Gavra, I will bl’n chime in on the halachic aspect of this, but first I will say that although I don’t get the R’ Nachman’s dreams reference, I do object to NDG insulting your intelligence.
ROB, I wasn’t trying to compare, I was just saying over how I heard that story.
Syag, even in my version, that’s what he meant.
Briefly:
1) The Gr”a says, as I understand it, that even the Bavli would hold like R’ Avahu of the Yerushalmi (and like the P’sikta) that it’s assur for women, but it wasn’t relevant for the Gemara to bring his opinion because the Gemara was dealing with trying to find a Tanna who holds Shabbos z’man tefillin, not the issue of women putting on tefillin per se.
2) R’ Chaim was dealing with it from the angle of lo silbash (based on Levush), but we pasken that the issue is guf naki. The Mogen Avraham and Pri Megadim (in both Mishbitzos and Eishel) both say that it’s not an issue of women being less hygenic, but of being less careful because they’re not chayavos in tefillin. That didn’t change.
3) In Shoneh Halachos, R’ Chaim says it’s assur.