Woman (Isha)

"Isha" is a term sometimes used specifically for a married woman, but more commonly refers to all females. The spiritual role of women is to be a merkavah (vessel) for the sefirah of Malchus, whose purpose is to receive the divine light and reveal it in the world in a way that can be felt even in physical reality.

Women in Yiddishkeit and Chassidus[edit | edit source]

Rejection of Avodah Zarah[edit | edit source]

During the sin of the Golden Calf, the women did not agree with their husbands to give their gold jewelry to make the calf. Chassidus explains that the men's error, influenced by the Erev Rav, was thinking that Hashem had abandoned the earth. Since women's nefesh stems from Malchus, which represents the divine life force that clothes and sustains nature, they felt more deeply in their souls how Hashem is the exclusive controller of the world and heavenly hosts, and therefore did not err with the Golden Calf.

Non-participation in the Sin of the Meraglim[edit | edit source]

Women also did not participate in the sin of the Meraglim (spies). While the men said "Let us appoint a leader and return to Mitzrayim," the women (the daughters of Tzelafchad) said "Give us a portion of land."

Women's Das is Light[edit | edit source]

Chazal said "nashim daatan kalah" (women's das is light) - meaning that their dominant intellectual faculty is only the mochin of Chochmah and Binah, but not the moach of Daas. Other sources explain that women's midos (emotional attributes) are drawn only from the sefirah of Binah, which is on the left axis - the axis of Gevuros (5 Gevuros of Ima), and not from the sefirah of Chochmah, which is on the right axis - the axis of Chassadim (5 Gevuros of Abba). Therefore, their faculty of Daas is weaker, as Daas is the power to combine two opposing axes of Chesed and Gevurah. This is also why women are more easily persuaded from yes to no and vice versa, because they have only one axis, without the integration that comes through Daas. However, this doesn't mean women have no Daas at all, rather their Daas is "light" - meaning their Daas primarily feels Gevuros rather than Chassadim, and isn't strong enough to combine Chesed and Gevurah together, therefore it isn't completely stable.

In avodas Hashem, there are two types of service - "when man seeds first, a female is born" and "when woman seeds first, a male is born": When the service is done through the power of influence from above, "isarusa d'leila" first, the result is an unstable divine service in the manner of "female" whose das is light, without the permanence that comes through Daas; but when the service is done through one's own power, "isarusa d'lesata" first, one reaches the divine service of "male", meaning stable and eternal service through the power of Daas.

Learning Torah[edit | edit source]

The Alter Rebbe rules that women are not obligated in the mitzvah of Torah study. If a woman learns Torah, she receives reward but not as great as a man's reward since she is not commanded to do so. Even though she receives reward, the Sages commanded that a person should not teach his daughter Torah because most women's minds are not directed toward learning and they turn words of Torah into meaningless matters due to their limited understanding. If one teaches her Oral Torah, it is as if he teaches her foolishness (tiflus), because through this she develops craftiness.

Nevertheless, women are obligated to learn the halachos they need to know, such as the laws of niddah, mikvah, salting meat, yichud, and similar laws, as well as all positive time-bound mitzvos and all negative commandments from both Torah and Rabbinic law that they are warned about like men.

In the times of the Sages, the scholar would teach common and necessary halachos that everyone needed to know in a language that women and unlearned people could understand, every Shabbos.

The Rebbe frequently encouraged Torah study for women and once remarked that the halachos women are obligated in are so numerous that he wished all men knew them.

Regarding their obligation in Torah study, the Rebbe instructed to increase Torah classes, beginning with easier subjects like Ein Yaakov (Torah stories). The Rebbe also established a special track in the daily Rambam study for women in Sefer HaMitzvos.

The Rebbe explained that women's obligation to learn Torah beyond required halachos is because their connection to Torah is essential and requires engagement with it. This is why women also recite Birchas HaTorah in the morning blessings.

Modern Times[edit | edit source]

In our times, when women study secular subjects, the Rebbe encouraged expanding Torah studies for women even more. Furthermore, the Rebbe explained that women should be taught the reasons behind halachos up to the "shakla v'tarya" (actual Gemara study!), learning that brings pleasure. This is because it's preferable that the "craftiness" that might develop in women should come from this learning and they should have talents in the spirit of the holy Torah rather than from exposure to general culture. The Rebbe innovates that for a woman who enjoys Torah study, the statement that "...it's as if teaching her tiflus" no longer applies! Times have changed and today girls, like boys, want to know the reasons. He added that one who teaches his daughter only the simple level of Jewish subjects - he is the one teaching her tiflus, and to avoid this tiflus it is necessary to teach girls in a deeper and broader way.

Such statements are a real revolution in the Jewish world.

Learning Chassidus[edit | edit source]

The Rebbe's response regarding women and girls learning Chassidus: Since this is learning that explains how to serve Hashem and brings to love and fear of Him, anyone obligated in serving Hashem relates to this study.

The Frierdiker Rebbe began spreading his sichos in Yiddish so that women and girls would also learn the Oral Torah in general and Chassidus in particular. He encouraged women to spread his sichos and teach them to their friends and acquaintances.

Learning Chassidus is part of women's obligation because mitzvos like faith in Hashem, His unity, love and fear of Him etc. are constant mitzvos that every Jewish man and woman must fulfill and therefore learn. For this reason and others, the Rebbe rules that women are obligated to learn Chassidus. The Rebbe encouraged this and even highlighted certain advantages women have over men in learning Chassidus.

Women's Obligations in Mitzvos[edit | edit source]

Women are obligated in all positive time-bound mitzvos and all negative commandments, but are exempt from most positive time-bound mitzvos.

In the morning blessings of Shacharis, men bless "who has not made me a gentile", "who has not made me a slave", and "who has not made me a woman" (while women bless "who has made me according to His will" or, according to Chabad custom, don't recite this blessing at all). A common interpretation is that the many mitzvos placed on men are the reason for this blessing.

There are mitzvos primarily fulfilled by women, which hint at the pillars upon which the Jewish home stands, hinted at in the word ChaN (letters ChaNaH): Challah - hints at all kashrus laws, Niddah - hints at all family purity laws, and Shabbos candle lighting - hints at all Shabbos observance. These three mitzvos are the foundations of the Jewish home.

There are special customs for women, such as refraining from work on Rosh Chodesh and others.

Regarding tefillin, the Talmud states that women are exempt and it's not proper for them to fulfill this mitzvah. However, Chazal tell of Michal bas Shaul who wore tefillin and the Sages did not protest.

Tznius and Public Honor[edit | edit source]

The Rebbe's response to a woman asking about going to work: The main role of a married Jewish woman is to be a proper homemaker, meaning managing the home in general and especially raising and educating children, which also aligns with "all the glory of the king's daughter is within."

They barely permitted working outside - when it's in Jewish education, since women have a special maternal feeling for children and therefore their influence is greater and deeper, or - to free the husband (who is constantly engaged in Torah study) from necessary livelihood worries, or - when the husband's efforts in providing for the family, despite his efforts as written "her food and clothing he shall not diminish," are insufficient and he needs his wife's help in supporting the home.

There are several roles related to mitzvos that women cannot fill for reasons of tznius and public honor.

A woman cannot receive an aliyah to the Torah due to "kavod hatzibur" (public honor). Similarly, a woman cannot be a shaliach tzibur or serve as a chazanit. The Mishnah prohibits a woman from being a teacher to avoid meeting with students' fathers, which could lead to impropriety. However, the Rebbe encouraged women and girls in our generation to work in education, stating this is because women have a special maternal feeling for children, making their influence greater and deeper.