A bachelor's degree for an ultra-Orthodox woman. What for?
Say for the sake of knowledge: First of all, it is better to know what the Torah commands us.
Say for a living: The fact is that most working Haredi women do not have academic degrees. They have degrees in raising children, in building a Torah home. But not necessarily one that came from academia.
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Say it for the sake of salary: In the post-academic era, there is not much difference between a mother with a degree and a mother without a degree. Both have to deal with employers' reluctance to hire a woman who is busy with children and a family. Moreover, the one with the degree certainly wants a higher salary. And rightly so.
Say that I'm writing this because I don't have a degree myself - so say it. I was a freak of study. The list of certificates I've accumulated over the years is very long. And you know what, the only course that still helps me today is "Jewish Psychology According to Hasidic Teachings." It had everything I needed to manage the Jewish home, improve my relationships, and improve my self.
Oh, and that was the last course I took. A few months ago I decided to quit my addiction to studies. Talmud is great. Why? Because it leads to action. There is no benefit in studying that does not produce action. Unlike studying the Holy Torah, which itself is action. Action is a mitzvah.
The moderator was surprised.
I am full of admiration for Ms. Adina Bar-Shalom, for her determination and for the war of attrition she waged over the years, in order to maintain the academic framework she established for the Haredi. Because I know this field intimately. I was there and saw how much the state "tries" to help the Haredi public get a job. For men, there is some help, for women, there is almost nothing. Everything that was achieved, whether by Adina or by others, was achieved with blood, sweat and tears.
But, yes. There is a but, a big but. What is academic study for? If anything, let's study Torah. In my call, I am addressing the female public. The obligation falls on men whether they want it or not.
I sat on a panel that dealt with the topic of women's studies alongside Adina Bar-Shalom. 20 women sat on the panel and each of them presented a rich variety of fields of study for women, both certificate and degree studies. When it was my turn (I represented Or Chaya College), I opened and made it clear that I was not a competition to any of those present. I did not come to offer professional studies. I came to offer Torah study, the study of topics relevant to the Jewish home, to the observance of the Torah and the mitzvot, to the Jewish faith.
The surprised host asked: "What do we do with the studies? How much do we earn as a result of them?" I could only forgive him for his question. What do we earn? We earn God-fearing children. We earn a home of Torah light and kindness, a home of Jewish warmth. What is more valuable than that? What do we work so hard for if not for our home, family, and children.
True self-realization
A woman who studies Torah, Halacha, Morals, Hasidism, the practice of virtues, the patriarchs, the Jewish home, relationships and motherhood is the one whose home will be calmer, more peaceful and happier. It will be easier for such a woman to fulfill her mission in this world. Self-realization is nice, but only after we fulfill the mission for which our soul descended into the world.
I cannot address this matter without providing a summary of a conversation held between the late Lubavitcher Rebbe and the late Yavdal Rebbe of Belza. In a meeting that took place 33 years ago, the two Rebbes discussed Torah study with women.
The Rebbe of Belza: In the Rebbe's opinion, should girls be taught Mishnah or Gemara?
The Lubavitcher Rebbe: Mishnayot are laws. So of course girls should study.
Regarding the Gemara, the Lubavitcher Rebbe explained that in our generation, an open generation in which anyone can access information, it is better for girls to learn the essentials of the matter in the pure way and not to obtain it from other sources.
The Rebbe of Belz: If so, what is included in the scope of prayer? (Chazal commanded that women not be taught Gemara and said that whoever teaches his daughter Gemara is as if she has learned prayer).
The Lubavitcher Rebbe: My point is that today they already have the study of "tefalot" anyway. But it is up to us to set them on the right path.
• The writer is the owner of "My Choice", an event host, lecturer, and radio broadcaster.
