A Popular Dictionary of Judaism
According to the *Bible, woman was created as ‘helpmeet’ to man, to bear children and to be a good wife and mother. Although women suffer the same penalties in law as men, they have no right to initiate a *divorce and are excused all positive time-bound commandments. Although nowadays *Orthodox Judaism teaches that women are ‘equal, but different’, Orthodox men still thank *God in the *liturgy that they were not born as women.
Nonetheless many of the *rabbis in the past seem to have loved and respected their wives. *Progressive Judaism teaches the absolute equality of women and has female as well as male *rabbis and *cantors. This idea is anathema to the Orthodox. (See also *NIDDAH).
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