The Role of Women in Orthodox Judaism. Essay

Reform and Orthodox Jews both believe in the Torah; however their approach to it and the implications that come from it is the primary difference between both. An Orthodox Jew is one who is faithful to traditional Judaism’s principles and practices, including the belief in one God, daily synagogue presence and a strict adherence of the Sabbath and other holy days, religious festivities, and dietary commandments (Morris, 2015). In accordance with Jewish law, Orthodox Jews also maintain a historic comprehension of their faith by acknowledging that they are considered Jewish if born to a Jewish mother or by religious conversion if they accept the Torah and Halakha to be law. In Jewish law, the Halakha represents the will of God, as directly or as close to as possible. The written and oral law of the Torah was dictated by God to Moses on Mount Sinai (Shalev,

Throughout the ancient world, the aspects to which a successful society thrive under have been skewed, except for that of religion. Although a universal religion has never been adopted, most empires tend to follow a basic outline similar to one another. In relation to Greeks and Romans, this ideology still holds true. Religion between these two societies have had their differences, but for the most part they have kept the same values held high. Women and their impact on Greek and Roman religion is what shaped these regions to flourish and is what held the empires together through all war and turmoil that came their way.

The stories told about women in the bible illustrate the importance of their role and contribution to society. Although the Bible does not explain God’s relationship with women as with Moses and other prophets, it illustrates love and devotion women had for Him. The stories of the bible describe brave, nurturing, and God fearing women whose decisions impacted the existence of the Israelites.

Medieval Jewish society, like all traditional Jewish culture, was run by patriarchal hierarchy “Philosophical, medical, and religious views of the time all supported the view that men were superior to women both in nature and in deed” . Women’s position in society was secondary in comparison to that of men. They were characterized as lightheaded, weak, easily seduced, and linked to sorcery.

“Certainly, the world without the Jews would have been a radically different place. Humanity might have eventually stumbled upon all the Jewish insights. But we cannot be sure. All the great conceptual discoveries of the human intellect seem obvious and inescapable once they had been revealed, but it requires a special genius to formulate them for the first time. The Jews had this gift. To them we owe the idea of equality before the law, both divine and human; of the sanctity of life and the dignity of human person; of the individual conscience and so a personal redemption; of collective conscience and so of social responsibility; of peace as an abstract ideal and love as the foundation of justice, and many other items which constitute the

housewife, to stay at home. This is my explanation of the essay, "The Cult of

In today’s society the controversial subject of what positions in the church a woman can hold; has become incredibly debatable among the nation. Some people believe that women have equal rights with men and can uphold any position that a man can. Today’s society also believes that because a woman can be in political and business power, then a woman can also be in authority in the church. However, that could not be farther from the truth a women’s positions in the church are defined by God.

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish culture maintains historical customs and likens to the Amish culture from outside observation, their community and family lives have seemingly stopped in time. They are recognizable by their differential style with characteristics reminiscent of the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The males adorn black coats and Cossack-looking hats; their beards are full with distinct side curls called peyots which adhere to the Torah’s instruction to not cut the corners of one’s head. Different sects of Ultra-Orthodox Jews vary the style of curls distinguishing one group from another. The women wear modest clothing which covers their skin from neck to ankles and forearms and wears wigs that cover their shaven or closely cut heads. Modesty is of the utmost importance;

The Orthodox Jewish people often wear modest clothes such as, women are not to wear bright or tight clothes and are to wearing clothes with sleeves that cover their elbows and skirts go down over their knees. It is very common that when women become married they cover their hair to gesture that they are no longer single. However, the dressing for men is not as binding as women's, as in some communities men are allowed to wear shorts but it is discouraged.

     Since the beginning of the Jewish religion, women have had what seems to be a marginalized role that encompasses almost every facet of life. In many cases within the body of Jewish texts, clear misogynist statements and commentary are made dealing with every aspect of what it means to be female. Within the Orthodox

Orthodox Judaism is a religion that ostracizes women. Not only are the women of this religion considered to be beneath a man, they are denied many rights and opportunities that males are allowed to participate in, For example, the text states that women are not allowed to be rabbis, allowed to initiate neither marriage or divorce. In Judaism, a man can divorce his wife for any reason, even if she is incapable of preparing what he considers a suitable meal. Worship is granted to the women on the condition that there are at least ten men present for service (Kimmel, 2013). Absolutely, no exceptions to the ten-man rule. However, both males and females are allowed to pursue sexual gratification. In reference to abortion, the Judaist believe

I learned a lot of facts about Judaism that I had previously been ignorant to. I had no idea that we (Christians & Jews) maintained the same bible (The Old Testament) but that we interpreted certain events differently, such as Adam and Eve. “In Judaism, each and every human being is free to choose good or evil because each person stands before God in the same relationship that Adam and Eve did” (Esposito 77). I was unaware that Judaism did not believe in “original sin.” I had no knowledge of the fact that Jews did not believe that Christ was resurrected from the dead. I found it interesting how Jews have split into separate groups – Reform Jews, who believe that Judaism is a cultural inheritance and that neither the laws nor beliefs are

Although society’s roles for women have changed, true Jewish beliefs have not changed much for the roles of women. Therefore, the role of the Jewish women is not easily defined. Each woman develops herself according with the general parameters of the Jewish

Judaism believes that all human beings are made in the divine image and it's linked to god within them. They believe that god can't be limited to a book or person. That life and knowledge are always changing. Accordingly, Judaism can't be bond by any text without the possibility of it being real. The status of a woman today is one of their perspective. Jews believe that a ritual without any ethics isn't considered a ritual. Judaism really value the truth. They are a strong ideal religion.

“*In private, women may dress as they please for their spouses, family, and female friends. Make-up and perfume are haram, or forbidden, in Islam unless it is covered because it attracts men to the lustfulness of the woman*” (*). The dress code for women is so strict, that any public activity that would require women to depart from the modest dress is extremely forbidden. Although the women’s dress code is very austere, the men, however, only have to eschew, or avoid, tight pants, shorts, short-sleeved shirts, and open collars in