Are women obligated to daven??
The Mishna [Brachos 20] says .... yes.
The Shulchan Aruch [106] not surprisingly rules accordingly.
The Mishna Brura says - Shachris and Mincha.
Interesting. In Europe - many women didn't daven. Ahhhhh. The son of the author of the Mishna Brura [known by most as the Chofetz Chaim] testifies that his mother ... didn't daven because her husband says that she is not obligated as long as she is taking care of the children [Sichos Chofetz Chaim 1/27]. Rav Yaakov Kaminetzki similarly ruled that a mother has the status of a person taking care of a sick person who is absolved from the obligation [see Halichos Bas Yisroel page 34].
The Heilige Kojiklover wrote a teshuva [Eretz Tzvi 34] justifing the widespread practice. As always - he is super-original. The reason that Maariv is not obligatory is because it corresponds to the burning of the limbs of the Korban Tomid at night which is not an obligation. Since we see a parallelism between the Korban Tomid and davening, we can extend this and say that women who are not obligated to give the machatzis ha-shekel [which pays for the Korban Tomid] are also not obligated in davening. Shachris corresponds to the morning Tomid and Mincha to the afternoon Tomid. Since women are not obligated in the Korban Tomid - they are also not obligated to daven.
What about the Mishna? It is sufficient to make a request of Hashem as per the Magen Avraham and the Biblical obligation is fulfilled.
What about the Mishna? It is sufficient to make a request of Hashem as per the Magen Avraham and the Biblical obligation is fulfilled.
He then asks why boys under 20 must daven. They too are not obligated in the Machatzis Ha-shekel. He answers that the reason one need not give the machatzis hashekel until 20 is because until then he is not responsible for other Jews - ערבות. But tefilla has a communal aspect and also a personal aspect. From a communal perspective boys less than 20 need not daven for they are not included in ערבות. But they must daven because of their personal obligation.
He then continues and establishes a huge principle that tefillin is only an obligation for people with ערבות and therefore it is only an obligation for the FATHER to buy his 13 year old son tefillin [according to the Baal Ha-ittur] as he gives the machatzis hashekel on his son's behalf. Tefillin is different from most mitzvos and is only an obligation for people who are included in ערבות.
He also asks how one can wear tefillin on Erev Pesach because .....
See there!!:-)
לזכות גילה שושנה בת נעכא גיטל ושמחה בן נעכא גיטל לעבודת ה' בשמחה תמיד.
