Re: Kol Isha: Theology and Halakha

[wiener <wiener...>]

"[W]e accept both the written and the oral law as binding and authoritative on 
ourselves and on our children after us."  (Louis Finkelstein) This is a 
statement of Conservative theology.  

"If any single issue impelled the [Conservative, Jewish Theological] Seminary 
founders to break with Reform, it was the debate over the binding nature of all 
Jewish law."  (Gilman)

In other words, Orthodox and Conservative Judaism accept Halakha as binding 
(and the Halakhic process), whereas Reform Judaism does not.

Jordan, are you claiming that the principle of "Kol Isha" itself (considered 
separately, for now, from the issue of a woman as Sh'lihat Tsibur/cantor) falls 
into the category of those "certain Takkanot [that] cannot be overturned, nor 
established."?

Bob
    -----Original Message-----
    From: TROMBAEDU (at) aol(dot)com <TROMBAEDU (at) aol(dot)com>
    To: World music from a Jewish slant <jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org>
    Date: Monday, February 19, 2001 1:17 AM
    Subject: Re: Kol Isha
    
    
    In a message dated 2/18/01 10:26:33 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
    wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com writes: 
    
    
    
        .  We hope that our daughter reflects these attributes of Rabban 
Gamliel -- 
        a respect for and a willingness, when she determines it is necessary, 
to 
        work for change of the Halakha. 
        
        
    
    
    Bob, I absolutely agree with you that Halacha has to find in it a place for 
    those who feel disenfranchised. But that has to come from within Halacha 
    itself. Part of faith in the validity of Torah shebaal Peh believes that in 
    order for it to be binding, we have to accept that not everyone has the 
same 
    rights to change it. For instance, with the dispersal of the Sanhedrin, 
    certain Takkanot cannot be overturned, nor established. Basically, that is 
    where Orthodoxy parts company with Reform and Conservative thinking, at 
least 
    to some extent. All I ask of this list is that Orthodox thought not get 
    treated with a wholesale lack of respect just because it does not fit in 
with 
    current social thinking. After all, I may be a feminist, but I think we 
have 
    to allow for the possibility that a system which has stood for 2000 years, 
    and helped the Jewish people survive exile, may have inherent validity that 
    overrides even the best intentioned thinking of secular society. 
    That is why I have gone out of my way not to discuss my personal take on 
Kol 
    Isha, or feminism in general. It is besides the point. 
    
    Jordan