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Judaism: Social and Historical Developments in Religious Thought

Jewish family life and gender equality

  • 3 things to know
  • Component 1

Overview

Shalom bayit, traditional role of women in the Orthodox Jewish home and debate about women and the minyan.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Is family life the main strength of Judaism?

Key term

Why is the Jewish home called a mikdash me'at?

Key term

Which observances make the home central to Jewish life?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Why is the Jewish home called a mikdash me'at?

    Model answer

    Mikdash me'at means a small sanctuary, a name given to the home after the Temple's destruction. The dining table is compared to the altar and family meals to Temple service.

  2. 2

    Which observances make the home central to Jewish life?

    Model answer

    Shabbat candles, kiddush, the Pesach seder and the keeping of kashrut all happen at home. Mezuzot on the doorposts mark the house itself as under the covenant.

  3. 3

    What is shalom bayit?

    Model answer

    Shalom bayit means peace in the home, the duty to keep harmony between husband and wife. Rabbinic law permits unusual concessions in order to preserve it.

  4. 4

    What is the traditional role of women in the Orthodox Jewish home?

    Model answer

    Orthodox tradition assigns women the three mitzvot of challah, niddah and lighting the Shabbat candles. Raising children in Torah is treated as a central religious task.

  5. 5

    Why does Orthodox law exempt women from time-bound positive mitzvot?

    Model answer

    Orthodox halakhah exempts women from positive commandments tied to fixed times, such as daily prayer with tefillin. Domestic responsibility is the usual reason given, though many Orthodox women take on such practices voluntarily.

  6. 6

    How has the role of women in Reform Judaism changed?

    Model answer

    Reform Judaism counts women in the minyan and calls them to the Torah. Regina Jonas was ordained in Germany in 1935 and Sally Priesand in the United States in 1972.

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