Re: Kol Ishah again

[TROMBAEDU <TROMBAEDU...>]

In a message dated 3/9/00 5:35:41 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
l_cahan (at) staff(dot)chuh(dot)org writes:

<< Here's the problem I have with this.  If I understand correctly, there is 
nothing
 in the Tanach that prohibits men from hearing women sing during specific 
prayers
 or any other time.  At some point in history, some man was distracted by a 
woman's>>

You are correct. But Halacha is not determined strictly by what is in the 
Written Law.
 
<<voice and decided to make it a law to not hear it.  It is always a goal in 
prayer
 that one's kavanah be centered wholly on the prayer, but so many things might
 distract any person.  Maybe this man had a personal problem, but that was way
 before Freud, so he had an alternate, testosterone-empowered way of dealing 
with
 it - rub it out.>>

There is nothing in the oral law to suggest that such an incident occurred
 << From my admittedly incomplete studies, I don't believe this was
 an original intention of our maker.  The laws of Judaism, while enlightened 
as to
 Humanity, can be repressive to women and this, again IMHO, was a male
 interpretation of the divine intention.>>

Perhaps oppressive. But it is divine intention to follow the rulings of the 
Rabbis of the Oral Tradition. That is a fundamental principle of Judaism. 
When the more recent movements within Judaism chose to de-emphasize the Oral 
component of Tradition, as represented by the Talmud and its commentaries, 
the Orthodox Rabbinate and laity chose to maintain its sacred status. Your 
opinion is only valid if those with whom you are dealing agree that they can 
throw out or disregard 2000 years of sanctity of the Oral Law. 

      
<<  We are imperfect and have not represented
 perfection perfectly. >>

Agreed. One of the tragedies of the Jewish condition is that due to our 
inability to overcome the faults which led to the destruction of the 2nd 
Temple and the institutions of Jewish self rule, the institutions such as 
Sanhedrin which could deal with these issues do not exist. 

<< It is up to humanity to strive for continual approximation
 of this perfection.  Mistakes should be corrected; apologies and retribution 
made
 to those wronged.  That is the Jewish way. >>
Retribution? Please! No one owes anybody anything because you cant sing for 
Orthodox audiences. Perhaps it is you who should be sensitive to the 
sensibilities of a community which courageously holds to religious principles 
despite the temptations of the times and our new found freedom not to do so. 
Some of those religious principles are uncomfortable at best. Don't compound 
their struggle by delegitimizing their adherence to Halacha, which some of us 
actually believe has Kedusha, The Jewish Way? Adherence to Halacha is the 
Jewish way. You have a different way to do that? So be it, but don't deride 
those who do it according to an unbroken chain of tradition which has 
survived every up and down of the Jewish People.

Good Shabbos,

Jordan    

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