Let's start wading a little deeper into this unit by finding online articles or blog posts that address relevant topics-anything having to do with being an observant Jewish woman, from dating/marriage, to motherhood, to career paths, to leadership roles, to changing assumptions about what an ideal Jewish woman "should" be.
Assignment:
Find a recent (no older than a few months) article or blog post, written in an intelligent and articulate fashion (no crazy rants...you get the idea). The article/blog must speak about one or more of the possibilities listed above. Write a 2-3 paragraph summary of the article's thesis, along with your personal thoughts on it. Then reply to at least 2 classmates' comments below.
This assignment is due tomorrow, Wed. May 13th, before class.
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ReplyDeleteI read an article called "Why I'm Not Offended by the Blessing, "Thank You G-d, For Not Making Me a Woman", written by Chana Weisberg. She writes how even as a staunch advocate for women, she is not troubled by the brachah and understands the perspective. She tells a story told by Rabbi Eliyahu Kitov, which is about a king who has two subjects whom his gives two different assignments. The first is appointed to be the general in his army, who wears a uniform adorned with many medals. He will take great risks and will be charged with tremendous responsibility, but he will also reap the rewards of his efforts, since his heroic service will be acknowledged by all. To the second individual, the king assigns a completely different role. He is to serve in the king’s secret service. He wears no uniform, and is not adorned with any badges of honor. He too will be charged with valiant missions, and take perhaps even greater risks, without which the kingdom could not survive. But no one may know about his courage. Though to the outside observer his job may appear far less glamorous, his role is vital, and the king assures him how much he appreciates his sacrifice. Rabbi Kitov explains, a man thanks G‑d every morning for not being assigned the less rewarding role. He proudly dons his religious “medals” and uniform, and assumes his extra commandments in his more public service. A woman, on the other hand, understands the significance of her more private role. She realizes how vital her nurturance is for the survival of mankind. She assumes the role that receives little public recognition, modestly knowing that to G‑d her sacrifices are invaluable. Chana Weisberg then says that she liked this story but was troubled by the reality of the actual brachah, She claims that being a woman is difficult, and even today women are still earning less than their male counterparts. have a lack of representation in many key positions, are subject to sexual harassment, are still performing the majority of the household chores, and biases against women are still unfortunately prevalent; women are objectified and exploited. She realizes that it makes sense for males to recite this blessing, and wants them to feel grateful for their mothers, sisters, wives and daughters, who sacrifice so much for them and for our society. And, as they do, let them think about how they as individuals can make the circumstances of the women in their lives better. She later explains that Redemption is a feminine era. It is a time when we will experience a more inner, more private dimension in our relationship with G‑d. It is a time when we will naturally observe the mitzvot and learn Torah out of our true love for Him, without the need for reward. Our role as G‑d’s servants will be fully appreciated.
ReplyDeleteThis is greatly written Chaya!!
DeleteI like that story too. It's an interesting mashal.
DeleteVery interesting perspective.
DeleteIn the blog post, My Fashion Choices—and My Husband’s—Reveal the Risks of Looking Hasidic, written by Chaya Rivka Zwolinski, a Chassidic woman, explains her transition from a sheitel to mitpachat (scarf/ tichel) over time and why. She begins by saying that her and her husband had been married for the past nine years and she had been covering her hair since then. At home Chaya Rivka would wear a head-covering and in public she would put on a sheitel. Chaya Rivka explains how she had never faced any problems wearing a sheitel. The wig looked like real hair and people didn’t identify her as being Jewish. The, once she was out with her husband, and being Chassidic, it’s not that hard to tell if you’re Jewish or not. The payis, shtreimel, beard, and yamukkah. Once the couple received some hate on the subway (not only on the subway ride, but in other places too), people spat at their feet, or they would curse at them, or people would drag their finger across their neck in order to show slicing their heads off. Chaya Rivka’s husband seemed to be able to handle all the hate, but she couldn’t. Chaya Rivka didn’t understand how her husband could just stand there. Chaya Rivka was astonished of how differently people acted towards her with her husband, to when she was alone riding the subway, looking like any other woman.
ReplyDeleteChaya Rivka states, “Despite the camouflage of my wig, in public with my husband I became one of “those people.” And for quite a while, I wasn’t sure if I was emotionally up to the task,” explaining how she thought about switching from a sheitel to tichel. More and more she realized that people would begin to look at her differently. At that point she realized that over time, the wig began to feel less like sensible camouflage and more like a counterfeit. Chaya Rivka says, “So, I decided to swap my sheitel for a scarf despite the protests from my friends. (My husband was actually thrilled with my choice; he too, likes the honesty of a scarf or hat and when pressed, also admitted he prefers the way I look in them.)” She then says how she wanted to feel comfortable being a Jew, and wearing a wig was just a disguise and she was hiding from everything. When she made her transition to tichel from sheitel, she wasn’t prepared for the reactions from the public that she would receive. She says how not always does everyone act negatively towards her, sometimes they are curious and interested in learning. Chaya Rivka says, “since I’ve started to wear a shmatte, as a friend from London calls headscarves, I feel exposed, different, vulnerable. On the subway, in Manhattan, in my co-op—everywhere—there’s a constant consciousness: I’m representing,” stating that she’s happy she made her transition. Now she represents who she is and doesn’t hide away in her wig. Later on Chaya Rivka explains how she enjoys wearing a scarf and that she feels more comfortable now.
