#responsa

There are many mitzvot from which women are halakhically exempt. Those mitzvot are generally categorized as "positive commandments which are time-bound" in that they have to be performed at a specific time of the day or on specific days of the year. This categorization is, however, imperfect. There are positive time-bound commandments which women are obligated to observe, as well as positive non-time-bound commandments from which they are legally exempt. The gemara itself was aware of the problems, and resolved it by recourse to the dictum of Rabbi Yohanan, Ein lemeidin min hakelalot – general principles are not to be understood as definitive.

However, the imperfection of the principle is legally insignificant. Even if one could demonstrate that the principle is totally insufficient to explain which mitzvot women must observe and from which they are exempt, each specific case, either for obligation or exemption, has the clear weight of precedent to support it. [...] To reverse either specific rabbinic decisions vis-à-vis certain mitzvot from which women are now exempt, or to abolish the principle in its entirety, requires a presentation in each case of the legal grounds and justification for overturning precedent. To do so solely on the basis of the imperfection of the principle would be totally insufficient, since the promulgators of the norms themselves recognized that the precedents they were setting were not absolutely consistent with the principle. [...]

This responsum deduces the right of women to observe the time-bound mitzvot from the very principle which the mishna uses to designate the general category of mitzvot from which they are exempt. The principle implies exemption, not proscription. Given the class of "those who observe though not commanded", and the absence of any clear and explicit prohibition, there are no grounds for asserting that women may not observe mitzvot qua mitzvot. Furthermore, since the blessings are integral to the mitzvot, there can be no justification for denying them the right to recite the appropriate blessings as they perform the mitzvot.

R. Joel Roth, On the Ordination of Women as Rabbis (responsum), 1984

The exemption of women based on whether a mitzvah is positive and time-bound is problematic: First, many mitzvot from which women are exempted do not have to be performed in a narrow window of time [...] Second, there were many time-bound positive mitzvot that were incumbent on women, and the abundant exceptions suggest that the principle that women were exempted from mitzvot that are positive and time-bound may not be a prescriptive rule at all. [...] In response to the problems with the category of time-bound positive mitzvot, a number of scholars have explored the possibility that this rule applies descriptively: it conformed to the social reality that prevailed during the classic rabbinic period by describing a number of time-bound positive mitzvot that women were not performing. The principle was directly linked to social reality [...] only after it was articulated as a description of actual behaviour did it become a prescription for behaviour. [...]

Our study of the sources leads us to two conclusions about women and mitzvot in the perspective of the tannaim and amoraim: 1) the characterization of mitzvot as positive and time-bound was not a generative principle that determined whether women were exempt from a particular mitzvah; and 2) women were exempted from many, but not all, obligations because they generally had a subordinate role, and the subordination of women was the reason for women's exemption from certain mitzvot.

"I have the right to do anything" -- but not everything is constructive.

#Paul wrote in a #responsa to the #Corinthians, his first known letter to them;

Here it is on Ao3!

Here it is on FFnet!

This is really a PSA that I should have shared a long time ago, because there are so many amazing free resources for Jewish texts that are already out there! But especially now, when people may be at a loss to “replace” chaburot, chavrutot, shiurim, batei midrash, and classes, some of these links may be very helpful!

First and foremost is Sefaria. I cannot express in words how incredible Sefaria is. They have the most user-friendly site, with a vast database of Jewish texts, most of which are in both Hebrew and English (with some other languages available as well), all cross-referenced in a way that makes it extremely easy to use, not to mention the source sheet database and maker... and of course, it all has always been, and always will be, totally free and open-source and legal to use however you want! I recently attended a workshop on Sefaria, and if you remind me when I have time, I will absolutely make a separate post highlighting some of the possibly-lesser-known amazing features it has.

Before I knew about Sefaria, I swore by Mechon Mamre. This landing page has a listing of all their text resources, both online and downloadable (and also totally free!). Much of what it offers includes English translation, as well as some other languages.

Self-styled “Google for Tanach,” the Herzog Institute’s Hatanakh website has some great resources that I use regularly in teaching. In addition to a variety of multimedia resources for each chapter (and a bright, colourful interface), it offers dynamic biblical maps with locations of interest for a given chapter marked! The site also has English functionality.

For tzurat hadaf (i.e., learning Gemara online from something that looks exactly the way it looks in a standard print Gemara), I use E-daf or Hebrew Books, which both offer scans from the standard vilna Talmud Bavli, on an almost daily basis.

If you’re studying Gemara, you may want to make use of the Jastrow - the most popular Talmudic Aramaic-English dictionary. (Note that this resource is also available on Sefaria.)

929 provides a schedule and plan for learning all 929 chapters of Tanach through daily study - like daf yomi, but for Tanach! The site includes the text itself, along with a multitude of multimedia resources to enrich your learning.

Dicta is a resource which far too few people know about, and which I use on a level with Sefaria. It’s a non-profit, so totally and always free to use, which provides a number of advanced tools for studying Jewish texts, including two versions of an automatic Nakdan to add vowels to Hebrew and Aramaic texts (including Biblical, Rabbinic, and Medieval poetry texts), advanced searches for the Tanach and Talmud, a dictionary of Talmudic abbreviations, a tool to assist in making your own Hebrew/liturgical poetry????, and more, as detailed on the landing page which can toggle between English and Hebrew. I am planning on attending a webinar to learn more about Dicta’s amazing uses soon, so if reminded after that point, I will be happy to make a longer post focused on Dicta and sharing my learning about how you can benefit from it!

But wait, there’s more! Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic and widespread quarantining/isolation, two proprietary sites have made their content free to use for the duration:

When I was in university (and had access to the database through my institution’s library), I found the Bar-Ilan Responsa Project to be an incredible resource. It’s tabbed, highly searchable with advanced search properties, and contains a truly vast store of Jewish texts in general but particularly responsa, including from Acharonim that are difficult to find elsewhere! Note: you will have to register / make an account to use this resource, but it is free to do so now, and probably worth it!

I’ve never used Otzar Hachochma, but I understand it also has a vast database of Jewish texts, and a very refined search system. Note that this resource appears to only have a Hebrew interface.

It is clear from the sources that destroying or throwing into the garbage papers with the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew on them could be a biblical violation. I therefore recommend that the Committee of Jewish Law and Standards declare that: Printing the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew on synagogue stationary is contrary to Jewish law.

R. Morris Shapiro, The Printing of the Tetragrammaton in Hebrew on Synagogue Stationary (responsum), 1981