Abstract

This article presents an analysis of three recent Orthodox responsa on the question of women’s participation in public Torah reading. Responsa are read as a model for Jewish communal identity construction. Despite differences of opinion as to the permissibility of women’s taking part in the ritual, the authors’ view of the community remains fairly constant across the responsa. Men are perceived as the law’s constituents and members of the idealized community, while women are viewed as outsiders whose concerns may be heard or dismissed depending on men’s acceptance of their validity.

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