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In reply to by jrosenbaum

Of course the Talmud is composed by men for men; what else would you expect from the first millenium? But it is the text that underlies 1500 years of Jewish laws and traditions. Feminists who ignore Talmud or say it has no relevance for Jews today do so at their peril, however they may be relieved to know that Israeli Talmud scholar Tal Ilan is editing a new series, "A Feminist Commentary on the Babylonian Talmud." Either five or six volumes have been published and the goal is to have one on each Talmudic tractate.

One of the challenges, and pleasures, of Talmud study is how open the text is to interpretation, or reinterpretation. Minority opinions are presented as valid, and one is free to follow the sage whose opinion one prefers.

The bottom line is that knowledge is power, and women's exclusion from Talmud study has left us powerless to challenge the halacha that disadvantages women. Preevia mentions my saying that halacha is made by men in black coats sitting around a table from which we/women are excluded. But at the rate that women, especially in the Orthodox world, are studying Talmud, I don't think it will be long before women in black dresses are sitting around that table too. And I have no doubt that Jewish Law will not only look different, but better.

www.maggieanton.com

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