Re: Kol Isha: Theology and Halakha

[TROMBAEDU <TROMBAEDU...>]

In a message dated 2/19/01 7:34:00 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
wiener (at) mindspring(dot)com writes:


> 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
> 

No, I make no such claim. I only claim that In the case of Takkanot, there is 
not really a mechanism to overturn them, nor really to institute them in the 
same way. Kol Isha is not a Takkanah. Why do you ask, does the Conservative 
movement seem to be acting agaisnt the traditional approach advocated by 
Rabbis Finkelstein and Gilman? How is it that if Kol Isha is the product of 
Torah SheBaal Peh, Conservative Shuls can have WomanCantors? Well, first of 
all, while the Conservative movement claims fealty to Torah Shebaal Peh, they 
see it as a more fluid process, which allows for previously unthought of 
ideas being handled by contemporary Rabbis, using their understanding of 
Torah Shebaal Peh to come up with solutions to problems. But additionally, it 
would be naive to think that the Conservative movement of the last twenty 
years operated in any fashion similar to the one imagined by Rabbi 
Finklestein.

Jordan