The Role Of Women In Judaism

My younger sister once asked me a question while we were growing up in our Orthodox Jewish community, “Why can’t I wear a tallit, put on tefilin, and lead prayers like Caleb and Daniel, her older brothers, and every other boy in the synagogue? Why aren’t we called up to Aliya”? Do men believe they are the only ones capable of praying in ivrit?” These and many more are the questions asked by many women over time, “Why are we restricted from most mitzvots, what are our roles in Judaism?”

There is no room for debate on the fact that in traditional Judaism, a woman’s major responsibilities are those of a wife, mother, and keeper of the household. Despite this, Judaism accords a great deal of attention to the significance of that function as well as the spiritual authority that a woman possesses over her household.

In the context of a Jewish family, the wife, and mother is referred to in Hebrew as the “akeret habayit,” which literally translates to “mainstay” of the house.” It is she who, to a considerable extent, decides the character and atmosphere of the entire house.

G-d demands every Jewish home, not just on Shabbat and holidays, is expected to maintain its distinctive Jewish identity throughout the week. It needs to be completely fitting to a Jewish household. A Jewish household is run in every detail in accordance with the Torah’s laws, which distinguishes it from a non-Jewish household. As a result, the house becomes a place where God dwells, a place where He says, “Make Me a sanctuary, and I shall dwell among them.” (5) Exodus 25.

It is a home where G–d’s Presence is felt on every day of the week; and not only when engaged in prayer and learning Torah but also when engaged in every ordinary activities such as eating and drinking etc., in accordance with the directive, “Know Him in all your ways.” It is a home where mealtime is not a time for indulging merely in eating, but becomes a hallowed service to G–d, sanctified by the washing of the hands before the meal, reciting the blessings over the food, and Grace after the meal, with every item of food and beverage brought into the home being strictly kosher.

It is a home where the mutual relationship between husband and wife is sanctified by the meticulous observance of the laws and regulations of Taharat Hamishpachah (Laws of Family Purity, which include Mikvah attendance) and permeated with awareness of the active third “Partner” – G–d, in creating new life, in fulfilment of the Divine commandment, “Be fruitful and multiply.” This also ensures that children are born in purity and holiness, with pure hearts and minds that will enable them to resist temptation and avoid the pitfalls of the environment when they grow up. Moreover, the strict observance of Taharat Hamishpachah is a basic factor in the preservation of peace and harmony (Shalom Bayit) in the home, which is vitally strengthened and fortified thereby, a basic factor in the preservation of the family as a unit. It is a home where the parents know that their first obligation is to instill into their offspring, from their most tender age, the love, and fear, of G–d, permeating them with the joy of performing mitzvot.

The Jewish woman and mother, known as the Akeret Habayit, plays a crucial and unrivaled role in everything that has been discussed so far. Her immense responsibility and privilege is mainly — and in many ways entirely — responsible for creating a really Jewish atmosphere in her family.

She has been given entire authority over and responsibility for ensuring the kashrut of all meals and beverages that enter her kitchen and are served at the dinner table. She will have the honor of igniting the lights on Friday, well before dusk, to herald in the holy Shabbat. As a result, she literally and figuratively illuminates her home with the light of Torah and mitzvot, peace, and harmony. G-d grants her husband, kids, and the entire family the blessing of true happiness mostly because of her virtues.

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In addition to such mitzvot as candle-lighting, separating challah from the dough, and others which the Torah entrusted primarily to Jewish daughters, there are matters which, in the natural order of things, lie in the woman’s domain. The reason for this being so in the natural order is that it stems from the super-natural order of holiness, which is the source and origin of the good in the physical world. This refers to the observance of Taharat Hamishpachah, which by its very nature lies in the hands of the Jewish woman. The husband is required to encourage and facilitate this mutual observance; certainly not hinder it in any way, G–d forbid. But the main responsibility and privilege is the wife’s.

This is the great task and mission which G–d gave to Jewish women – to observe and disseminate the observance of Taharat Hamishpachah and of the other vital institutions of Jewish family life. For besides being the fundamental mitzvot and the cornerstone of the sanctity of Jewish family life, as well as relating to the wellbeing of the children in body and soul, these pervade and extend through all Jewish generations to eternity.

Because it would not be logical or fair for G–d to give obligations and duties that are impossible to fulfill, it is important to keep in mind that the Creator has provided each and every Jewish woman with the capacity to carry them out in daily life to the fullest measure possible. This is why it is important to keep this in mind.

