Post by Rabbi Neil on Apr 19, 2019 1:05:18 GMT
By Bo Keppel & Ziva Gunther
We had hoped to begin our sermon this evening with quotes from this week's Torah and haftarah
portions regarding women's contributions to the building of the mishkan and the temple, but there are
none. Zero. Not even an offhand remark. Women are absent from the descriptions of both, as they are
in so much of Torah. To such an extent that the women who are named seem to be more the exception
rather than the rule. Nonetheless, when we look at the bible, we find stories of women we can relate to
even in 2019.
We remember with pride, the women who were autonomous like: Rebecca, who got to actually have a
say in when she leaves her father’s house, who was able to speak directly with God, and who does what
she needs to do in order to secure a good future for her family. She teaches us that we have to take care
of ourselves, because often, no one else will do it for us.
And of course, Devorah, a prophetess, who has the power to summon the military leader, Barak. And
Barak was too scared to go into battle without her! And she has her own song in the book of Judges.
Devorah reminds us that leaders can come in all different shapes and sizes.
There is Hannah, whose strong faith and true words affected the way we pray the Amidah. Her method
of a “prayer of the heart” is our central act of worship. Hannah exemplifies to modern women that
religion isn’t just for men in fancy robes or those bringing sacrifices. And that when we do things with
our heart, we leave an impact.
Another woman we look up to is Abigail. She is described as “intelligent”, and acts boldly and wisely
with David, successfully convincing him not to go on a murderous rampage against her husband and his
men. Abigail teaches us that we have to do what we feel is right, even with our leaders - or husband or
family members - disagree.
And lastly, we have Ruth. Ruth gets a whole book named after her. She starts the book married, thinking
everything is ok, then loses it all. And when she has nothing, she clings to the family and faith she has
chosen for herself. Ruth’s reputation for being loving and devoted preceded her, reaching the ears of
Boaz, before they even met. Ruth shows us what can happen when we stay true to who we are and
what we believe, and when we treat each other with loving kindness.
And then we remember the women who did not have autonomy, women who were forced into
situations where they were property, not people:
Women like Hagar, Abraham’s second wife, who gave birth to Ishmael. She was a handmaiden to Sarah
and given as a gift to her master. She and her son were cast out of their homes out of jealousy, left to
die in the wilderness. But Hagar left behind a powerful lesson about a mother’s love, and her story asks
us to look at how we treat others in our lives.
There is Bilah and Zilpah, wives to Jacob, they began as servants or slaves, and were also gifted to their
masters. They birthed Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, a full third of the twelve tribes came from their
wombs. They are almost never mentioned outside of Torah, they are not even listed with the other
matriarchs in our prayers. They exist in our memories only as slaves and vessels for breeding. Bilah and
Zilpah had no power over their lives or even over their own bodies, so we remember them, and we fight
for these things for all women today. The story of Jacob's 4 wives competing to give birth can also be
seen as a cautionary tale about the importance of sisterhood.
Perhaps most famously, there is Dinah. Being the only female child born to Jacob, she lives in the large
shadows of her father and brothers. And one day, hoping to explore and connect with other women, she
is raped. Her story, as it is told in Genesis is not told for her sake. It is told to glorify her male relatives
and their anger and revenge. Dinah doesn’t get to tell her side of the story; her pain is never shared with
us. But those of us who have experienced sexual violence in our own lives we still feel her pain and her
silence. Dinah begs us to give voices to victims of sexual violence, and to seek justice for them.
And of course, Ester, whom we will be celebrating on the 20th. But none of the women in that story are
truly free. Ester is only at the palace because a decree forced her to leave her home, and her family told
her to conceal her identity. And she only reveals the truth because she had to. Her life was lived at the
whim of the men in power that surrounded her. Ester teaches us that it doesn’t matter what caused our
circumstances, it only matters that we do the right thing when it counts.
This has only been a short description of a few of the women in our sacred texts, but there are so many
more, asking us from the past to read their stories, to think about the missing pieces - because there are
a lot of missing pieces - and to hear the lessons they are trying to teach us.
