mcmillan@eosp1.UUCP (John McMillan) (03/29/84)
References:
The following fine parody is quoted with permission (yes! with
permission!). It is taken from:
Sh'ma, a journal of Jewish responsibility, March 16, 1984, although
the issue claims that it really is:
"Ti Sh'ma'd"
a year of Jewish impossibility
Official jewish magazine of the 5744 summer oylympics (sic).
I recommend the entire issue. "Sh'ma", a journal of Jewish responsi-
bility, (ISSN 0049-0385), may be addressed at Box 567, Port Washing-
ton, NY 11050; telephone 516-944-9791. The editor is Eugene B.
Borowitz. The article is copyrighted.
I received permission to quote this article in "net.religion.jewish".
IF YOU WISH TO MAKE COPIES FOR ANY PURPOSE, PLEASE CONTACT THE MAGA-
ZINE IN ORDER TO GET PERMISSION.
Some of the original article is printed in italics. The following
algorithm almost suffices -- all Hebrew within double quotes was ital-
icized (and double quoted) in the original; everything within
backslashes '\' was italicized in the original. The article has head-
ings and subheadings in a variety of type faces. I have placed all of
these in upper case.
Another metacomment: Do not use the following article as a reference
for traditional Jewish Halacha.
----------------------------------------
MAY WE COUNT MEN IN A MINYAN?
by \Anne Kanter\
(\The influence of the "men's movement" - whose members identify them-
selves as "hominists" - has prompted us to invite experts in Jewish
law to consider such innovations as obligating men to perform mitzvot\
from which they were previously exempted, and even to examine the
notion of ordaining male rabbis.)
\MARSHA MOUSEYMAN\
Our holy sages have always understood the verse in Psalms (45:14),
"Kol kvuda bat malcha pnima (the queen's daughter is glorious within
the palace)," as indicating the centrality of women within the synago-
gue and house of study. The traditional role of men has been under-
stood as one of providing \parnosseh\ - earning a living - and it has
always been felt that men can fully satisfy their spiritual needs and
give pleasure to the \Kdosha Brucha Hee\ by thoroughly and attentively
fulfilling this lofty responsibility. Hominists criticize this limi-
tation on options for men, denying that men can fully realize them-
selves simply through working and supporting their families. They
quote Kohelette Rabbah, "Nitan alav ukaf v'harei hu k'hamor (the sad-
dle is upon him and he is like a donkey)" to indicate the true atti-
tude of the sages toward the value of men's laboring. But in doing
so, they overlook many statements in the tradition which praise men's
role - earning a living is related to the redemption - and indeed a
whole book of our glorious Tenach is called "Job".
MEN CAN'T MAKE TIME FOR SOME MITZVOT
It is because Jewish men are so deeply involved in providing for their
families, and may not be free at all times to devote themselves to
observance, that the Torah relieves them of many ritual obligations
(\mitzvat aseh sheha'atzlanut medaleget\). Imagine if men were
counted for a \minyan\ as women are: how many would actually take on
this obligation? How many men would rise early before work to attend
the synagogue? Most would choose to sleep late, while women are, by
nature as well as practice from teenage slumber parties and 2 A.M.
feedings, accustomed to less sleep.
Our \chachamot\ knew that a "men's minyan" would consist largely of
students (who go through a pious stage in their teens) and of retired
\zaydehs\, bless their hearts, who have time on their hands. The
Torah did not wish to burden the average Jewish husband rushing from
his job to putting up the storm windows, to painting the dining room,
with the added obligation of rushing out to a \minyan\.
Nor is this his necessary role. While the husband acts as an enabler,
providing the \parnosseh\ that sustains the Jewish family, his wife
provides the wall of spiritual protection through daily \davening\ and
Torah study, in a true partnership - even as the Shulamite says, "Ani
homah (I am a wall)" in chapter 8 of Queen Shlomit's immortal love
poem, The Song of Songs. The prophetess Huldah reminds us "Ishah yso-
vev gever" - woman surrounds man, with a protecting ring of Torah
study (Huldah 31:22).
MEN DO NOT NEED SOME MITZVOT
The great apologist Rabbi S. R. (Sharon Rachael) Harsh tells us that
Jewish men are gifted by nature with a lofty level of religious feel-
ing and have no need for the intricacies of \pilpul\ and lengthy
\davening\. How close a true Ben Yisroel is to his inward nature!
His relationship to the Divine Shechina is simple and direct. Men's
form of worship and service is through the immediate and physical; men
are told to rejoice on holidays in accordance with their own particu-
lar needs (\b'mah mat'im lahem\): with meat and wine (Pesachim 118),
rather than with what would be appropriate to a woman's more spiritual
nature.
\MAUREEN GOESLOW\
I am quite willing to shelve \halacha midrash\, and Yehudis Halevi,
but must warn you of the serious consequences if we ignore Freud.
After consultation with leading psychiatrists in my movement, I must
raise the delicate issue (we today can speak openly of such things) of
the unpredictable nature of male physiology. The waxings and wanings
of women's cycles are predictable; this is not so for men. This
biologic fact must be considered if men are to participate "equally"
in a \minyan\. What about male arousal? What about women being
`turned on' by the novel presence of a man in the pulpit? And perhaps
most critically, since to many congregants the rabbi represents the
Divine, how can a male represent the nurturing \Shechina\?
I would note, however, that Rabbi Jewel Hallow of the Rabbinical
Assembly has very progressively included poetry and translations by a
number of men in her new edition of the \Machzor\, including a sensi-
tive \bakasha\ uttered by her husband before he recites the Friday
night \kiddush\. These passages suggest that we would do well to make
more use of male spiritual sensitivity.
\LARRY DAVIDAWICZ\
We should not conclude without at least one opinion from the handsomer
sex. Author and journalist Larry Davidawicz expresses a view which
more men should listen to in his article, "On Being a Man in Schul",
in which he writes warmly of the friendly masculine banter about foot-
ball games and fishing trips which takes place on the men's side of
the \mechitza\. His warning against pursuing imagery and role models
which could be confusing and damaging should be taken to heart by all
Torah-True Jews and considered carefully by the more strident homin-
ists.
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In the quoted article, I changed one spelling at the author's request;
I hope I did not introduce any misspellings. Please direct comments
to this net group, to the magazine, or to:
- Toby Robison
decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
or: allegra!eosp1!robison
(maybe: princeton!eosp1!robison)