Women’s Torah Study: Beautiful as the Moon

Every year, the festival of Shavuos confronts us with the question of women. As the men depart to spend the night (or significant parts thereof) occupied in Torah study, we women invariably ask ourselves the question: what about us? How do we receive our share in the privilege of Torah study?

The answer of the Talmudic Sages to this question is that by virtue of their assistance and contribution to the study of menfolk – a husband, children, and so on – women earn a portion in their Torah study. This answer was sufficient in the past. Today, however, it has lost its shine for those women seeking a connection to Torah that doesn’t run through an intermediary. Given today’s circumstances, in which women are occupied with every other area of study under the sun, it seems imperative to conduct a timely reassessment of women’s involvement in Torah study.

Given today’s circumstances, in which women are occupied with every other area of study under the sun, it seems imperative to conduct a timely reassessment of women’s involvement in Torah study

In her article on this platform, Orit Joshua referenced the Midrash on Shir Hashirim: “You are beautiful, my beloved, like Tirtzah – when you desire,” highlighting the unique beauty of women willingly engaging in Torah study. It is, indeed, wonderful to see women studying Torah voluntarily. This study reflects a profound desire to come close, study, and teach; it declares a true will to keep and observe the entire Torah with depth and with love. There is much beauty in women’s Torah study, as Joshua notes. And there are also dangers inherent therein, of which we need to be aware and cautious.

In this article, I will not discuss the female desire to take ownership of the Torah, which sometimes manifests in mistaken interpretations of Torah and Halacha. Joshua has already warned us of such matters in her article. Rather, I wish to address an additional concern that is apparent in the aforesaid piece, one that troubled me precisely because of its subtle presence between the lines.

What’s Wrong With Women’s Torah Study?

As part of the description of those women who are unsatisfied with the consolation prizes of secondary involvement in Torah study, Mrs. Joshua writes: “We have yet to find a Charedi man who reads Tzena U’rena for his delight or studies laws of Shabbos without the accompanying in-depth study.” This sentence encapsulates my reservations concerning the movement that seeks to cultivate grassroots enthusiasm for female Torah study while simultaneously dismissing its value unless it conforms to male standards.

Rabbanit Yamima Mizrachi exemplifies an exceptional model of voluntary and heartfelt feminine Torah study, moved by a deep inner desire and genuine yearning rather than pressure exerted from the outside. A talented woman, she took the initiative, studied hard, and began to teach Torah to the masses. She does not attempt to justify her passion or inspiration. She does not apologize for the femininity that shines through her entire being. She does not talk about learning Torah. She simply studies and teaches it, doing so with skill and flair and catering to a variety of audiences.

She does not attempt to justify her passion or inspiration. She does not apologize for the femininity that shines through her entire being. She does not talk about learning Torah. She simply studies and teaches it

Some will hear the simple, folksy, popular parts of her teachings; some will focus on the creative and ingenuous interpretations; some will appreciate the humor and encouragement, leaving the lecture reassured, content, and satisfied at having learned another nugget of Torah. There will also be those who cluck their tongues disapprovingly and say, “Oh, this is not the real McCoy. This is just paraphrasing. How embarrassing that this is the female Torah. I want the real Torah of the Beis Midrash.” It is as though the endorsement of an average bearded Charedi man – and only he – can serve as Divine validation that this is an authentic Torah study. Really?

I concede that there is a touch of cynicism in my words. The inner awakening described by Mrs. Joshua does not require someone shouting from the rooftops to tell us it’s time to feel a longing for Torah. The awakening is an internal manifestation, calm and deeply connected, growing organically without the need for acclaim or validation. The paradox of those who “arouse love before it is desired” is their contempt for female Torah scholars who do not pretend to be a female alternative to the role of men but who live in harmony with their femininity and with their Torah.

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In her article, Joshua writes explicitly that she is not here to promote any agenda; all she wants is to provide space for Torah study for women who wish to do so. Her statement resonates with me, and I support her conviction in its importance and necessity. However, I object to the disparaging spirit towards female Torah study, which seeks to shape the female Torah in a way that resembles the “original” male Torah learning of the Beis Midrash.

I was privileged to learn Torah from many women. An annual course in Rashi and an annual course in the Ramban were two experiences of deep learning from exemplary and wise, God-fearing women with a burning love of Torah and endless humility towards the Sages and Jewish Torah leaders of all generations. They taught me to appreciate the sweet taste of Hashem’s Torah and the aspiration to make it “my Torah,” absorbed through the prism of my own understanding. Yet, it seems that many movements promoting Torah study for women will not see them as role models. Perhaps the opposite is true. Despite their extensive knowledge, devotion to Torah, and reverence for Hashem, those seeking equality will claim they are not “beautiful when they desire” (to use Joshua’s terminology) because they desire Chumash and Rashi. What a simple and unheroic ambition!

In their minds, the beauty of personal initiative unveils a subversive and revolutionary desire. More than anything else, it is beautiful for its social statement and resounding objection to women’s exclusion from the traditional Beis Midrash.

Is there anything inherently wrong with the subjective self-expression that often characterizes women in their study and discourse? The average male Torah student does not enjoy many of the positive things that a corresponding woman might enjoy, and this, of course, is reflected in the style of Torah study. Does that mean that the female version is inferior? Might it suggest that there is a difference, a unique and distinctive perspective? What motivates the desire to establish programs in which women receive Torah training that simply mirrors that of men? Beyond the unsettling feeling or negative impression, there seems to be an undercurrent of missed opportunities.

