IsraelNN.com: 'Women of the Wall' Arrested for Provocation
Police arrested three “women of the Wall’ after they violated High Court limitations and wore prayer shawls in a “Rosh Chodesh” protest.Police arrested three “women of the Wall’ after they violated High Court limitations and wore prayer shawls in a protest marking the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul. Police warned the women before arresting them.Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu, August 19, 2012
The protest movement, led mostly by Reform and Conservative Jews, has campaigned against Jewish law and centuries-old customs. (cont.)
It's one thing for women to wear tallith and tefillin in private, the modest way in which RaSh"i's daughters wore tefillin to enhance their kewanna (intent). They knew it was immodest (in more than one way) to have done so in public.
Women who do so in public, mostly do not know any better, and must be educated.
Those who do know better are rebellious women, ba'aloth gaiwah (prideful), and not at all behaving like B'noth Yisrael. Rather they behave (...and think, and feel) like Westerners, are concerned with Western (ie. non-authentically Jewish) values and sensibilities, and possess a Western/progressive, "do what I want" attitude.
Feminism, egalitarianism, pluralism (save for perhaps minhaggim, music, and such), and even turning major decisions over to the masses to determine the will of the people by a "vote" are NOT Jewish concepts, not in the least.
"Conservative?" "Reform?" Translation: possibly includes those who underwent sham conversions, or whose mothers did. In other words, this begs the question, just exactly how many of them are even Jewish?
Furthermore, these women see it as their duty and purpose to battle HaZa"L (Our Sages z"l), otherwise known to them as the "oppressive hierarchical patriarchy," who "infantilize women" and "silence the woman's voice."
Those who do not overtly spit on the words of HaZa"L, work overtime to distort them, bending them to serve their agendas.
Kol HaKavod to Tzvi for including this important, last paragraph.
Orthodox women's groups have asserted in the past that the real "Women of the Wall" are the masses of devoutly Orthodox women who pray there fervently night and day, every day - not just on Rosh Chodesh - and that they have the right to have their traditional form of prayer observed without having to deal with provocations.
Of course, the so-called "Women Of The Wall" believe that they know better than their "oppressed" sisters.
For women who claim to be righteous, they certainly are quite selfish, to say the least.
On the one hand, I can't understand the appeal of trying to daven in a place where people bother you. My kavannah just doesn't bear that many distractions.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, even though I do not engage in any kind of "provocative" prayer-type behavior, I have found the Kotel an increasingly distracting place, unconducive to prayer. The womens' section is far too crowded, with too many kids running wild while their mothers are otherwise occupied, and beggars do not respect the laws of the place by begging only outside the immediate Kotel area. Many, many times I have been interrupted by collectors while I am actually in the middle of shmona esrei. Also, I have witnessed several instances of charedi women harassing women, even in loose-fitting slacks in the womens' section. Just what kind of a distraction are pants-wearing women presenting to other women that warrants hostile confrontation? It pains me to see these women, who come to the Kotel out of sincere spiritual yearnings, perhaps imperfectly expressed, being chased away and turned off to Yahadut, perhaps forever. It's hard to focus on spiritual ideals when some of the other religious women at the Kotel are so vocal about shoving our sisters away, rather than bringing them nearer.
I find it hard to believe that the tallis-wearers are more of a distraction from the atmosphere of the Kotel than this. I don't agree with them, but there are better ways of influencing them than confrontation.
Chana, I agree with much of what you said about the Kotel.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I believe that focus on the Kotel takes away focus from that which deserves the focus, the rebuilding of the Miqdash, and ITS location.
There are other ways of dealing with this. That is true. Torah is about education, and sometimes it's the Carlebach way, and sometimes it's the Amnon Yitzhaq way. Either way, לא תעמוד על רעך.
I don't this the general, behaviorist approach to ignoring their behavior is dictated here.
I never thought I was using a behaviourist approach with them. Rather, I find that klopping "al cheit" on someone elses chest isn't conducive to my own spiritual growth.
ReplyDeleteWhich isn't to say I don't *enjoy* it, but why come to the Kotel for that when I have my own computer at home?
And you are right about the Kotel taking away the focus from the Real Deal. I may have ruined the Kotel for myself for all time yesterday by going up on Har Habayit.
Somewhat to my chagrin, we were photographed and published on the web. ("That's me in the corner/That's me in the spotlight [not] losing my religion....")
Our Wakf observer determined, "זאת היא עם הפלאפון, היא *לא* מדברת,היא מתפללת".
And that is really more the experience I was looking for.
As a people we are responsibe for our brouthers and sisters. Unfortunately, there are very few rabbis out there who are willing to go out on a limb, EVEN when it means supporting a decision of the Erev Rav courts.
ReplyDeleteTorah is about educating one another, even more so in such an obvious display of gaivah and rebelliousness, not about ignoring it and hope it goes away, like apparently Arab terrorists and Christian missionaries are just supposed to go away one day, I suppose when mashiah comes. (eyes rolling)
You were on Har HaBayit?
Sure, women have to do whatever the men do. Why? Because we're modern and progressive, even though the Torah mentions nothing of the sort.
In a mixed group, no doubt, intermingling with men.
Even passing between two men is a basic issur brought down in the Shulhan Arukh.
We you careful? Did any madrich mention this? Of course, not. Because we don't hold bey politically incorrect halakhas which our contrary to our Western upbringing.
Typical.
At least agree on the importance of Har HaBayit. I can't criticize you for wanting to show your support for it, especially when many men won't.
Even the Late Lubavitcher Rebbe suggested that the women of today are the gilgilim of the women in the Midbar. By their zekhuth we made it, at least much of it was from them, if I understand correctly.
Of course, I was careful. Why on earth do you assume I was not? I went up with a group of women led by Rabbanit Yehudit Desberg, after having gotten thorough instructions and information from Einat Ziv.
ReplyDeleteAnd why would "doing what the men do" interest me?
You make a lot of unfounded assumptions.
Fair enough. I stand corrected.
ReplyDeleteI should have been clear that I was making generalizations, not necessarily directed at you.
"Rabbanit?"
Gee. I don't believe I'm familiar with that term. (sarcasm)