Traditional Sephardi Feminist

I have not met Adina Bar Shalom (yet). But I feel like I know her in the most intimate way. (Ok so I am probably majorly projecting but anyway). Adina and I are both a Behora.  A Behora (alternate sp. Bechorah) is a first born daughter. Behor  and Behora are known to have been used as nicknames and even as proper names in Ladino. My dad once told me, by way of admonishment, that in Ladino, the Behora is known to be grouchy., moody, out of sorts. Of course, neither he, nor anyone else it seems, ever bothered to consider that maybe the Behora has a legitimate cause for her anger. Maybe she isn't cool with being saddled with caring for younger siblings and household chores while her brothers roam free. Well Adina doesn't seem to be grouchy or out of sorts but like all Behorot, she has every right to be. Particularly as the eldest daughter of a Rabbinic family, as I was; the unfairness of it all strikes even deeper than having to do more than your fair share of drudgery....

As  I am rushing to services Yom Kippur Eve in the Kibbutz meeting hall; I encounter two young women dressed in their Yom Kippur best: White Blouses, Flip Flops, Makeup and Skinny Jeans. I too am dressed like that with a White Blouse and Flip Flops, but instead of the jeans I have an ankle length beige skirt. Religious looking and professional, but not too formal. I put almost as much effort into choosing my outfit as I did in preparing the prayers. The young women ask me if I know where services will be taking place. "Which Minyan?" I responded. "the mixed one, which I am going to right now, or the separate one with the Mechitza?" The girls look at each other. "Oh are you the Rabbah???" Am I the Rabbah? I feel myself assuming the warmth-glowing facial expression that seems to be ubiqitious amongst Israeli woman Rabbis. although as I tell the girls, "I'm not a Rabbah, I'm a Hazzanit. We'd love to have you join us." "uhm...

The book of Judges (along with some other of the prophets) often provides the historical kernel for the incidents in the Humash. One story that has got a lot of attention in this regard is the harrowing story of Pilegish BGibeah, juxtaposed with the story of Sodom. I will not go through all the parallel details, others have done that just as well as I can or better (not the least Ramban albeit with different conclusions). But the primary contrast, the ending; has been ignored. The ending is that the woman dies, and a civil war breaks out resulting in the near genocide of an entire tribe. There is no reason to doubt this as historical. This is raw, real life, as we know it to this day. Justice? What justice? The innoccent women was gang raped and died; and an nearly an entire tribe was killed, in revenge for the actions of the few.  Fast forward to Sodom. Nobody gets raped or killed and the potential male victims turn out to be angels who quickly shuttle the other wou...

    An acquaintance of mine, a traditional Sephardi whom we will call Orna, is having some difficulties at home. Her two young adult son's have gone "chozer b'tshuva, "  Breslev. The younger one in particular seems to have engaged in particularly outrageous behavior; destroying some of his parent's property that didn't meet his religious standards; which to me indicates prior issues in this family. So one day Orna asked me, what is the "correct" belief: Is the entire Torah from God at Mount Sinai or only the ten commandments? And she told me not to beat around the bush or give her any gobbledygook about there being multiple opinions. Smart woman. I hemmed and hawed and had to inform her that the traditional acceptable belief is that the entire Torah was given from God to Moses at Sinai. "Aha!" she said. "so my son was right!" It seems that the son had accused his parents of not being good Jews; based on their belief i...