Living Torah Archives

As Jews, we can be plagued by feeling different from those around us, leading us to compromise on the integrity of our own values in a bid to gain acceptance. In a talk to women and girls, the Rebbe highlights a quote in Maimonides that teaches us how to really earn respect.

The brain and heart are equally central to the body’s health and homeostasis. Nevertheless, each has its own function. Similarly, man and woman are equal in importance and in their contribution to Jewish life and continuity. But they have different roles.

To carry out the holy and life-critical mission of the Jew requires wisdom and understanding – which G-d granted the Jewish People by giving them His Own wisdom, the Torah, as a guide. Through Torah, Jews are the “Wise and understanding nation.” But Torah draws a distinction within Jews themselves: “Greater understanding was granted to woman than to man,” enabling them to perceive better and deeper, and to apply this perception in daily life.