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| Olde Tyme Religion |
| Ovadiah Yosef Rules: Women may chant from Scroll of Ester even if men listen |
| 2009-03-02 |
| Women are allowed to chant the Scroll of Esther on behalf of men if no competent men are available, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the spiritual leader of Israel's Sephardi community, ruled last week in a landmark decision liable to outrage many of his Ashkenazi counterparts. Esther is traditionally read in synagogue on the holiday of Purim, which this year falls next week. monday night Mar 9 next week And while some rabbis have long permitted women to read the megillah, or scroll, for other women, most do not allow women to read on behalf of men. Yosef said that most rabbis forbid women to read the megillah on the grounds that men are forbidden to listen to women sing, because a woman's singing voice can stimulate sexual arousal. However, he said, he does not agree that a woman chanting a sacred text is the kind of singing that stimulates sexual arousal. The analogy rabbis have drawn between singing and chanting sacred texts here he is speaking about the rabbis of the 13th through 19th centuries- this is important because if the 'analogy is false' rule is upheld, it could lead to solving the 'agunah' problem- that is the problem that ensues when men leave their wives but refuse to sign a divorce decree- and it could also lead to a way out of the convert problem where rabbis may rule a conversion to Judaism invalid after the fact has "no value," he declared. Yosef also said that women could write a kosher Scroll of Esther - another task In both cases, Yosef's rulings were specific to Megillat Esther and do not necessarily apply to other sacred texts, such as the Torah or the scroll of Ecclesiateses or the scroll of Ruth or the Song of Songs. |
| Posted by:mhw |
| #8 I'd say the 6th religion is Global Warming. Although you could argue it's rebadged Socialism. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2009-03-02 19:21 |
| #7 OP, don't forget the sixth religion--atheism in its various Marxist, Socialist, Materialist, Fascist, Hedonist, and other ugly forms. The fact that Europe has lost its spiritual moorings has a lot to do with the mess there; and we run the same risks if we follow Europe's example. |
| Posted by: mom 2009-03-02 15:34 |
| #6 There are five major religions in the world today - Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Any significant changes in any of those religions will affect the politics, social strata, and economics in the areas dominated by that religion - E.G., Islam. Keeping up with major changes in religion is equally as important as keeping up with major political, social, or economic changes, since they affect each of those areas. It's indeed technical, but so is the constant drop in the value of the Euro, or the collapse of economic growth in China. The effects ripple out far beyond the narrow boundary where the events transpire. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-03-02 12:57 |
| #5 penguin, yes this is a highly technical point but its similar to a highly technical point about a malfunction in satellite ice detection sensors or to a highly technical point about similar stuff. lotp makes a good point also I will also admit that, IMO, R. Ovadiah Yosef has gone cookoo for Cocopuffs on some items (e.g., hats vs wigs). But even the cookoo-ness isn't advocating violence like in Islam. |
| Posted by: mhw 2009-03-02 10:53 |
| #4 Surely not that, Penguin. I find it of interest insofar as it demonstrates how at least some parts of Judaism are working to reconcile tradition and law with a role for women that seems more .... respectful. Unlike most parts of Islam, it would seem. |
| Posted by: lotp 2009-03-02 10:23 |
| #3 Did you mis-post this to Rantburg? Or are we on the way to adding the Daf Yomi? |
| Posted by: Penguin 2009-03-02 09:21 |
| #2 As women have been copying the Megillat Esther for generations, it's about time that rabbis in leadership roles began speaking out like this. |
| Posted by: Soferet Avielah Barclay 2009-03-02 07:37 |
| #1 As if you have never had a hard on in church before..... |
| Posted by: newc 2009-03-02 03:40 |