I'm an Orthodox Jew. Ask me anything.

[Anonymous]

OP Thanks for answering my questions, even if you might have thought of them as silly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Mormons can not practice polygamy, then why should Jews (or anyone) be allowed to circumcise their infant sons who can not consent to a body altering procedure? Religious freedom is really cultural, that is what we are comfortable with. Both issues are icky to an outsider, so are you concerned that somehow it could become illegal?

Do you really think there's a societal consensus that circumcision is "icky" to non-jews? Really? REALLY?

Cutting into a perfectly normal penis is icky. Most of India does not do it. Intact males live happy lives.

[Anonymous]

Have you read The Year of Living Biblically? Thoughts? (If not, you should. He tries to follow ALL the laws.)

[Anonymous]

I like you, OP. thanks for a very informative thread. I thought I knew a lot about Orthodox Judaism, but I learned a great deal here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If Mormons can not practice polygamy, then why should Jews (or anyone) be allowed to circumcise their infant sons who can not consent to a body altering procedure? Religious freedom is really cultural, that is what we are comfortable with. Both issues are icky to an outsider, so are you concerned that somehow it could become illegal?

Do you really think there's a societal consensus that circumcision is "icky" to non-jews? Really? REALLY?

Cutting into a perfectly normal penis is icky. Most of India does not do it. Intact males live happy lives.

penile smegma is at least (if not more) icky ... 8)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like you, OP. thanks for a very informative thread. I thought I knew a lot about Orthodox Judaism, but I learned a great deal here.

Thanks! I was really hesitant about starting this thread bc you never know on DCUM, but everyone has seemed to be genuinely interested and not judgmental.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have you read The Year of Living Biblically? Thoughts? (If not, you should. He tries to follow ALL the laws.)

I've heard of the book but havent read it. I am not sure it would be applicable to Orthodox Jews. Jewish theology believes that the written law (the Torah/Bible) cannot be followed in a vacuum. That is why the oral tradition, which was eventually codified in the Talmud, was provided along side it. Maybe of the biblical laws dont make sense without the explanations and discussions provided in the Talmud.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you feel that Orthodox women are treated as second-class citizens? They have to sit in the back in synagogue or in a separate room altogether. They must cover their hair and bodies much more completely than men. Most do not work outside the home. Or are these practices so much a part of life that they aren't questioned?

I agree that Judaism treats men and women differently, and not always equally but I dont think that it considers them second-class citizens. In general, women are exempt from almost all laws that are time sensitive, i.e. prayer 3x a day at specific intervals. This was based on the assumption that women have childcare obligations that may otherwise dictate their schedules. Therefore, from a logistical perspective orthodox synagogues were designed around the men's section. Almost every Orthodox synagogue that I have been to, particularly "modern Orthodox synagogues", which have been built in the past 50 years, have the mens and womens sections equally divided, rather than having the women in the back. I've only been to one place where women were in a separate room and it was due to space constraints - the main room only held approx 25 people and women rarely attended service.

Women, in general, are considered to be on a higher spiritual plane than men and many Jewish law, particularly ones concerning husband's obligations to their wives are very women-friendly.

The rules of modesty in terms of dress, can be a llittle restrictive for women, but men are obligated by modesty standards as well. Thats why, even in the heat of summer, you still see the men in their black wool suits and black hats - I'd rather be wearing a long breezy skirt than wool. Many women feel that dressing in a modest way allows them to be seen as a women and an equal, rather than as a sexual object. My sister dresses modestly (far more so than I do) and she is very proud of it and doesnt see it as a burden at all.

Most orthodox women do work outside the home. In fact in the ultra-orthodox world, it is the women that work, while the men stay home/yeshivah and learn Torah.

[Anonymous]

Forgive me if this has been asked and answered. In Islam, women get to keep their own money and their own earnings. They are not required to use this money to support the family (although they often do of course). If Orthodox women are working, are there any rules that govern the use of their own income, savings, or other assets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgive me if this has been asked and answered. In Islam, women get to keep their own money and their own earnings. They are not required to use this money to support the family (although they often do of course). If Orthodox women are working, are there any rules that govern the use of their own income, savings, or other assets?

I have no idea, I'll ask DH later - he is way more learned than I am.

[Anonymous]

How would you feel if your daughter wanted to be a rabbi?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How would you feel if your daughter wanted to be a rabbi?

If she wanted to dedicate her life to the study of Torah, Id have no problem with it. There is an increasing number of Orthodox women who choose this career path, most end up teaching (as do most Rabbis). If she wanted to be a conservative or reform Rabbi, I'd wonder what about Orthodox theology she was rejecting, but I'd support her no matter what.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you feel if your daughter wanted to be a rabbi?

If she wanted to dedicate her life to the study of Torah, Id have no problem with it. There is an increasing number of Orthodox women who choose this career path, most end up teaching (as do most Rabbis). If she wanted to be a conservative or reform Rabbi, I'd wonder what about Orthodox theology she was rejecting, but I'd support her no matter what.

It would be pretty clear, wouldn't it? Studying the Torah and becoming a Rabbi are two different, though related, things. Orthodoxy doesn't allow women to become rabbis based upon theological (as well as cultural) grounds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you feel if your daughter wanted to be a rabbi?

If she wanted to dedicate her life to the study of Torah, Id have no problem with it. There is an increasing number of Orthodox women who choose this career path, most end up teaching (as do most Rabbis). If she wanted to be a conservative or reform Rabbi, I'd wonder what about Orthodox theology she was rejecting, but I'd support her no matter what.

It would be pretty clear, wouldn't it? Studying the Torah and becoming a Rabbi are two different, though related, things. Orthodoxy doesn't allow women to become rabbis based upon theological (as well as cultural) grounds.

Yes and no. If she wanted to lead a congregation, then there are ways within the Orthodox world for a woman to have that kind of stature/influence. If she wanted to be able to answer religious questions, there are some, though limited, opportunities to do that as well. It depends what you want when you want to be a "Rabbi." The large majority of men with rabbinical ordination are no congregational rabbis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How would you feel if your daughter wanted to be a rabbi?

If she wanted to dedicate her life to the study of Torah, Id have no problem with it. There is an increasing number of Orthodox women who choose this career path, most end up teaching (as do most Rabbis). If she wanted to be a conservative or reform Rabbi, I'd wonder what about Orthodox theology she was rejecting, but I'd support her no matter what.

It would be pretty clear, wouldn't it? Studying the Torah and becoming a Rabbi are two different, though related, things. Orthodoxy doesn't allow women to become rabbis based upon theological (as well as cultural) grounds.

Yes and no. If she wanted to lead a congregation, then there are ways within the Orthodox world for a woman to have that kind of stature/influence. If she wanted to be able to answer religious questions, there are some, though limited, opportunities to do that as well. It depends what you want when you want to be a "Rabbi." The large majority of men with rabbinical ordination are no congregational rabbis.

Can a woman become ordained as a rabbi within Orthodox Judaism? I have family who are Catholic and Eastern Orthodox, and this is the hardest point for the women to accept. You can become a nun, you can "serve" the Church, you may even considered spiritually "purer" than men, but you cannot assume official leadership in the church. And official recognition by any community of one's equal status is an important moral issue, IMO (e.g., women's right to vote/hold public office, Black Americans and civil rights, gay marriage, etc.), not just a civil one.