Our history has not always been open to the “authentic voices of women,” to quote Rabbi Neil. But we
know women, and we know they would have had much to say! We need to hear women’s voices. But, as
we believe that diversity fosters understanding, we must listen not only to women’s voices, but we must
also make space for the voices of others who have been silenced, such as those of racial and ethnic
minorities, those of other sexual orientations and gender identities, the elderly and all who are devalued
and disenfranchised.
I like to think the TBS is a place where these lessons and more are being applied. For those of you who
don’t know, 6 months ago, at Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Neil asked the congregation, “What if Judaism
actually listened to the authentic voices of women”? He asked, and the women of Temple Beth Shalom
answered. Some responses were immediate, literally pinning demands to his office door. But it was
obvious that a more thoughtful and long-term solution would be called necessary. Out of that, the
women of the community came together and formed the Women’s Voices group. We began meeting
every two weeks, this vibrant group of women from many different backgrounds, all fired up to find our
own authentic Jewish and female voices. It became evident that not only did we want to make rituals
more feminist, we also wanted to expand our knowledge of feminist theology, women’s traditions,
midrash, and more. In the beginning of this process we combined these large ideas into one meeting.
But as time has passed we came to realize the need to become two groups. One, which is dedicated to
learning more about women and Judaism. They have been reading the Rachel Adler book, Engendering
Judaism. We have wonderful, engaging conversations about the text, about Judaism, and about
ourselves. We hope that as the group progresses we can continue to learn about how we as women
engage in Jewish Tradition, especially in the modern world. The second group is about action. We
understand that there is value in learning and reading, but that there are also things which need
changing now. We have already begun to make small recommendations to Rabbi Neil about how we can
make our community more attuned to the “authentic voices of women”, and how we can work together
to make Temple Beth Shalom the best it can be. And to his credit, Rabbi has been enthusiastic and ready
to listen to our voices and implement our requests. As the Women’s Voices Group moves forward we
are excited and energized to continue to bring our unique voices to the community at large and to make
the changes we know need to be made. And to learn the things we will need to learn to pave the road
ahead.
According to Oxfam International, “Gender inequality is one of the oldest and most pervasive forms of
inequality in the world. It denies women their voices, devalues their work and makes women’s position
unequal to men’s, from the household to the national and global levels. The majority of the world’s poor
are women.” Let me repeat that: The majority of the world’s poor are women. And yet, ironically, also
according to Oxfam, “increasing women’s economic equality would reduce poverty for everyone.”
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, “Between
100 and 140 million women alive today have suffered female genital mutilation,” condemning them to
lives of pain, infection and ostracism. The same US government office reports, “In the United States,
available estimates suggest that more than 513,000 girls and women have experienced or are at
immediate risk of undergoing female genital mutilation”. In addition, Pathfinder, an organization that
works in over 90 countries to improve the lives of women, states “Each year 303,000 women die from
complications related to pregnancy or childbirth” caused by poverty, rural isolation and lack of access to
medical care, “leaving 1 million children motherless.”
If these statistics on women are not concerning enough, HHS’s Office on Women’s Health reports “In
2016, 7,500 people were trafficked in the United States, and up to 800,000 are trafficked worldwide
each year. Half of these victims are under 18, and most are girls and women.
And finally, the almost daily, but still shocking, reports of the unchecked physical and sexual abuse of
women in India speaks to us loudly: Until women are recognized as human beings equal in value to
men, such horrific abuse will continue.
What is and can be done to reverse these depressing facts and statistics? Organizations such as Oxfam,
Pathfinder, Women for Women International, The Global Fund for Women, Unifem and Unicef
emphasize educating women and improving their health outcomes. Others such as Maya Works begin
with micro-loan programs and fair trade art cooperatives to achieve financial stability and foster
community recognition leading to improvements in education and health. Many other organizations
work tirelessly in every country in the world with the goal of improving the lives of women and girls.
