D’varim 5771
Leah Citrin
A year ago this past Monday, Rosh Chodesh Av, I was barely two weeks into my first year of rabbinical school in Jerusalem. Saying I was still overwhelmed would be an understatement. There were new people, a new school, a new city all waiting for me to get to know them. So many ways to spend my time! But I knew there was one experience open to me on that day that I did not want to miss out on. That is why I woke up at 5 o’clock, put on a skirt that reached below my knees along with a shirt that had sleeves, and set out on the forty minute walk from my apartment to the Old City. Why, you might ask? Nashot HaKotel, Women of the Wall.
It turned out to be a very eventful gathering on that July morning. After taking out a Torah in the Kotel plaza and beginning the hakafa to Robinson’s Arch, where it was to be read, Anat Hoffman, director of the Israel Religious Action Center, was pushed instead into the back of a police car, Sacred Scroll still held tight in her arms. There are so many ways to describe my first experience with Nashot HaKotel last summer: confusing, unfamiliar, frustrating, surprising, exciting. But meaningful? Important? I wasn’t sure. Was it the battle that I wanted to fight? What exactly was the battle being fought?
In this week’s Torah portion, D’varim, we read again about the battles the Israelites fought as they gained possession of the Promised Land. Additionally, we are again reminded of the request by the tribes of Gad, Reuven, and half of Menasseh to settle outside of the land of Israel. Their request is granted, under the stipulation that “ חיל בני כל ישראל בני אכיכם לפני תעברו חלוצים ” (Deut. 3:18), “as shock troops, all your soldiers, you must pass over [the Jordan], before your Israelite brothers.” In other words, they are the front line into the land that they will not share a piece of; they are going to be the first to die.
I see several options for interpretation here. Maybe, being the front line is punishment for requesting to settle outside Eretz Yisrael. Or perhaps, God is looking to establish a stronger bond between these two and a half tribes and the rest of b’nei Yisrael, reinforcing the “all in this together” sentiment. Another option is to look at this logistically: if you are in the front of the pack, you cannot retreat or abandon your fellow kinsmen. Maybe this was a concern since the land for the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and Menasseh had already been conquered.
To add even more complexity, we can look back two weeks to parashat Matot in Numbers, chapter 32, verse 17, where this request initially came up. Here, these three tribes volunteered to go as shock troops. In this week’s parasha from Deuteronomy, they are commanded to go first. What a difference two weeks can make!
In the end, where does this take us? The question I find embedded in our text this week remains the same, regardless of interpretation—it is about fights and battles. What are the battles worth fighting? Beyond that, how do we know?
According to Jewish tradition, some battles are not only worth fighting, but are commanded. In his Mishne Torah, Maimonides introduces a concept of “milchemet mitzvah”, or commanded war. Specifically, Maimonides views “milchemet mitzvah” as war that is authorized by a specific obligation in the Torah. An example of this type of war is the Israelites’ annihilation of the seven Canaanite nations that we read about (again) this week. Another, perhaps more palatable example of milchemet mitzvah is the obligation to defend a fellow Jew. While typically, this refers to defending a fellow Jew against an attacking nation, perhaps we can broaden the interpretation a little as we remove it from its physical and literal context.
There are many who believe that the fight Women of the Wall is waging is a worthy battle in the best tradition of milchemet mitzvah. It is our obligation to fight for the equality of women. Many of us in this room right now—irrespective of gender—feel that at a place important to all Jews, such as the Kotel, women should be permitted to pray donning kippot or tallitot if they choose, or singing out loud in a group, or reading from Torah. Needless to say, Anat Hoffman and her followers would also agree. In some ways, I too am in line with this way of thinking.
On the other hand, our Tradition also identifies some wars that while permissible, are not required, and therefore, whether or not they are worthwhile may also be questioned. This might fall under the category identified by Maimonides as milchemet reshut. For some, the battle being waged by Nashot HaKotel would more appropriately fit into this category.
Particularly in Israel, there are many people in the progressive Jewish world who feel that while Nashot HaKotel may valiantly be fighting for the rights of women in an Orthodox setting, this battle does little in the way of advocating for religious pluralism. They feel that in a country such as Israel, where the recognition and embrace of Progressive Judaism is still a very real and daily battle, spending efforts to further women’s rights in an Orthodox setting are efforts that may be better spent elsewhere.
So, how do we know? How do we know what battle is worth fighting?
Let me be clear, I am not questioning whether or not the battle being fought by Women of the Wall is one worth fighting. My goal in using it as an example is to get us to think about the complexity of the battles we choose. For us to consider that we don’t always know which battles to choose.
What did I choose? I’m still not sure. I returned to Nashot HaKotel the following month to welcome Elul. I even participated in services by blowing the shofar. One month later, so much felt different. I was more comfortable davening—yes davening—out of a traditional prayer book. I saw my presence and participation as a Reform Jew as its own example of religious pluralism. Nonetheless I continued—and continue—to be torn.
I don’t have the answers. But I have started to think about it.
As we enter this time of reflection and introspection that leads us to Rosh Hashanah, may we have the strength and courage to search. May we consider the complexities of the struggles we choose as well as those that we don’t choose. May we constantly strive for a deeper understanding of others as well as of ourselves. Shabbat Shalom.
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ReplyDeleteDoing male-related behaviors, following commandments meant for the male, by females, is an example of "adding" to what Torah prescribes. Those who seek to add to Torah will also lead to, if not thereby, "subtract" from it. The argument can be made that prominent Jewish women in Jewish history have done such deeds, such as Bruriah, wife of Rabbi Meir, the great sage. But to make a show of it, and to fight to have it displayed in the public's eye, calls their genuine motivation into question.
ReplyDeleteI may be wrong, but those who doubt my assertion, let them ask these women: Do they light candles for Shabbat; Do they practice the laws of family purity; Do they follow the dictates of modest dress; Do they keep separation from men during prayers; etc.
In other words, were they to be Torah-observant in the first place, their intentions would be pure. Otherwise, I venture to say their motives have nothing to do with Torah, and, rather, there is a hidden, perhaps political, or self-promoting motive. And if they, in fact, do not practice these just-mentioned rituals, they have already "subtracted" from Torah - and now they seek to "add" to it.
I'm sure were they to practice their male-related behaviors in the privacy of their homes, they would feel the inspiration they desire. But if they bring the issue to confrontation, I seriously doubt the purity of their stance.
Leah, I bring this issue up because you make no mention of it. Perhaps you believe their "fight" is pure. For reasons mentioned, I doubt it. Women are very highly regarded in the Jewish tradition (take the daughters of Tzelaphchad as an example), albeit with their own workload. But to reform Torah, in one's face, as they want to do, at the Kotel, where orthodoxy prevails, in my humble opinion, does not do honor to this holy book.