Many people seem to think that Judaism discriminates against women.
After all, they say, Jewish law doesn't allow women to be called up to read from the Torah or to be counted in a minyan (a quorum of ten men required for religious services.)
They also accuse Judaism of being a patriarchal society, where women have traditionally been expected to stay home and care for the children.
How accurate are these claims? Does Judaism believe that a woman is less valuable than a man?
Different but Equal
Judaism gives men and women different roles. However, "different," doesn't necessarily mean, "unequal." While men and women aren't given the same missions to carry out in life, neither of the missions that they are given is more important than the other.
It is true that the traditional role for Jewish women has been to take care of the children. But why is that discriminatory? If someone wants to compare this to the man's role, the woman's role actually seems more important. After all, could you think of a more crucial mission in life than to bring Jewish children into the world and to raise them to become members of the holy people of Israel?
Many will argue that expecting women to stay home with the kids instead of having her own career is sexist, but it is only modern society that believes that making money and working up the ladder of society is the ultimate goal in life.
Modern Society's View of Women
Today's society believes that in order for a woman to be equal to a man, she must be able to do and be the same as him.
Yet telling girls that they need to be just like men in order to be equal to them is the best way of telling them that their natural role of having children - a role that NO man can fulfill - is just not good enough.
Telling a girl that she should first make a career for herself and that later, if she'd like, she can start a family, belittles the role of mother and homemaker.
Without getting into an ugly political debate, try to recall how during the 2004 Presidential campaign, Teresa Heinz Kerry said about First Lady Laura Bush, "I don't know if she ever had a real job."
Heinz Kerry quickly apologized, saying that shed forgotten that Mrs. Bush had worked as a librarian and schoolteacher, and that there "couldn't be a more important job than teaching children."
Mrs. Heinz Kerry was absolutely right. Teaching children is one of the most important jobs in the world because it determines the future of humanity.
If this is true, shouldn't the role of "mother" be the most celebrated in society? Even Heinz Kerry failed to mention the First Lady's most prominent - and difficult - job of "full-time mother."
This is where Judaism differs from today's society. Judaism believes that a woman's G-d-given role of being a mother and raising children who will do G-d's will is more important than that of having a professional career. It's not that Judaism says that women can't have careers; what it is, is a matter of priorities. Of knowing and believing that a career is not more important than children. Continue Story By Nechama Kravitz, VIRTUAL JERUSALEM
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