Let Our Daughters Learn Gemara
Ynet has an article (H) about a group of Israeli parents who sent a letter to the Minister of Education demanding that girls start learning Gemara in the religious school system in the same grade as boys. The letter can be read here. According to the article, boys start learning Gemara in 5th grade, while girls learn Mishnah at that age. Personally, I don’t think that any child should learn Gemara in school until high school for a number of reasons, but it’s upsetting that there isn’t equality in the curriculums. Full disclosure, my children’s school in galut is co-ed and everyone starts learning Gemara in 6th grade.
September 9th, 2012 at 11:54 pm
Personally I do not think one should learn Gemarra- ever ( except if you are going to be a Rabbi or professor). But I agree if you are going to learn Talmud High School is a better start than elementary school. I started in third grade and look at me now!
September 10th, 2012 at 10:42 am
As I’ve noted many times before, just because someone is modern orthodox, doesnt meant he supports feminism. Modern orthodoxy is a JEWISH concept; it refers to the way one appoaches his religion, and what degree of inpute he wants it to have in his life. It has been a freature of Jewish life, in different names and forms, since Judaism started. Feminism, by contrast, is a SECULAR concept, which began about fifty years ago; it refers to the degree of security one has in his masculinity and leadership role, and the degree to which he is sensitive to differences between the sexes. It is quite common for people to be quite modern orthodox in their practice, yet entirely unconcerned with women’s issues.
September 11th, 2012 at 11:55 pm
I have no idea what the previous person is talking about. So lets concede that feminism is a secular concept-so is democracy, women voting, one person one vote,etc. Does that make it wrong? Judaism as all religions adopt concepts, idea and yes ethics from the culture around it. The question is it wrong to limit religious study of women. I cannot think of any good reason why that would be the case except to argue from tradition. Well slavery and polygamy are also part of tradition.
September 12th, 2012 at 10:02 am
harry perkal, if you concede that feminism is a secular concept, and modern ortodoxy [as well as teaching Gemara] is a religious concept, then the two have no reason to meet. That’s all the time I’m going to waste on this.