Regarding this post:
This rabbi also expresses his disagreement with the Gemara and Halacha that distinguishes between men and women in areas of tzniyus. Why, he asked, is a man not allowed to hear a women sing [before he permits it:-)] but a woman is allowed to hear a man sing? Why can a man not look at a woman wearing shorts but a woman can look at a man wearing shorts?? Why do we always assume that the men will be attracted to women but we don't assume that women will be attracted to men? Are women not attracted to men? Of course they are. So it is incorrect to differentiate between men and women and whatever applies to one gender must equally apply to the other gender.
Here is the answer. As is my wont - I will answer with questions: What percentage of sexual harassment cases are men harassing women and what percentage are women harassing men? Here are the approximate statistics: ONE HUNDRED PERCENT men harassing women and ZERO PERCENT women harassing men. When was the last time you heard of a women raping a man? How often does a man feel fear walking in a secluded place for fear that a women will find him and rape him? How many magazines are there with pictures of female prutzos and how many of men prutzos? How often do we hear of a story where a man says "my female boss was pressuring me to sleep with her and I didn't want to but I had to for fear of losing my job?" You probably haven't heard such a story in your life. How often does it happen the opposite way?? Every day - INNUMERABLE times. How many high achieving women have really handsome, young, attractive male secretaries? Compare that with the number of beautiful young female secretaries working for men. I once read an article about female "rabbis". ALL of the women interviewed said that they have been subject to lewd remarks, they have been "objectified" and והמבין יבין. How many male rabbis have similar experiences that their female congregants view them as sex objects?
Point proven.
Women are attracted at times to men, usually after developing a relationship and enjoy sexual relations with a man they know and love. Men are consumed with the idea of sexual relations and in order to be attracted to a woman and to want to be intimate with her they don't have to even know her name. That is the male animal. It is not "good" or bad". It is a fact of nature.
So I don't mind when people live in an imaginary world. But when they think that the imaginary world is real then they have serious problems. Even otherwise intelligent people have this illusory notion that men and women are the same and the same standards should be applied to both genders equally.
Chazal didn't see things this way because they were living in the real world. The reality is that a woman's voice, body and even a fraction of a second look at her face will attract a man. THAT is why the laws relating to men vis a vis women are more strict than the laws of women towards men.
So all egalitarians who claim equality - keep imagining that. Just know that you are imagining:-).
As for this rabbi - he is a product of the distorted ideas of our culture.
#itstoughtobeaguy
