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

PREFACE: DAUGHTERS OF THE KING

PREFACE DAUGHTERS OF THE KING' The king's daughter is all glorious within, Her clothing is ofwrought gold She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework The virgins her companions that follow her Shan be brought unto thee. With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought They shan enter into the king's palace. Psalm 45: 14ft'. In the past two decades, women have made tremendous advances in obtaining access to the sources of power in the Jewish community: traditional scholarship, positions of communal leadership, input into religious decision making and-the ultimate bastion of traditional male authority -the rabbinate. These advances, obtained at times through painful personal struggles, have been ditlicult to achieve. This has especially been the case when opponents of broadening women's roles argue that such advances fly in the face of "tradition," albeit a tradition very loosely defined. As religious feminists who seriously seek to integrate Jewish practice xxii Preface with our contemporary sense of self-worth, we must grapple with troubling questions about how to relate to a patriarchal tradition with which we often find ourselves at odds. The first step in answering these questions lies in a critical study of traditional sources. Such a study is a necessary prerequisite when trying. in a thoughtful and educated way, to delineate lore from law and to harmonize religion with Western beliefs of equality, democracy, and pluralism. Once the building blocks of the traditional sources are mastered, we can proceed to the next step: those very sources that have been used to limit women's participation in study and ritual can also be used to provide support for women's active involvement. There are several ways of accomplishing this. One is to interpret Jewish law so as to encompass new realities. Another is to develop creative exegesis in the form of Midrash. Technically, Midrash refers to collections of rabbinic interpretations, both legal (Midrash Halakhah) and narrative (Midrash A99adah), ofbibIical texts. Today, that process of interpretation continues as a method of grappling with the meaning and significance of our holy texts. Midrash becomes a bridge between the static text and the contemporary reader, ensuring that classical Jewish sources remain eternally relevant and compelling. Let us now apply this methodology to one scriptural verse, the mere citation of which has come to be used as a code to signify that a particular activity is ot! limits for women because it falls outside their traditionally prescribed role: KDl kevudah bat melekh penimah, Mi-mishbetzot zahav levushah. The king's daughter is all glorious within, Her clothing is of wrought gold. Psalm 45: 14 This verse has been cited as proof that, according to tradition, women have divinely ordained roles that preclude any public activity. Rabbis throughout the ages, including our own, have cited this beautiful image to justify excluding women from public life, restricting their dress, and stressing that women's sole legitimate sphere ofactivity is within the home. The use of this phrase has become so widespread that it surfaces in most discussions about broadening women's role in Jewish ritual and communal life. It is often cited by Orthodox, Conservative. and other scholars xxiii Preface who seek to exclude women from elected office in Israel,l from praying together in public places,l and from the rabbinate:' Psalm 45 is a beautiful hymn written in praise of an earthly king. It describes the "kings' daughters" of other nations who have come to wait upon the Israelite king (Ps. 45: 10). They are advised to forget their own people and devote themselves to the king. By the rabbinic period, this verse was already taken out of its original biblical context, and endowed with completely different meanings. An anecdote that appears several times in the Jerusalem Talmud and in midrashic literature praises a woman named Kim.l)it for her unusual modesty.5 The version, as it appears in the Jerusalem Talmud (Yoma 1: 1. 5a), follows: KimI;lit had seven sons, and every one served as High Priest. The sages sent and asked her; "What good deeds have you done [to merit this honor]?" She told them, "[Terrible things] should happen to me if the walls of my home ever saw the hair on my head. and the borders ofmy frock." It was said: All flour is regular flour. but the flour (kemaM of Kiml;lit is fine flour. And it was said...