Most also work with men helping them recognize that when women and girls are provided with
education, have access to healthcare, learn a skill, are allowed to work, the economic status of males
and whole communities substantially improves. However, change is slow and so much more must be
done to achieve gender equity here in the United States and throughout the world.
Each of us, must speak out against the stereotypes surrounding gender and gender roles. We must
recognize that youth who are rejecting binary gender identification are challenging us to look at gender
in new ways, to question the validity of traditional gender roles and to discard value assessments based
on gender.
We at TBS have the opportunity to be leaders in the struggle for gender equality here in our community.
Let us educate ourselves and not be afraid to ask for guidance from those brave enough to reject the
categorization of half the human population as “less than.” Let us refuse to disparage women and girls
and instead commit to supporting the work of others across the world in the effort to improve the lives
of women and girls, that someday we may achieve gender equity here and everywhere. We invite men
to join us.
On this International Women’s Day, we would like to wrap up by saying that the issues we have talked
about tonight are only the tip of the iceberg. Just today, the group Women of the Wall were coming
together to pray, celebrate International Women’s Day, and to celebrate their 30th anniversary. And
when they arrived they were met with thousands of Ultra-Orthodox people who came to insult them
and stop their celebration. The encounter ended with police involvement, injuries, and the need for the
police to escort the group to a safer area. And now the police are accusing the group of provoking
violence. “A spokeswoman for the progressive [WOW] group told The Times of Israel that several older
members had been shoved to the ground by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, adding that the protest was
far more intense than what they are used to enduring on a monthly basis.” This is the kind of thing
International Women’s Day is here to fight. When we work together to become more tolerant, we make
the world a safer place. The leader of the Women of the Wall, Anat Hoffman, shared this after today’s
events, “We have been here for 30 years and so we will continue, every month of the year, for good,”.
They are not going to stop fighting for equality, and neither are we.
When women suffer, everyone suffers. I know it can seem bleak, that equality, not only for women, but
for everyone seems like a goal we may never reach. And maybe we won’t in this lifetime. But I would say
to you, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” And let
We had hoped to begin our sermon this evening with quotes from this week's Torah and haftarah
portions regarding women's contributions to the building of the mishkan and the temple, but there are
none. Zero. Not even an offhand remark. Women are absent from the descriptions of both, as they are
in so much of Torah. To such an extent that the women who are named seem to be more the exception
rather than the rule. Nonetheless, when we look at the bible, we find stories of women we can relate to
even in 2019.
We remember with pride, the women who were autonomous like: Rebecca, who got to actually have a
say in when she leaves her father’s house, who was able to speak directly with God, and who does what
she needs to do in order to secure a good future for her family. She teaches us that we have to take care
of ourselves, because often, no one else will do it for us.
And of course, Devorah, a prophetess, who has the power to summon the military leader, Barak. And
Barak was too scared to go into battle without her! And she has her own song in the book of Judges.
Devorah reminds us that leaders can come in all different shapes and sizes.
There is Hannah, whose strong faith and true words affected the way we pray the Amidah. Her method
of a “prayer of the heart” is our central act of worship. Hannah exemplifies to modern women that
religion isn’t just for men in fancy robes or those bringing sacrifices. And that when we do things with
our heart, we leave an impact.
Another woman we look up to is Abigail. She is described as “intelligent”, and acts boldly and wisely
with David, successfully convincing him not to go on a murderous rampage against her husband and his
men. Abigail teaches us that we have to do what we feel is right, even with our leaders - or husband or
family members - disagree.
And lastly, we have Ruth. Ruth gets a whole book named after her. She starts the book married, thinking
everything is ok, then loses it all. And when she has nothing, she clings to the family and faith she has
chosen for herself. Ruth’s reputation for being loving and devoted preceded her, reaching the ears of
Boaz, before they even met. Ruth shows us what can happen when we stay true to who we are and
what we believe, and when we treat each other with loving kindness.
