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This is me "reading the Torah" (since we couldn't take pictures during my service this was done before) with my cantor on the left and my rabbi on the right.

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In conclusion, I found this article to be interesting that a rabbi wrote a book on this issue. Personally, I would like to see some more women rabbis because women should be allowed to study and lead a synagogue. Although Orthodox communities may not like to break their traditions that have been around for many years, it might be time for a change in Jewish life and law.

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Being raised in a household where my mom was Jewish and my dad was Catholic, I grew up going to temple. My mom would consider herself as a Reform Jew, therefore we would go to a Reform Synagogue. My rabbi was a male, and his wife also had the title of rabbi. In addition to the rabbi, we have a cantor, in particular mine was female, who sings and leads the congregation next to the rabbi. Growing up, I thought it was normal for women to have leadership roles like my synagogue did, but as I grew older and went to Hebrew School, I quickly learned that the Orthodox tradition was different. I have experience of witnessing the separation of males and females during Sabbath. I also had the ability to have a Bat Mitzvah, where my mom told me she was never able to have one because she was a female. At my synagogue, there are multiple women that go to rabbinical school to eventually become rabbis, like one of my close friends did. In addition, I volunteered at this organization, and the leaders of the organization are Orthodox. I was aware of their traditions and respected them and their days of rest. I find it very interesting how I grew up and my experiences are vastly different than those in the Orthodox community.

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One last quote that stood out to me in the "Invitation to World Religions" textbook that we use for class was, "Moreover, the privilege of advanced religious study was reserved exclusively for men, who were thought to be better equipped by nature for the mental rigors of scholarly debate" (Brodd et al. 386). I think that this quote stood out to me because in Orthodox traditions, we might not see women studying Torah to eventually become a religious leader. I find this surprising because I think that if a women was growing up in an Orthodox community, some might have the passion to study the Torah, be aware of the history and take part in discussions within their communities.

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In addition, I think this quote from the article is important. I like how it depicts that women who are comfortable and are capable of studying the Torah deserve to have leadership roles. I think that if women are able to get that education, then they are able to have the title of a rabbi and lead a congregation. Although I understand that some Orthodox communities may not be in favor of this because of their traditions, I think that women should have the same rights as those men and be able to lead in prayer.

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I think that this quote from the article is very important because it says that although there might be some that support women rabbis, there are still a lot of people that do not support this idea and therefore they believe some women do not deserve the title of a rabbi. I think that this is important because this can easily show how some people can be very traditional and therefore do not like change. They might not wish to see change in their religion because then it affects different aspects of religion that was "passed down or taught" and how they pray.

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Throughout this article, we see quotes from Sperber's book Rabba, Maharat, Rabbanit, Rebbetzin: Women with Leadership Authority According to Halacha, where he explains why women should be allowed to have leadership roles. He also uses multiple sources and opinions from many different rabbis throughout to support his opinion.

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In this article and in the book, we see that Sperber mentions how some of those in the Orthodox Jewish community may not be able to break the tradition of predominately male rabbis and male leadership roles. However, he sees change for Jewish life and law. He sees that women are capable of studying the Torah and therefore capable of becoming rabbis. Overall, Sperber wants to see change in Jewish communities and see more women in leadership roles.

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When people think of prayer and synagogues in Judaism, one might automatically think of male rabbis. In addition, when people think of women in Judaism, they might think about expectations of home and raising a family. I find this interesting because in the Orthodox communities, we might see women as separated from their husbands during prayer and also taking care of the family and cooking. Also in the "Invitation to World Religions" textbook that we use for class, in the Women and Judaism section, something that caught my eye was "In fact, the only ritual obligations that women were expected to fulfill were those of baking challah, lighting the Sabbath lights, and attending the mikveh. And though women were never prevented from attending synagogue, their very presence necessitated a physical barrier to separate them from male worshippers; who, it was feared, would otherwise be distracted by their presence" (Brodd et al. 385). When I read this, I never thought about the ritual obligations of women that were mentioned. I always knew that in Orthodox communities, women were separated from their husbands and I always wondered how the women felt about that. Although it might break tradition, I imagine some women would rather pray with their husbands and children and not want to be separated. I imagine some women wanting to speak up, but instead they don't because they might not want to be patronized.

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In Judaism, there are different traditions that Jewish communities can conform to. Each tradition is unique on what the followers believe, how they pray, and overall rules or guidelines they follow. On page 380 in the "Invitation to World Religions" textbook that we use for class, there is a chart that outlines what is expected under Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism. More specifically, looking at the Orthodox section, the two points that stick out to me are "strict observance halachah, allowing for limited adaptation to changing conditions of life" (Brodd et al. 380) and "gender separation and differentiation; separate seating for women in synagogue; opposition to rabbinic ordination of women" (Brodd et al. 380). In the Orthodox tradition, they do not like to change or adapt the way they learn and pray. In this tradition, it is rare to see women taking leadership roles and leading the synagogue. Since the Orthodox Jewish communities are more strict than the rest of the traditions, it is very unlikely for them to accept women leaders. I think that if women in these Orthodox communities start to embrace their ability to do so, this could change Orthodox history and their views on the religion.

