Jerusalem – First-ever ‘Ask The Rabbanit’ Website To Be Launched By Women Scholars

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    Some of the halachic experts who will be answering questions on the Meshivat Nefesh website for Beit Hillel Jerusalem – The Beit Hillel Orthodox rabbinical association is set to launch the first “ask the rabbanit” website for questions and answers on issues of Jewish law to be answered by leading women Torah scholars associated with the organization.

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    The initiative, called Meshivat Nefesh, follows an eight-month pilot period in which leading female halachic experts connected to Beit Hillel have answered more than 200 questions on the popular Kipa national-religious news website and forum.

    Beit Hillel hopes the Meshivat Nefesh website will go online in the coming weeks, although questions can still be posed in the meantime through Beit Hillel’s website.

    The organization also intends to establish an English-language version of the website in the future.

    Rabbanit Yael Shimoni, a teacher and Torah educator for 15 years, is heading the project and says that more and more people are turning to the Internet for answers to questions on Jewish law, whether on question and answer forums or simply through search engine requests.

    According to Shimoni, the large majority of questions came from women, but covered a wide range of issues pertaining to Jewish law such laws regarding Shabbat, conversion, daily religious rituals, and family purity questions, as well as broader spiritual and faith questions regarding belief in God and the Torah, and relationship issues.

    “Women speak to women a lot and about many things, we have very deep connections and a lot of discourse goes on in every stage in life,” she told The Jerusalem Post.

    “So we’re used to talking to each other openly and deeply about hard things, and this includes halachic questions, and a women might feel that its easier to talk to another woman, and feel more comfortable.

    “Women speak more to other women than to men, especially religious women, and so if you have questions about faith, prayer, relationship with God, family issues, then it is very classic that you want to speak to a woman who us closer to your world and way of thinking.”

    Amongst the women scholars who will be answering questions for Meshivat Nefesh are Dr. Michal Tikochinsky, a lecturer at Herzog College and head of the women’s study center at Beit Morasha Center; Dr. Rachel Levmore, a renowned halachist and rabbinical courts advocate; and Rachelle Sprecher Fraenkel, a yoetzet halacha and head of the Advanced Halakha (Hilkhata) Program at Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies.

    Another of the scholars who will be answering questions is Rabbanit Jennie Rosenfeld, manhiga ruhani, or spiritual leader in Efrat, and the first woman in Israel to hold such a position.

    She described the initiative as “revolutionary and much needed,” and demonstrated the growing status of women in halachic leadership.

    “I definitely think women halachic experts are becoming more accepted, and it’s fascinating that a lot of people have asked questions I wouldn’t expect,” she said.

    “It’s inspiring that people are who are very different than us are very different from us, people from all different educational and socio-economic backgrounds are asking us questions, especially from outside of the national-religious community.”
    Similarly, Shimoni said that Meshivat Nefesh provides women scholars the opportunity to write responsa in Jewish law which exposes them to the public and brings them into the halachic discourse in the country.

    “It gives us a platform to receive questions and write responses, and increases our connection to the Jewish people and broadens the horizon in many different ways.”

    Shimoni said that although there are now numerous female halachic experts, people are still somewhat hesitant to approach them personally for advice in matters of Jewish law, and says the Meshivat Nefesh online question and answer forum will help change the way people think about such experts and boost the stature of women halachic scholars.

    She said that when approached in person, people may be inclined to see women halachic scholars as women first, but when they read responsa authored by women online “the connection over the Torah is the first connection… the Torah comes first before the woman.”


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    15 Comments
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    5 years ago

    Women are not fully human, they are missing the Y chromosome that humans have, so they don’t have the part of the brain that develops from the Y chromosome. Therefore, they cannot do science or be rabbanits.

    5 years ago

    A rabbanit is one step above a rabbit.

    Sholi-Katz
    Sholi-Katz
    5 years ago

    Looking at the crop of halachic people coming out of yeshiva these days this will only be a step up

    misslydia128
    misslydia128
    5 years ago

    How can the nay-sayer rabbis tell me that these women are not orthodox?

    stamnamefortrump
    Noble Member
    stamnamefortrump
    5 years ago

    What is wrong with the world that these women want to be men? Oy,

    AlbertEinstein
    AlbertEinstein
    5 years ago

    Hashem Yishmor.

    qazxc
    qazxc
    5 years ago

    If you don’t like the idea, don’t call them.

    Genya
    Genya
    5 years ago

    May these proud Yiddishe women be MATZLIACH in their efforts, may those that wish them otherwise, NOT be matliach in their efforts.

    5 years ago

    Great, a new resource for a good chulent recipe.

    MyThreeCents
    MyThreeCents
    5 years ago

    They look like modern orthodox to me. Some of them are wearing necklines that are too open. Some have their hair showing. Anyway even if they all looked like Chassidish rebetzins I still would prefer to speak to a male posek on halachic matters. (I am a woman)

    5 years ago

    Tell me ladies, a sehrcha had a buuah as well. The sehrcha was attached to the rib cage.is the animal kosher??

    Normandavid1
    Normandavid1
    5 years ago

    One is even slaping along a small baby. I crazy can the world become.