Tzofnas Paneach

BY Maidel

I haven’t seen all of the posts, only your opening post. But let me address it to the best of my ability.

On the one hand we find in halacha that women may not hold certain positions, and play certain roles. Yet, we don’t seem to perceive any deficiencies in women’s cognitive skills. Even Devora Hanevia, who was a shofetes, didn’t function as a dayan on her own, but simply instructed male dayanim. So clearly she had the qualities of knowing halacha but still was not eligible to function as a dayan. So just from that instance itself, even without taking into account our own observations, we see the apparent contradiction. Anyone has the wisdom to realize that this is a good question, and yet the ruling in the case of Devorah was as stated. So clearly there is something that they knew or understood that justified that position.

Let me take a step back, before I continue.

I am a talmudic scholar. In my early youth, I considered many of the most profound philosophical questions, which challenge or otherwise relate to our religion. I have good answers for lot’s of things for which others, even famous scholars, do not. But when I didn’t have the answer, I never felt that the required concept was truly in question, and the integrity of that concept did lessen at all in my eyes. Probably that was due to my youth and innocence, at the time that I dealt with these issues. And so, I used all of my tools of logic to deal with these questions to the best of my ability, and I walked away with a wealth of understanding. More recently, however, after I had gotten much older, and had been through much pain and difficulty in my life, and had not had the ability to be a full time student as should have been my calling, I had a different experience. I recently saw some kfira on line. It did taint me at the time, rachmana litzlan, and for a long time after that, I was walking around with thoughts that I hated myself for having. I realized then, how true is the warning that we are instructed by halacha, that we may not enter into a discussion with a heretic. But I knew that if I would have been a better man, stronger in my emunah, I would have remained untainted as had been the case always in my youth. I then resolved never again to enter into a dialogue with, or even listen to, or read the words of, heretics.

What changed? Was I less able to work through logical issues that in my early youth. Certainly not! I’m only getting better all the time, Baruch Hashem. But something about me, I can only guess but not know for sure exactly what, made me such that I couldn’t deal with these types of things as I once could.

Now supposing Chaza”l would tell us some clear distinction between what type of person may, and what type of person may not have such discussions, would we perceive the distinction? Would we have the understanding for it to justify it out of our own understanding? Probably not.

This is a beginning of a longer discussion, should you feel that what I can offer is of value to you, and should you be truly open to hearing something/s which would ease your discrepancies, and dull the sharpness of those questions which eat away at your innocence.