Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Leib Shteinman Shlita received a number of questions pertaining to suitable employment for women as the nation’s school system opens its doors today, 9 Elul 5772.
Chadrei Chareidim reports that following are a number of the questions posed to the gadol hador.
QUESTION:
May one accept a job that demands working into the afternoon hours or should a woman work in a job that finishes earlier in the day, permitting her to be home with her children?
RAV SHTEINMAN:
It is preferable to be home during the afternoon hours. The absence of a woman from the home is a disadvantage. When a mother is not at home it is not good. In general,
כל כבודה בת מלך פנימה.
The rav emphasized that in an effort to raise one’s children in Yiddishkheit, this requires reciting a bracha on כל דבר של קדושה and this pertains particularly to the smaller children.
QUESTION:
Should one seek employment teaching or a job in computers?
RAV SHTEINMAN:
Teaching is preferable. Since a teacher deals with רוחניות, one’s head is imbued with רוחניות and this is advantageous. Computer work on the other hand has no connection to רוחניות.
QUESTION:
Should a woman continue working as a kindergarten teacher, a difficult position, or work in computers?
RAV SHTEINMAN:
When possible, work that entails רוחניות is preferable. Kindergarten teachers instill Yiddishkheit into the young children but secular work has no connection to such matters of רוחניות at all.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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4 Responses
Assuming your translation is correct (I doubt he as speaking in English), he answered them with great wisdom and a lack of definiteness that indicates that he fully understands (unlike many of the simpletons who ask the questions) that such shailohs are highly individual in nature and do not lend themselves to rules that can be applied to all situations and persons.
Why would akuperma assume those asking the Gaon their shayilos are simpletons? What are akuperma’s qualifications and what’s his IQ?
#2- The people asking personal shailohs to the Gaon are wise. The journalists (doing the questioning, which is not the same as asking a shailoh) who were trying to goad him into some simplistic “gotcha statement” on women working are the simpletons. He wisely spoke in broad generalities on a subject about which absolutes applicable to all persons would be imossible.
Just curious, are there as many jobs available in a ruchnius atmosphere that allow a woman to be home in the afternoon, as there are women who want such jobs?
Why didn’t anyone ask, what is preferable, a job in computers that allows one flexible hours to be home in afternoon or a job in ruchniyus that requires afternoon hours.