{"id":46578,"date":"2018-12-29T12:07:55","date_gmt":"2018-12-29T10:07:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=46578"},"modified":"2022-07-24T08:15:39","modified_gmt":"2022-07-24T05:15:39","slug":"the-ordeal-of-adultery-and-teaching-torah-to-women","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-ordeal-of-adultery-and-teaching-torah-to-women\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ordeal Of Adultery And Teaching Torah To Women"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chapter 5 of Numbers includes the law of <\/span>Sotah<\/span><\/i>, the ordeal of the suspected adulteress (see verses 12-31). Significantly, it is this biblical section that provides the Scriptural basis for the Rabbinic discussion of whether women should be taught Torah or not. As we learn in the Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 20a (Mishnah Sotah 3:4): <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf she (the suspected adulteress who drinks the bitter waters) possessed merit, it [causes the water] to suspend its effect upon her. Some merit suspends the effect for one year, more merit for two years, and still more merit for three years. Hence Ben Azzai (who interestingly was a confirmed childless bachelor!) declared: A man is under the obligation to teach his daughter Torah (particularly the biblical law of <\/span>Sotah<\/span><\/i>), so that if she is made to drink (the bitter waters), she will know that whatever merit she has suspends their effect (for only up to three years if she is indeed guilty of adultery). Rabbi Eliezer declares the opposite. Whoever teaches his daughter Torah teaches her loose sexual morality [<\/span>tiflut<\/span><\/em>] (because by simply teaching her the laws of adultery he puts immoral thoughts into her mind).\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We have here an example of a debate on issues that are similar to what in our day is called \u201csex education\u201d. <\/span><\/p>\n

Should young people be taught how to deal with their emerging sexuality or not, and at what age? Will discussing sex with adolescents cause them to engage in sexual relations before they are psychologically ready? Or will early discussion of sexuality help them to deal with this aspect of human behavior when they enter adulthood? <\/span><\/p>\n

Ultimately, at least until recently, it was the position of Rabbi Eliezer (an infamous rabbinic misogynist!) that won out, due to Maimonides\u2019 adopting the view of Rabbi Eliezer as that of the \u201cSages\u201d in his authoritative and influential codification of Jewish law (Mishneh Torah, Hilkhot Talmud Torah 1:13): \u201c\u2026.the Sages commanded that a person should not teach his daughter Torah, because most women cannot concentrate their attention on study, and thus transform the words of Torah into idle matters because of their lack of understanding. [Thus,] our Sages declared: Whoever teaches his daughter Torah (especially Oral Torah) is like one who teaches her <\/span>tiflut<\/span><\/em>\u2026\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Maimonides\u2019 decision was adopted by the Shulhan Arukh (<\/em><\/span>Yoreh De’ah<\/span><\/em> 246:6), which became the accepted halakhic position, until recently, when this view was challenged, initially in liberal Jewish circles, but now in ever expanding areas of Jewish education.<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":95932,"id":95932,"title":"ruth1-womans hands bound","filename":"ruth1-womans-hands-bound.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ruth1-womans-hands-bound.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/she-could-have-been-the-first-aguna\/ruth1-womans-hands-bound\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ruth1-womans-hands-bound","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":95929,"date":"2021-08-03 13:32:46","modified":"2022-12-25 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Ordeal Of Adultery And Teaching Torah To Women","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"When learning should NOT lead to doing\u2026.","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":95932,"id":95932,"title":"ruth1-womans hands bound","filename":"ruth1-womans-hands-bound.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ruth1-womans-hands-bound.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/she-could-have-been-the-first-aguna\/ruth1-womans-hands-bound\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ruth1-womans-hands-bound","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":95929,"date":"2021-08-03 13:32:46","modified":"2022-12-25 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