And then we remember the women who did not have autonomy, women who were forced into
situations where they were property, not people:
Women like Hagar, Abraham’s second wife, who gave birth to Ishmael. She was a handmaiden to Sarah
and given as a gift to her master. She and her son were cast out of their homes out of jealousy, left to
die in the wilderness. But Hagar left behind a powerful lesson about a mother’s love, and her story asks
us to look at how we treat others in our lives.
There is Bilah and Zilpah, wives to Jacob, they began as servants or slaves, and were also gifted to their
masters. They birthed Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher, a full third of the twelve tribes came from their
wombs. They are almost never mentioned outside of Torah, they are not even listed with the other
matriarchs in our prayers. They exist in our memories only as slaves and vessels for breeding. Bilah and
Zilpah had no power over their lives or even over their own bodies, so we remember them, and we fight
for these things for all women today. The story of Jacob's 4 wives competing to give birth can also be
seen as a cautionary tale about the importance of sisterhood.
Perhaps most famously, there is Dinah. Being the only female child born to Jacob, she lives in the large
shadows of her father and brothers. And one day, hoping to explore and connect with other women, she
is raped. Her story, as it is told in Genesis is not told for her sake. It is told to glorify her male relatives
and their anger and revenge. Dinah doesn’t get to tell her side of the story; her pain is never shared with
us. But those of us who have experienced sexual violence in our own lives we still feel her pain and her
silence. Dinah begs us to give voices to victims of sexual violence, and to seek justice for them.
And of course, Ester, whom we will be celebrating on the 20th. But none of the women in that story are
truly free. Ester is only at the palace because a decree forced her to leave her home, and her family told
her to conceal her identity. And she only reveals the truth because she had to. Her life was lived at the
whim of the men in power that surrounded her. Ester teaches us that it doesn’t matter what caused our
circumstances, it only matters that we do the right thing when it counts.
This has only been a short description of a few of the women in our sacred texts, but there are so many
more, asking us from the past to read their stories, to think about the missing pieces - because there are
a lot of missing pieces - and to hear the lessons they are trying to teach us.
Our history has not always been open to the “authentic voices of women,” to quote Rabbi Neil. But we
know women, and we know they would have had much to say! We need to hear women’s voices. But, as
we believe that diversity fosters understanding, we must listen not only to women’s voices, but we must
also make space for the voices of others who have been silenced, such as those of racial and ethnic
minorities, those of other sexual orientations and gender identities, the elderly and all who are devalued
and disenfranchised.
I like to think the TBS is a place where these lessons and more are being applied. For those of you who
don’t know, 6 months ago, at Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Neil asked the congregation, “What if Judaism
actually listened to the authentic voices of women”? He asked, and the women of Temple Beth Shalom
answered. Some responses were immediate, literally pinning demands to his office door. But it was
obvious that a more thoughtful and long-term solution would be called necessary. Out of that, the
women of the community came together and formed the Women’s Voices group. We began meeting
every two weeks, this vibrant group of women from many different backgrounds, all fired up to find our
own authentic Jewish and female voices. It became evident that not only did we want to make rituals
more feminist, we also wanted to expand our knowledge of feminist theology, women’s traditions,
midrash, and more. In the beginning of this process we combined these large ideas into one meeting.
But as time has passed we came to realize the need to become two groups. One, which is dedicated to
learning more about women and Judaism. They have been reading the Rachel Adler book, Engendering
Judaism. We have wonderful, engaging conversations about the text, about Judaism, and about
ourselves. We hope that as the group progresses we can continue to learn about how we as women
engage in Jewish Tradition, especially in the modern world. The second group is about action. We
understand that there is value in learning and reading, but that there are also things which need
changing now. We have already begun to make small recommendations to Rabbi Neil about how we can
make our community more attuned to the “authentic voices of women”, and how we can work together
to make Temple Beth Shalom the best it can be. And to his credit, Rabbi has been enthusiastic and ready
to listen to our voices and implement our requests. As the Women’s Voices Group moves forward we
are excited and energized to continue to bring our unique voices to the community at large and to make
the changes we know need to be made. And to learn the things we will need to learn to pave the road
ahead.