I think Chaya Rivka made a bold statement to many people in NY, and all over. She’s truly an inspiration in modern day times since there is so much anti semitism. I think, the statement she is trying to make is that, there’s no reason to “hide away our identity behind a wig” when we could represent with a different hair-cover. It’s all about reflecting upon Hashem and Judaism. I really enjoyed reading this and it makes me proud to know, that I’m just one person, but I represent the Jewish people as a whole. We all do. Wherever we go, we walk as a nation.
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-life-and-religion/135012/fashion-looking-hasidic
That is a beautiful story! It really was bold of her to make that decision. Eventhough she probably thinks her sheital looks nices or fancier she decided to give it up for a greater reason. Also, despite the fact that covering your hair is a personal mitzvah and doesn't really effect other people she decided that it was more important to let everyone know that she's Jewish and she's proud of it. Truly inspirational.
DeleteCouldn't have said it better myself, Eliana. That is very bold of her.
Deletehttp://www.chabad.org/parshah/article_cdo/aid/2849492/jewish/The-Wisdom-of-Modesty.htm
ReplyDeleteIn this article, the author, Rochel Holzkenner, discusses dressing modestly. Many things that I have read or hear about modesty are about the halacha or the rationale. Rochel talks more about the hashkafa, and talks about modestly more in a style. She explains the difference of two mindsets for practicing certain Jewish laws, in this case modesty. The first mindset is to look at the laws and say, ok all I need to do is cover my color bone, elbows and knees, it doesn’t matter how I do I just need to do that. The second mindset is to look at the laws and realize what they are trying to do or accomplish and then not just follow what the exact criteria is but understand the idea and realize, there are many articles of clothing that can cover what needs to be covered but that does not necessarily make them tzinuah.
When Rochel came into class she was technically following the laws of tzniut, so why did her students think it was so weird? It seemed weird because Rochel believes and exemplifies the second mindset that we should have when approaching halacha. Rochel explains that the way Jews dress is not just about covering certain areas up, it is about dressing honorably and respectfully in a way that reflects our nation and G-d. We are the children of a king and therefor we dress with honor and dignity.
I found this article extremely eye opening. I find that it is often hard to connect with halacha but when someone, like Rochel, explains something in such a connectable way, it is much easier to understand. While it is important to follow halacha, halacha is meant to bring us to a certain place or mindset and one can not get there by thinking, the halacha is this and it doesn’t matter how I do it. Although not everyone may realize it, our clothing highly reflect us, what we care about, how we want to be seen or treated and all around who we are which is why we have these laws. Sometimes it can be hard or even discouraging to look at halacha as just rules of what you can’t do, but when you can realize how it is trying to help and guide you, you can see it with the second mind set and connect to what you are doing.
I read an article called "Can Jewish Women Work?" written by Allison Josephs. Allison Josephs is the founder of Jew in the City, an organization whose mission is to break down stereotypes about religious Jews and offer a humorous, meaningful outlook into Orthodox Judaism.
ReplyDeleteThis article discussed how being orthodox does not mean you cannot have a career. It is indeed possible for an orthodox woman to work and still be able to take care of her children and practice mitzvot.
In the article Allison says, "How prevalent are working women in the Orthodox world nowadays? I’d venture to say that the majority of Orthodox women – from across the spectrum of Orthodoxy – have jobs beyond their homes and families. In many cases, it’s an economic necessity. In lots of cases, it’s a matter of a woman wanting to contribute her talents to the world and have an outlet outside of her kids. The role of the woman as the spiritual foundation of the home still exists – but some women want, need (or both) to work outside of the home as well."
I really liked this article because it really explained and showed how the common misconception of orthodox women always being stay at home moms is not true at all.
http://jewinthecity.com/2012/07/can-orthodox-jewish-woman-work/
I read the article “The Meaning of Hair Covering.” The author begins by telling a story. He once heard an anthropologist talking about sheitels. He was saying that it was ironic that observant, married Jewish women where these wigs. The mitzvah to cover your hair is because it is special and beautiful for your husband. These wigs are often more beautiful than natural hair. The man was saying that these wig defeat the whole purpose of hair covering.
ReplyDeleteThe author continues by saying how wrong the anthropologist really was. The anthropologist’s definition of modesty was attractive. This would explain why he thought wigs were not modest. The author explains that that is not at all Judaism's thoughts on modesty. In Judaism, modesty is to create privacy. This is why the wigs are considered modest. Judaism wants both men and women to feel beautiful.
Hair covering does not stop this. Hair covering says that the woman is unavailable. Wigs have this effect. They cover the woman’s hair while still maintaining her appearance. She can still feel beautiful while keeping her privacy. Even if the wig appears to be real hair, the woman knows that it is not. She has the decision of who to show her real self to.
This article answered many questions that I’ve had. I never understood how sheitels are allowed, because they look so real.