MO Woman

Toiletries, Medicine and Pesach

Two useful and clear summaries about the chametz status of shampoos, make-up and medicine: Hirhurim and the Raanana Kollel.

Birshut Ba'alat Habayit

Hirhurim discusses including permission from the ba'alat habayit in bentching.

Revirgination - A Response

Dr. Deena Zimmerman, Yoetzet Halacha, wrote the following in response to my questions about the halachic issues involved in the growing number of women interested in Revirgination:

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that there is a fast-growing new market of women seeking to have their hymens restored so that they will appear to be virgins again. We need to review a number of points in Jewish law to understand the halachic perspective on this procedure.

The halachic status of betulah (virgin) has implications for the monetary amount written into the marriage contract and for the ability to marry a kohen gadol. This status implies that a woman has never had intercourse; it is not a comment on her hymenal tissues. A woman born without a hymen, or whose hymen has been stretched by the natural processes of maturity (or by tampon use), is still a betulah. On the other hand, a woman who has had relations or anal sex but still has hymenal tissue in place, is not. (For further discussion see: Rav Yoezer Ariel. Taanat Betulim Bezman Hazeh. Assia 15 Kislev 5766.) Thus, a woman who undergoes this procedure will not regain her status as a betulah. Whether she would nevertheless, need to observe a period of niddah for potential dam betulim would appear to depend on opinions within the rishonim as to the purpose of this practice.

If the purpose of the surgery is for a woman who has had relations to try to prove that she has not, then it would be a clear violation of geneivat da'at, the halachic imperative not to mislead people (Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 228). As such it cannot be condoned. When the future husband is aware that his non-previously-married wife has in fact had intercourse in the past, there are ways to permit writing the word betulah in the ketubah (marriage contract) to avoid embarassment.

Undergoing surgery of any sort involves a risk to ones health. Unnecessary risk taking is not permitted under Jewish Law. Furthermore, self mutilation is prohibited (Rambam Hilchot Chovel u Mazik 5:1). Therefore, cosmetic surgery of any sort is permitted only when required to alleviate significant physical or emotional difficulties (see for example Rabbi J David Bleich. Judaism and Healing. Ktav Publishing House 1981). It does not seem that the reasons presented in this article would meet that criterion.

On a purely theoretical level, it would also seem that return to virginity is not to be strived for. Breaking of the hymen within the framework of marriage is viewed as a completion of the woman and the contract between the husband and wife, not a detraction (see for example, Encyclopedia Talmudit sv Beilat mitzvah).

The State of Women and Talmud Study

LamedZayin of the blogging group Maven Yavin has begun a survey of the sources which discuss whether or not a woman can learn Talmud. As he notes, this topic was also covered at Hirhurim. One of the limitations of these mainly halachic surveys is that the impact that women's Talmud study has had on Jewish society is not dicussed. Along these lines Mirty asks:

What is the value of a learned woman in Jewish society and society at large? Why do we value this now, and did not in earlier times? (Do we value it now?)

Based on my experience, access to serious Torah learning for women has only had the most positive effects on Jewish families, the Jewish community and women themselves. The women I know who have chosen a life devoted to learning and teaching Talmud have inspired countless other girls and women and they are also some of the most impressive wives, mothers and people I know.

An update on the state of women's learning: Over Hanukka I heard a woman speak with incredible expertise at Matan Ra'anana about Rebbe Nachman of Breslav's mystical interpretations of the menorah. At Nishmat's Yoatzot Halacha program, women are trained to answer shailas about hilchot niddah and related areas. They have shown that more women are keeping halacha more accurately because of the greater comfort they feel in speaking to a woman about these issues. Graduates of the Drisha Scholar's Circle have taught high school level gemara, providing teenage girls and boys with a model of women Talmud teachers. Moreover, Drisha now has a female Rosh Beit Midrash, Devorah Zlochower (a graduate of the Scholar's Circle). YU instituted a program for advanced Talmud study for women a few years ago as well.

Women are no longer just studying Talmud, they are teaching it, answering halachic questions and emerging as leaders in batei midrash for women.

Of course I am aware that to a certain degree these things are more widespread in New York, Boston and many parts of Israel. While Talmud study is often a regular part of Modern Orthodox education for girls in a number of New York schools, that is not the case in most religious schools in Israel. There are some impressive girls I know who study Talmud as an extra-curricular activity. But they still receive the message that Talmud is not offered as a part of their regular educational curriculum, while it is offered to the boys.

I think there has always been some space given to learned women in Jewish society and I will write more about that soon. But these successful women are the greatest demonstration of the value of women's learning.

Can Girls Wear Tefillin?

A discussion thread has just begun on the LookJed list (an excellent educational resource) regarding whether or not a girl should be permitted (halakhically, sociologically...) to wear tefillin in school if she so desires.

Aliza Berger-Cooper, who wrote an article about whether or not women are halakhically permitted to wear tefillin in Jewish Legal Writings By Women, is interested in updating her research with an educational perspective. It will be interesting to see how the discussion continues.