Daughters of the King: Women and the Synagogue (A Survey of History, Halakhah, and Contemporary Realities)

WOMEN AND THE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE

Hannah Safrai WOMEN AND THE ANCIENT SYNAGOGUE' In ancient times the synagogue (beit Iul-knesset or, as it is also called in the sources, beit ha-Cedah) constituted a center for the Jewish community. Here the Jewish congregation assembled, not only for worship of God but also for a wide variety of public activities.2 This congregation included men, women, and children. In various contexts, the sources repeatedly mention that the women in the community functioned in the synagogue and found their place within it. According to the Book of Acts, even while the Temple stood, Paul, when he was still called Saul of Tarsus, expected to find women among the congregants when he anticipated visiting the synagogue in Damascus to uncover those who were sinning, erring, and believing in the forbidden new church.) Later, as a follower of Jesus, Paul visited a synagogue in Salonika (in modem day Greece) where he drew the attention of the women with his sermons." Important women were among the multitude that heard him preach. In all cases, it is clear to the author of Acts that it was natural for women to be found in the synagogue. The presence of women did not arouse any amazement or surprise. Philo ofAlexandria (20 s.c.E.-50 C.E.), in his On the Contemplative Life, describes the prayer assemblies of Therapeutae (a sect of Jewish ascetics. History quite similar to the Dead Sea sect). He tells us that when the group gathered in public assembly, both men and women were found together, although they were seated separately. Together they sang songs of praise to the Creator of the World. Philo delights in the harmony of their singing ; he is filled with enthusiasm for their devotion. He is not at all surprised that the women of the company are seated in the same meeting hall.5 Elsewhere, in discussing the personal status and way of life of the Alexandrian Jewish community, Philo states that women must preserve their modesty and avoid appearing in public, except when they are on their way to the synagogue.6 To Philo, as well as to the author ofActs, it is clear that women were found in gatherings of the community and in the location of these gatherings-the synagogue. Often, in the course of rabbinic halakhic discussions, it is made clear that women's presence in the synagogue was common. In a city where all the inhabitants are priests (kohanim), everyone goes up to bless the congregation , U[AJnd who says 'Amen' after them? The women and children ." 1 Women, as well as children, do not mount the platform to give a blessing, but there is no doubt that women are found within the synagogue when the priests are giving the blessing. This passage assumes there will never be a congregation lacking in women and children to answer amen. Tractate Sofrim assumes that both men and women anend the reading of the Torah, observing the holy scroll and the written words, and are obliged to say "ve-zot ha-Torah ..." ("And this is the Torah ...").3 In the same way, the synagogue is portrayed as a place that a woman can visit for a brieftime in the course ofher daily routine. "A woman puts her food pots upon the stove, leaving her non-Jewish servants alone at home. until she comes from the bathhouse or the synagogue, and is not concerned."? This means that a woman should not hesitate to leave her non-Jewish woman (servant) in her home for a brief time to go offto the public institutions where she normally would go. The rabbis chose the synagogue as one of the obvious examples of such an institution. Likewise, there are halakhic discussions dealing directly with the attendance ofwomen in the synagogue: Is a woman permitted to enter the synagogue during her menstrual period?IO Is a jealous husband authorized to stop his wife from going to the synagogue because of his jealousy ? II For our purposes here, the answers are not imponant; rather, what interests us is the reality that emerges from the questions themselves -women were accustomed to attend the synagogue. 41 Women and the Ancient Synagogue Having established this fact, we may now inquire in more detail about women's place there. Where did women sit? Were women present in the synagogue building itself, or was there a separate location for their activities , an...