It is important to keep in mind that the mother is the primary determinant of a person’s Jewish identity. According to Jewish law, a person is considered to be Jewish if and only if their mother is Jewish. A child is not considered Jewish if their mother is not Jewish and their father is the only Jewish parent in their family. The simple existence of this reality demonstrates that the woman plays the fundamental role in the maintenance of Jewish identity and values.

The above stated does not mean that the Jewish woman’s place is solely in the home and that she should not follow a career. Rather it is the realization that the primary role of the Jewish woman is that of a homemaker – the home and family unit being the nucleus of the Jewish community. Modern psychologists are affirming more and more what the Torah has always taught us: that a secure and loving home built on solid moral and ethical values is the basic building block of society. To pursue a career at the expense of shunning one’s obligation and privilege in this area is misguided.

When a Jewish woman creates a Jewish home and educates her children in Torah and mitzvot, she is deserving of King Solomon’s praise, “A woman of worth who can find … a G–d fearing woman, she is to be praised.” In this life-saving work, the role of the Jewish woman is of crucial importance since she is the Akeret Habayit, the foundation of the home, who largely determines the character and atmosphere of the household, and the future of the children in particular.

In the same vein, there can be no greater fulfilment for a Jewish girl than to prepare herself for her vital role of building the House of Israel as a worthy descendant of the Matriarchs. As indicated above, it is a dual process: actively pursuing one’s own growth and development and at the same time working for the preservation and growth of our people, through spreading and strengthening Yiddishkeit in the Jewish community at large, particularly in areas where Jewish mothers and daughters can contribute most such as Kashrut, Taharat Hamishpachah, candle-lighting etc.

In the realm of leadership, Jewish women have demonstrated their worthiness by proving themselves capable of getting the job done and accomplishing amazing outcomes. Leadership entails more than simply occupying the highest position possible; rather, it entails bringing order out of chaos, turning dreams into realities, and maintaining a highly motivated workforce in order to ensure success. It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt, as well as statistically supported by a plethora of studies, that women are typically more compassionate and likely to demonstrate a higher degree of emotional intelligence than men.

Take, for example, the situation in sub-Saharan Africa, where there is the biggest number of returning and emerging black Jews who are met with rejection and non-recognition from bigger portions of the mainstream Jewish population; who has spoken for these individuals for a number of years? Kulanu. You have it exactly right, Kulanu. This New York-based non-profit organization has relentlessly fought to support African Jews in the process of reconstructing and rebuilding their Jewish heritage. The organization has a strong track record of making charitable gestures in Africa that have never been seen before. The following are some things worth mentioning:

• Raising African-based rabbis
• Providing financial support for the education of Africans in rabbinical schools
• Arranging Jewish marriages in order to preserve growth in Jewish Africa
• Offering scholarships for advanced Jewish studies overseas
• Conducting conversion in order to enable Africans to become eligible for the Israeli return rule policy
• Providing financial support for travels to Israel

For the sake of brevity, I’ll list out just a handful of them here. But most importantly, Kulanu’s success may be attributed to its excellent women leadership team. Together with the current president, Rabbinate Bonita Sussman, Harriet Bograd (may her memories be a blessing) was instrumental in expanding Kulanu’s reach to 33 nations. The most recent success of the organization was the formation of the SAJA coalition in Abidjan by Jewish leaders from ten African countries. The mission of the Sub-Saharan African Alliance (SAJA) is to examine the challenges African Jews face and propose viable solutions to those problems. Members of SAJA hail from Cameroon, Cote D’lviore, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, with Modreck Maeresara serving as the organization’s acting president.

However, we would do well to remember the chassidic saying:

Neither property nor money is the true Jewish wealth. The everlasting Jewish wealth is: being Jews who keep Torah and mitzvot and bringing into the world children and grandchildren who keep Torah and mitzvot.

So, to answer my younger sister Miriam, we are the fortress of Judaism. Because every action of a Jewish woman is prayer, sanctity itself, and an attempt to support the growth of the Jewish future, we do not need to don a tallit or put on tefilin or become chazzanots to establish our Jewishness. Raising children to be outstanding Rabbis and scholars requires a Jewish mother of exceptional knowledge and devotion. And, dear Miriam, in the modern Jewish world, beyond the Orthodox circles in which we were raised, there are many doors open to women who are interested in studying to become rabbis and leading congregations. Nevertheless, most importantly, the Jewishness of a child lies in the mother. Bless are you Hashem who has made me in your image.

ABOUT THE WRITER: Ayelet Menorah is a young Nigerian writer and a graduate of mass communication from Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ebonyi State. She is a poetess, an experienced Jewish travel tour guide, a blogger, and a social media influencer and content creator.

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