According to Oxfam International, “Gender inequality is one of the oldest and most pervasive forms of
inequality in the world. It denies women their voices, devalues their work and makes women’s position
unequal to men’s, from the household to the national and global levels. The majority of the world’s poor
are women.” Let me repeat that: The majority of the world’s poor are women. And yet, ironically, also
according to Oxfam, “increasing women’s economic equality would reduce poverty for everyone.”
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Women’s Health, “Between
100 and 140 million women alive today have suffered female genital mutilation,” condemning them to
lives of pain, infection and ostracism. The same US government office reports, “In the United States,
available estimates suggest that more than 513,000 girls and women have experienced or are at
immediate risk of undergoing female genital mutilation”. In addition, Pathfinder, an organization that
works in over 90 countries to improve the lives of women, states “Each year 303,000 women die from
complications related to pregnancy or childbirth” caused by poverty, rural isolation and lack of access to
medical care, “leaving 1 million children motherless.”
If these statistics on women are not concerning enough, HHS’s Office on Women’s Health reports “In
2016, 7,500 people were trafficked in the United States, and up to 800,000 are trafficked worldwide
each year. Half of these victims are under 18, and most are girls and women.
And finally, the almost daily, but still shocking, reports of the unchecked physical and sexual abuse of
women in India speaks to us loudly: Until women are recognized as human beings equal in value to
men, such horrific abuse will continue.
What is and can be done to reverse these depressing facts and statistics? Organizations such as Oxfam,
Pathfinder, Women for Women International, The Global Fund for Women, Unifem and Unicef
emphasize educating women and improving their health outcomes. Others such as Maya Works begin
with micro-loan programs and fair trade art cooperatives to achieve financial stability and foster
community recognition leading to improvements in education and health. Many other organizations
work tirelessly in every country in the world with the goal of improving the lives of women and girls.
Most also work with men helping them recognize that when women and girls are provided with
education, have access to healthcare, learn a skill, are allowed to work, the economic status of males
and whole communities substantially improves. However, change is slow and so much more must be
done to achieve gender equity here in the United States and throughout the world.
Each of us, must speak out against the stereotypes surrounding gender and gender roles. We must
recognize that youth who are rejecting binary gender identification are challenging us to look at gender
in new ways, to question the validity of traditional gender roles and to discard value assessments based
on gender.
We at TBS have the opportunity to be leaders in the struggle for gender equality here in our community.
Let us educate ourselves and not be afraid to ask for guidance from those brave enough to reject the
categorization of half the human population as “less than.” Let us refuse to disparage women and girls
and instead commit to supporting the work of others across the world in the effort to improve the lives
of women and girls, that someday we may achieve gender equity here and everywhere. We invite men
to join us.
On this International Women’s Day, we would like to wrap up by saying that the issues we have talked
about tonight are only the tip of the iceberg. Just today, the group Women of the Wall were coming
together to pray, celebrate International Women’s Day, and to celebrate their 30th anniversary. And
when they arrived they were met with thousands of Ultra-Orthodox people who came to insult them
and stop their celebration. The encounter ended with police involvement, injuries, and the need for the
police to escort the group to a safer area. And now the police are accusing the group of provoking
violence. “A spokeswoman for the progressive [WOW] group told The Times of Israel that several older
members had been shoved to the ground by ultra-Orthodox demonstrators, adding that the protest was
far more intense than what they are used to enduring on a monthly basis.” This is the kind of thing
International Women’s Day is here to fight. When we work together to become more tolerant, we make
the world a safer place. The leader of the Women of the Wall, Anat Hoffman, shared this after today’s
events, “We have been here for 30 years and so we will continue, every month of the year, for good,”.
They are not going to stop fighting for equality, and neither are we.
When women suffer, everyone suffers. I know it can seem bleak, that equality, not only for women, but
for everyone seems like a goal we may never reach. And maybe we won’t in this lifetime. But I would say
to you, “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” And let