genders, each in their unique style.    

------------

I recently tried to humorously get some boys to join some spirited shabbos dancing by calling out "Girls watch - boys dance. Come join us". Somebody heard this and took great offense. Was I implying that women are far from Hashem, he wondered. It REALLY bothered him [and/or his wife - I am not sure].

I of course apologized profusely and assured him that I meant nothing of the sort. I just meant that on Simchas Torah, it is the men who are dancing and the women who are watching and no guy wants to be a girl - so let them get up and dance.

But people are SENSITIVE and I must be careful with my words.

So to clarify....

Men have their jobs to do in this world - women have some different jobs and some identical jobs. Men shouldn't be women and women shouldn't be men. Men aren't "better" than women nor are women better than men.

We are not in competition. We respect every human being and try to focus all of our energies on finding favor and in the eyes of man and G-d.

למצוא חן ושכל טוב בעיני אלקים ואדם.

I hope I am clear and that I didn't offend anybody....:-).