In response to JBK's question, I think men and women definitely have distinct relationships with Torah. This distinction can be on many levels, starting with the fact that men have traditionally been encouraged to study Torah, while women have not. But even those women who do study Torah have a different relationship with it because, as the professor in "Half the Kingdom" stated, the texts were written and studied by men. Another woman believed that women were not absent from the writing process, but were involved indirectly. Because of this, women studying Torah need to search for the woman's voice.
I can understand the traditional concept that men and women have different roles: men worship though study of Torah while women worship through their domestic tasks. Just the fact that men and women have separate roles does not mean that one is naturally superior. But it is when Torah study is seen as the ultimate goal and glory of a Jew's life that the women's role seems inferior. I was struck by the woman in the film who said that women are worshiped in Israel as mothers and wives, but not as individuals. This shows that women are not viewed negatively, they are worshiped even, but their whole being is not considered, only their ability to become wife and mother. As I learned in the Religion and Sexuality class, this view is extremely difficult for women who don't fit this role, such as lesbian Jews or women who cannot or chose not to conceive.
While I think that Jewish women need to look for change, I did not, however, agree with everything the professor in the film had to say. Because some scripture and tradition contains sentiments that might be offensive to women, does this mean that we should get rid of all scripture and traditions? Where does one draw the fine line between making positive changes to a religion and distorting it? I agree with the approach of the orthodox woman who studied Torah with a women's group. Women shouldn't disregard Torah, but should deal with the parts that upset them, and find their voice within it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I agree that because with a lot of what Jackie said. Just because a woman's voice is apparently absent from the text does not mean it is not there. I actually read a book this winter, "The Red Tent," that was a retelling of the story of Dinah. The author of this book was able to gather enough information from the Jewish scripture as well as historical and archeological records to retell a complete woman's story. She filled in details that were missing from the text concerning the story of women and was able to create a completely new and seperate history.
This is just one example but I do think there are definitely ways that we can celebrate women within the Torah without losing the rich tradition of the text...
sorry about the typos in the first line of my comment....
Post a Comment