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In the article, "May Orthodox Judaism have female rabbis?" Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin states and quotes Sperber, "Yes, it is true that even among those who support women rabbis, there are those who insist that while functioning as rabbis, they should not be called rabbis but something else, such as Rabbanit, but 'hopefully [this notion] will eventually wane'" (Drazin).

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In the article, "May Orthodox Judaism have female rabbis?" Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin states and quotes Sperber, "He cites highly respected rabbis of the past who speak of wise women 'who took upon [themselves] to study Torah in depth, who could be crowned with the ‘crown of Torah,’ and who achieved a standard of learning such that she could give halachic rulings'" (Drazin).

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In this article, we take perspective from Rabbi Professor Daniel Sperber who is not only a professor, but has written many books. This article focuses on his opinion of how change in Jewish life should include women having leadership roles. More specifically, we look at his book that focuses on leadership roles for women in Orthodox Judaism.

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Many researchers wonder how the Torah actually depicts women. They wonder if women, according to Jewish law, are allowed to have certain roles in society.

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May Orthodox Judaism have female rabbis?

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By Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin
BOCA RATON, Florida - Women have been degraded since ancient history. Scholars debate whether the Torah is pro-women or indifferent to them with some exceptions. The ancient Greeks seemed to use women only for procreation and for taking care of their homes. Even the remarkably wise philosophers Aristotle among the Greeks and Maimonides among the Jews made negative statements about women. Scholars explain that they did so based on what they saw; women were not educated. There were, of course, exceptions such as the Greek Socrates seeking wisdom from a woman. But those who continue the disparagements make the foolish statement "the exceptions prove the rule." Women need to take the initiative to resolve this matter. Many Jewish women are doing so by becoming community leaders and even rabbis. But does Jewish tradition allow this? Rabbi Dr. Daniel answers yes, and he encourages more women to do so.

Daniel Sperber is a highly respected Professor at Bar-Ilan University, rabbi of the Menachem Zion Synagogue in Jerusalem's Old City, PhD from University College in London, author of more than thirty books including the magnificent eight-volume series Minhagei Yisrael about the history of Jewish customs. In 1992, he was awarded the prestigious Israel Prize for Jewish Studies. In Rabba, Maharat, Rabbanit, Rebbetzin: Women with Leadership Authority According to Halacha, he examines the legitimacy for women leadership in Jewish law. Rabbi Dr. Sperber has the ability to write in an easy-to-read fashion with multiple sources to support his views in a manner that is like fascinating short stories.

The book contains ten chapters written by Daniel Sperber totaling 104 pages and includes references to the opinion of Rabbi Hershel Schachter and other rabbis. This is followed by 114 pages written by other rabbis who support Sperber's views, including the opinion of the Orthodox Union.

Rabbi Dr. Sperber quotes his speech during the ordination of female rabbis. "A relatively short time ago such an occasion within an Orthodox setting would have seemed to be impossible, almost hallucinatory. Yet what was so recently a dream has now become a reality. Yet what was once implausible has now become almost a norm, at least within a certain segment of the modern Orthodox community." He notes that some Orthodox leaders refuse to accept the change, "But this is to be expected, and indeed understandable, given the traditionalist inability to recognize the dynamic nature of halachah. For they are grounded in dogmatism, while we strive after dynamism."

He tells us that contrary to the mistaken notion of some people "there is no normative halachic bar to women being ordained or functioning as Jewish communal leaders." Yes, it is true that even among those who support women rabbis, there are those who insist that while functioning as rabbis, they should not be called rabbis but something else, such as Rabbanit, but "hopefully [this notion] will eventually wane."

He cites highly respected rabbis of the past who speak of wise women "who took upon [themselves] to study Torah in depth, who could be crowned with the 'crown of Torah,' and who achieved a standard of learning such that she could give halachic rulings." He cites as well the rulings of many rabbis that women can serve in positions of communal authority. "In every case where the community accepts and is satisfied with an appointment, the appointee can judge even on matters of authority and enforcement."

It is a mistake to think that there were no women in prominent religious positions in the past. We know some held leadership roles in biblical and talmudic times. Among others, there were Deborah the prophet, Beruriah the wife of Rabbi Meir, and Yalta the wife of Rav Nachman who "were learned women who dealt with halacha." These are just some such women that Rabbi Dr. Sperber mentions of women in positions of authority.

This is a significant book which will change the opinion of many on an important issue.

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Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin is a retired brigadier general in the U.S. Army chaplain's corps and the author of more than 50 books.

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May Orthodox Judaism have female rabbis? - San Diego Jewish World

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Rabbi Dr. Sperber quotes his speech during the ordination of female rabbis. "A relatively short time ago such an occasion within an Orthodox setting would have seemed to be impossible, almost hallucinatory. Yet what was so recently a dream has now become a reality.