Women, Femininity & Feminism

Dear Rachel, I am so overwhelmed! My life is filled with so much rushing and work and hecticness, and a “To Do” list a mile long. I have so much on my plate; my body is filled with aches and pains. I’m constantly criticizing myself for not being as organi...

In a Jewish household, the wife and mother is called in Hebrew akeret habayit. This means literally the “mainstay” of the home. It is she who largely determines the character and atmosphere of the entire home. G–d demands that a Jewish home – every Jewish...

Question: I am interested to understand why women cannot judge disputes in Torah law. How is the case of Devorah, the judge, handled? Is wisdom limited to the male population? Is it understood that females have no ability to distinguish between two points...

Why is Rosh Chodesh, the holiday that marks the entry of a new Jewish month, considered a "women's holiday"?

This week I attended a prayer service with a difference. It was a Torah reading conducted entirely by women. Most were wearing tallises and kippas.

How can you honestly claim that Orthodox Judaism has any respect for women, with all the religious manipulation on the part of men that keeps them content as second-class citizens within a third-world mentality?

Blowing the shofar on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) is a mitzvah (a commandment.) Women are not obligated in time-bound positive mitzvot, because of their overriding family responsibilities. However, it is certainly meritorious for a woman to hear t...

A young woman can and should have a bat mitzvah, but it should be a bat mitzvah, not a bar mitzvah. As she is celebrating being a woman, not a man...

Question: What is the appropriate way for a Jewish woman to celebrate Rosh Chodesh? I would like to start this tradition, as I have two little girls and I think that it would be wonderful to do this together. Answer: Rosh Chodesh, the day (or days) that c...

Chana Question: At a traditional seder, what is the role of women beyond eating the foods? Do they read from the Haggadah? May they lead the seder? Answer: The role of women at the seder is the same as the role of men--to recount, discuss and delve into t...