Unfortunately, it sometimes appears that a sincere and noble desire to connect with the Torah and its Giver has been transformed into a tool for demonstrating that women are just as capable as men. But what will become of the Torah that yearns to be revealed through the female voices? The female endeavor to learn Torah in a way that demands male validation overlooks the inherent virtue of embracing the beauty of genuine inner desire. In the aforementioned Midrash, true splendor of the desiring woman is in the authentic expression of a primal will that pulsates and rises from within her.

Dominators and Dominated

Our world attempts to infuse power struggles deep into sacred space. The narrative suggests that men, empowered by Torah knowledge, have for time immemorial dominated women. Today, justice is finally being executed, and we can study Torah just like men. This consciousness sacrilegiously transforms the Torah into an instrument of political struggle. Instead of seeing how Torah words bring peace to the world, the Torah becomes a weapon for combating social norms.

When studying Torah, there is no comparison or imitation. Torah study is simply done for the sake of understanding the Torah. Constantly looking sideways, striving to emulate men, may give the appearance of Torah learning, but it lacks the heartfelt essence of true Torah study—the devotion to Hashem manifest in Torah study.

This consciousness sacrilegiously transforms the Torah into an instrument of political struggle. Instead of seeing how Torah words bring peace to the world, the Torah becomes a weapon for combating social norms

We are privileged to live at a time when women not only have the opportunity and legitimacy to study Torah but even have the means and platforms to further develop the realm of female-inspired Torah study. A few years ago, during a family celebration at the home of a Chasidic family that came for Shabbos, I stumbled upon a book authored by the family’s grandmother. It was filled with profound and captivating Torah insights. Her name was unfamiliar to me, leading me to believe that her Torah greatness was known only within her own family. In our generation, a woman of such stature can disseminate her Torah and gather numerous students.

In the same way that light and darkness merge at the crack of dawn, so darkness also merges with the light of women’s participation in the world of Torah study. It is unfortunate that some women who dedicate their lives to learning Torah promote a radically contradictory attitude toward our great halachic tradition. Recently, a female scholar called for women to rebel against Mikveh immersion (as a threat to menfolk). In doing so, she proved that all her efforts to increase Torah literacy among women are motivated by a perception of power struggles. Even the holiest and most intimate space between spouses is perceived as unholy in her eyes, reduced to a mere instrument of control.

Some time ago, a friend of mine wrote an article (on this platform) addressing the spiritual void in the world of Charedi women. The article called upon them to delve deeper into Torah study, investing time and effort to transcend such trivial matters as matching shoes to dresses or napkin decorations on Shavuos. It urged them to strive for spiritual growth and a realm of higher substance. In a private response to her article, one woman, a person immersed in female Torah study, wrote to her that it is not advisable for Charedi women to study Gemara, as doing so would reveal that they were “deceived” into devoting energies matters that might even be forbidden, or at the very least in deep conflict with a Torah worldview. This statement, seemingly driven by concern for Jewish women’s emotional well-being, reveals a worldview that perceives men in general, and rabbis in particular, as figures who employ halacha as a means of controlling feminine energy.

The Torah cannot be exploited as a device for power struggles between men and women; it is a unifying force that promotes peace in the world

We would do well to strongly reject this approach. The Torah embodies the living Word of Hashem, and throughout generations, genuine Torah scholars have dedicated themselves to illuminating its truth. The Torah cannot be exploited as a device for power struggles between men and women; it is a unifying force that promotes peace in the world. The Torah serves as our guiding light, enabling us to navigate the dynamic currents of time, incorporating new ideas, philosophies, and inspirations that each era and generation bring forth. It gives us the wisdom to establish harmonious relationships between men and women, safeguarding their spiritual integrity in every era and amid all conditions.

As Beautiful as the Moon

As female Torah learning arises from the heart’s longing, the feminine touch should be evident in the study. It should have the added value of a feminine flair, a special touch that can fulfill the desires of the present generation that seeks authenticity and a full expression of female identity. Borrowing from Chazal, I employ the analogy of the moon to represent female energy. While remaining in the night, our generation can begin to dream of a full moon.

In this context, I wish to mention another description of beauty that appears in Shir Hashirim: “Who is she that shines forth like the dawn, beautiful as the moon?” The moon has no beauty of its own. It is a huge, dark rock. The beauty of the moon is that it reflects the sun’s light. The moon is not screaming for attention, “Look at me!” “Look through me,” it metaphorically begs its human observer. My light is the herald of an eternal and magnificent light: the light of the sun.

Men who study the daily Daf do not pave the way for anyone. They are simply doing what generations of men did before them. But women who study Torah are laying the cornerstone foundations for a multi-story building

Women possess a unique ability to bring light into the world, a new Torah light that can shine upon the world. This potential renders us duty-bound not only to study Torah, but to be wary lest we fall into the trap of manipulating the Torah for interests and agendas that render it poison rather than the elixir of life. Alongside the profound desire for Torah study, the right way to learn Torah to be “beautiful as the moon,” reflecting the Divine will and illuminating the world with His light.

We are the first or second generation to engage in female Torah study, and every woman who studies and teaches Torah paves the way for others. Men who study the daily Daf do not pave the way for anyone. They are simply doing what generations of men did before them. But women who study Torah are laying the cornerstone foundations for a multi-story building. As a result, we must exercise great caution. God forbid, if we put our wisdom and intellectual pursuit ahead of our reverence for Hashem and His Torah, the building may collapse, causing many casualties.

Photo by Rayna Tuero on Unsplash