Rabbi Howard Morrison

While the opening chapters of Exodus, introduce us to Moses and Aaron, the Biblical text is replete with the accomplishments of women:

Shifra and Puah, the midwives who disobeyed Pharaoh's edicts.

Miriam, who accompanied baby Moses floating down the Nile, ensuring his viability. Later on, she lead the women in song and dance after crossing the Reed sea.

The daughter of Pharaoh, who received and raised Moses.

Yocheved, the biological mother of Moses, who weaned and nurtured him.

Tziporah, the wife of Moses, who was the one to circumcise their sons.

And more!

The Talmudic Sages teach us - On account of righteous women were the Israelites redeemed from Egypt.

Fast forward to the Talmud and the early compilations of Jewish law - Men and women are commanded to observe all of the 365 "thou shalt not" commandments of Judaism. Men and women are commanded to equally observe most of the 248 "thou shalt" commandments of Judaism. Now comes the rub, on which essays and books have been written from all kinds of viewpoints.

"Women are exempt from the obligation of observing positive time bound commandments." If there was an original reason, it is lost. Lots of conjecture emerge: Women are homemakers and should not come into conflict between time bound prayer, for example, and child rearing. Or, women do not need to have positive time bound commandments because their inherent nature and sexuality differ from the needs of men. Now comes another rub, over the generations, there have been many exceptions to the rule. So, while, hearing the shofar and dwelling in the Sukkah are timebound, women are customarily expected to observe these Mitzvot.

Fast forward to the 1950's and 1960's - Beth Emeth Bais Yehuda was founded as a Traditional Conservative shul. At the time, almost every Conservative shul accepted the halakhic legitimacy of family or mixed seating. The idea of separating the sexes in shul was seen as a custom not a law, one that developed in the Middle Ages, as in Churches as well. The original precedent for separating the sexes took place as a one-time segregation in the Holy Temple during Sukkot because of frivolity, but was not intended for all time. That there was a designated area in the Holy Temple called a "women's section" was in name only. Many activities centering around men took place in the "women's section (Ezrat Nashim)."

Jewish tradition distinguishes between law and custom. Laws are binding and are interpreted by a community's elected rabbi. Customs are discussed with the rabbi but are ultimately decided by the congregation's leadership after rabbinic validation. 

Traditional Judaism is not static or monolithic. It evolves organically and carefully. Consider the twenty-three plus years I have served as your rabbi. Prior to 2004, women officers were not allowed to sit on the Bimah. Back then, I suggested that there was no religious distinction between the pews on the floor and the seating on the Bimah. Since then, women officers have sat on the Bimah. This was a change in custom, not law.

After a two-year period of study, the board ratified that women could chant the Haftarah on Shabbat and Yom Tov. I taught that the recitation of the Haftarah was a matter of custom which originated when Jews were forbidden from reading Torah by non-Jewish censors. Since 2004, women have been welcome to chant Haftarot.

When I came to Beth Emeth, children 12 and under were not welcome into the main sanctuary until 12 noon. It took eight years for this policy custom to be changed so that all Jews could pick their service of choice and so that multi-generational families could sit together in the main sanctuary on the High Holy Days. 

In the early 2000's, women were permitted to hold Torah scrolls during Simchat Torah Hakafot and to conduct their own women's Minyan, performing the entire service without modification.

All of these changes, or modifications, were about matters of custom, and not reinterpreting actual law, which is a more challenging endeavor.

Fast forward to now - About two years ago, our shul began a strategic plan on all sorts of topics. A survey was sent to the entire congregation. On ritual matters, the sizeable majority of respondents wrote to keep the shul Traditional (whatever that meant to the respondents) AND to incrementally expand the role of women's participation in services.

What is a rabbi to do? In the past year and a half with the participation of our ritual committee, executive, and board of directors, I have sought to expand those areas which are based on CUSTOM and not LAW. In discussing a number of possibilities, the following was approved at the April 16 meeting of the board of directors. Please understand the role of rabbi and shul leadership when it comes to custom. The rabbi determines what is PERMISSIBLE. Then, the board determines if the PERMISSIBILTY is communally ACCEPTABLE.

After my presentation just a couple of weeks ago, the board voted unanimously in favor to allow the following:

1. Women may open and close the Ark at all services in the same manner that men currently do.
2. Women may be invited to do Gelilah, the wrapping and dressing of the Torah scroll after it has been lifted, in the same manner that men currently do.
3. Women may receive the Maftir Aliyah at all services when a Haftarah is chanted. On this point, please understand that there is a halakhic/legal difference between the Maftir Aliyah and the preceding Aliyot. All other Aliyot are based on a number of different halakhic criteria which does make distinctions between men and women. None of this applies to the Maftir Aliyah, which is meant solely to honor the person who will chant the Haftarah. This is the case whether or not we read from one or more Torah scrolls in any given service. The permission of women receiving the Maftir Aliyah is an extension on the custom of women chanting Haftarot, which was allowed at Beth Emeth in 2004. Also please understand that the Maftir Aliyah includes reciting the prescribed Berachot and/or chanting the Maftir Torah text.

I gave my rabbinic approval for these three items as being permissible customs for Beth Emeth, and the Board ratified these as meaningful and acceptable practices for our shul.

I will conduct an explanatory evening on this topic Thursday May 9 at 7:30PM.

The implementation date of the new customs will take effect on Shavuot Wednesday and Thursday June 12-13.

During the Pesach holiday which honors the tradition of righteous women in Jewish tradition, now is an appropriate time to have deliberated, studied, and decided on incremental roles for women's participation within the ethos of Beth Emeth continuing to be regarded as a Traditional Conservative synagogue.

Chag Sameach,
Rabbi Howard Morrison