From an article that appeared in my inbox, celebrating women's Torah study:
Another form of integration which would, I believe, have a positive—although, perhaps narrower—impact has to do with boys’ education. Generally speaking, Modern Orthodox teenagers who attend all-boys high schools have virtually no opportunity to see women as religious personalities with the potential to contribute to Torah education. In my experience, this absence sometimes—unfortunately—leaves boys with little innate respect for girls’ and women’s talmud Torah.
Providing boys the opportunity to learn Torah from women as well as men is an important method to foster a talmud Torah community, a sacred enterprise in which women’s investment in learning is supported and respected.
Earlier in the article the author suggested that women should be taught by the major poskim of our times and not just the lower level teachers they now learn from.
Well, if the author [a female principal of a girls high school] would ask the poskim themselves [many of them] they would say that it is absolutely forbidden for women to teach teenage boys. What business does a women [all dressed and made up for work] standing in front of boys for an hour who recently reached puberty and have raging hormones? It is COMPLETELY not tzanua. [Some would suggest that we should only hire unattractive women over 80 but that won't always work out]. The mishna at the end of Kiddushin forbids a woman from teaching LITTLE boys because the fathers would come to pick up their kids and stuff might happen. The mishna never even considered that a woman should get up and teach boys gemara.
In the words of the prophet - שומו שמים!! [See Yirmiyahu 2, 12 with the commentaries]
The other reason her suggestion is silly is because, let's face it, men spend many more hours and years learning gemara on a much higher level than those few women who teach gemara. So why give the boys second-third or fifth rate scholars when they can get something better?
And how will she teach sugyos like פתח פתוח מצאתי or the one in Kiddushin about תחילת ביאה קונה או סוף ביאה with the Tosfos that analyzes the exact nature of העראה?? Should a woman be talking to teenage boys about the halachic ramifications and details of male penetration? This would be an abomination.
Hiding behind the classification "We are Modern Orthodox" [as this and many other articles do] doesn't excuse it. Modern Orthodox people are commanded קדושים תהיו no less than "Old-Fashioned-Orthodox". One Torah for One Nation that serves One G-d.
And how will she teach sugyos like פתח פתוח מצאתי or the one in Kiddushin about תחילת ביאה קונה או סוף ביאה with the Tosfos that analyzes the exact nature of העראה?? Should a woman be talking to teenage boys about the halachic ramifications and details of male penetration? This would be an abomination.
Hiding behind the classification "We are Modern Orthodox" [as this and many other articles do] doesn't excuse it. Modern Orthodox people are commanded קדושים תהיו no less than "Old-Fashioned-Orthodox". One Torah for One Nation that serves One G-d.
This is not AGAINST women. Women are GREAT, HOLY, IN G-D'S IMAGE, OFTEN MORE SPIRITUAL THAN MEN [they certainly think less about עריות] etc. etc. We all respect the value of Talmud Torah and the positive effect it has on both genders. But to suggest that we need women to teach young men Torah is ludicrous on the grounds I mentioned and on others as well.
On the contrary - we should try ideally to take all of the men out of the seminaries and girls high schools. LET WOMEN TEACH GIRLS AND WOMEN!
This would solve a lot of already existing problems and prevent many future ones ודי למבין.
