Beginning with R. Sol Berman’s recollections upon the fortieth anniversary of R. J.B. Soloveitchik’s giving a Shiur to women on Yeshiva University’s Stern College campus, I have been following the Lehrhaus discussion regarding women’s Talmud study. As someone who has championed women’s Gemora study throughout my day school and synagogue career, it was an opportunity to gain context regarding the field as a whole, as well as where things stand today.
Even though a number of respondents are well-known and experienced educators on different levels of Jewish education, it was interesting to me to note that the discussion has not at all taken into consideration the different levels of interest and ability reflected in a typical day school’s student body. I believe, similar to Rivkah Kahan, that studying personally appropriate subject matter is not only an issue that effects women, but men as well. Just as many boys for one reason or another find it difficult to enthusiastically and deeply appreciate Talmud, there are girls who most probably would thrive were more Talmud included in their courses of study. In other words, a fundamental question that this topic engenders is: Is every student equipped or even motivated to focus on “Lomdus,†as R. Ezra Schwartz put it, or “advanced, serious Talmud study†as others have stated? If the principle of (Mishlei 22:6) “Chanoch LeNa’ar Al Pi Darko†(educate the youth in accordance with “where s/he is atâ€) is to be properly followed, then a uniform Judaic studies curriculum including intense amounts of high level analysis of Talmudic sources, will simply not engage all students equally. In contrast to Yeshiivot, Seminaries, and collegiate environments, where the population is often self-selected and therefore highly- motivated, even denominational high schools in the U.S. draw a heterogenous collection of students, and usually depend on a broad student body to finance their operations.
Furthermore, Jewish high schools are made up, for the most part, of survey courses, in which students can sample different subject matter, approaches, and teaching methods. While there are honors classes, nevertheless, as has been pointed out in several of the essays, the amount of time devoted to individual subjects even in these classes is usually insufficient to allow for high-level mastery. (By the way, this is not only a problem in Talmud classes or other Judaic studies subjects. When my wife taught biology on the high school level, she was deeply frustrated at not being able to delve into real science, but rather but rather was charged with assuring that students had covered sufficient material to do well on the upcoming Biology Achievement Test.) The high school experience assumes that a student will only be able to truly specialize within the context of extra-curricular activities, what s/he does during spare time, weekends, and vacations, and during his/her post-secondary educational life.
In terms of my personal experience, in one of the schools in which I worked which had separate classes in Jewish studies, girls were never afforded the same quantitative opportunities as boys. The extra Talmud period that was added for men, usually replaced either Navi (prophets) or Ivrit (Hebrew language) classes, an option that was not offered to girls. In the other school that was co-ed, although the opportunities for boys and girls in honors Talmud study were obviously the same, the total number of hours simply were insufficient for them to achieve significant Talmud acumen. As for my synagogue, I explicitly opposed single-sex Shiurim or learning opportunities, feeling that it was important to make the statement that all anyone was welcome at these venues, including all Talmud presentations.
Therefore, my recommendation to address the desire of some students, particularly women, to participate in advanced Talmud classes, is that such an option must exist, and that it should begin at as early a stage as possible to allow those interested to study on an advanced level, if that is their inclination and deep desire. I would not be concerned that the number of individuals who take advantage of such opportunities are small, or that the sound of the Beit Midrash, assuming that it is single-sex, will not be as strong as an all-men’s study setting. What is of greatest importance, in my opinion, is that choice is made available so that every individual can find his/her place within Tora learning, whatever form it may take.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/09/2017 07:27AM by mlb.
