I saw an American seminary girl on the bus who had a copy of Halachic Man in her bag, doubtless from a class she is taking.
So I ask - is that what 18 year old American girls need to learn? We have them for one year to try to give them yiras shomayim and hashkafa for life. Are there no works more meaningful to these girls than Halachic Man? If Rav Soloveitchik z"l hadn't written it but some Rav from Monsey - would they still teach it?
I am not against Halachic Man per se. But the issues dealt with are far less relevant for young girls living in the twitter-instragram-facebook-smartphone generation than other sefarim. I believe that, to give one example, the בלבבי sefarim are far more relevant and on their level. Of course, there are also the classics like Mesilas Yesharim and Chovos Halevavos.
On that note: About 40 years ago, Rav Soloveitchik gave the first gemara shiur in Stern College. The question is - What happened with this experiment? It is fraught with danger because the gemara and Shulchan Aruch forbid women from learning gemara. Well, it seems as follows: Not one serious talmida chachama has been produced in all of these decades [at least not one of whom I am aware], a women who can talk intelligently about any sugya in Shas, a women who is on the level that she could give an gemara shiur in a major yeshiva. How many serious works of Talmudic scholarship have women written? None. So maybe Chazal were correct and gemara is not for women?? It is not that women are less intelligent than men - just "differently intelligent".
Moreover [and this is my main point], 99.9 percent of women aren't particularly interested in gemara. When was the last time you saw a women on the plane or train learning a daf gemara? I have never [in thousands of trips]. I HAVE observed countless men who carry their gemaras around in order to learn when they have free moments. How many women learn even daf yomi which is easily accessible to everyone today with the advent of computers and Artscroll gemaros? Just a handful. Far less than one percent of Orthodox women. And daf yomi is the most superficial form of gemara study. How many voluntarily study an a deeper level [outside of an organized framework designed to offer some type of degree or certification - such as "semicha"]? Just about zero.
Why?
Because THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED. And they SHOULDN'T BE!! That is not their purpose in this world. A woman's job is to raise a family, be a good doting, loving wife [first] and mother, maybe help with parnassa if necessary, daven, perform chesed and to be דבקות to Hashem etc. etc. But to sit and sweat over difficult Rambam's all day?? No woman wants to.
So who are we helping by continuing to teach them gemara?? Some say they need it because it gives the girls yiras shomayim and makes them more observant. So girls from Ramaz or Yeshiva of Flatbush who study gemara are more observant than girls from Beis Yaakov who don't?? I can't see into people's hearts but from the outside I am not so sure.
Anyway - food for thought.
