Exodus 19:15 has had a significant affect on Jewish women’s participation in ritual practices. This text describes the central event in Jewish history when the Jewish people were preparing to receive the covenant. However, as the people were readying to receive the covenant, Moses speaks to Hebrew nation as all male.
The fact that Moses addressed the community only as men gives the implicit message that the covenant is only between God and man. As women are excluded at this time, the message is given that whatever is transpiring at that time is not for them. Moses discriminates because he does not say male and female stay away from one another. .Instead, Moses’ clear; “do not go near a woman”, denotes a difference in the worth and responsibility of males and females to this covenant and as a result the rest of Judaism.
Here, Moses sets a standard for the Jewish community and the role of women in Judaism. Due to apparent divinely ordered invisibility and subordinate role that women were given at Sinai, women still are to this day viewed as lesser bearers of Jewish tradition ritual and customs.
In the Jewish tradition, the present is based on the past as all of the practices have roots in historical events .The fact that such a great Judaic historical event shuns women, breaks down all efforts towards change or towards an increased role for women in Judaism. Had it been an event of lesser significance, there would have been opportunity for change. However, having the women at the back in the most important event in Jewish history shuts the door on any attempt at a shift to equality for women in tradition and practice.
An example is the rabbinical order which prohibits women from being a rabbi. Jews would not feel as Jewish on the occasion that a woman would be a rabbi because in this long Jewish history only men have held this role.. At Sinai men were placed at the forefront as the leaders and because of this fact women are still left behind.
Dale Pindling
Learn more and more about religion at Allaboutreligion
Source: www.a1articles.com
