The Concern About Women Dancing With the Torah

Episode 149: "The Concern About Women Dancing With the Torah"

Welcome to our weekly program, The Inside Story of Chabad in America, through the Mindel archives.

Today I want to share with you an interesting letter that the Rebbe initiated. Unlike most usual letters, which the Rebbe wrote as an answer to people, this letter the Rebbe himself initiated.

This letter is a letter of clarification about women dancing with a Sefer Torah on Hakafos, Simchas Torah. The Rebbe regrets not making the point clear during a yechidus with a rabbi. The Rebbe had a yechidus with this rabbi, and it wasn't clear how the rabbi took it. So the Rebbe wrote him this letter.

This letter was so important that the Rebbe asked Rabbi Mindel to check that he got the letter, to avoid that people should make a mistake about whether women can dance with a Sefer Torah during Hakafos on Simchas Torah.

So I'm going to read to you now the letter that the Rebbe wrote to him.

Sholom u'Brocha.

A follow-up to our conversation, when I had the pleasure of our recent meeting, it occurred to me subsequently that a correction is called for, and since it has practical applications in halacha, I am sending this letter urgently.

I refer to the subject matter we discussed relative to Simchas Torah and Hakafos and women's participation therein. After I expressed my opinion in the matter, I now realize—meaning the Rebbe didn't mention something at the yechidus that he should have mentioned—that I had overlooked an aspect of the problem which, though not specifically connected with Simchas Torah and Hakafos, is nevertheless directly related to what should be the actual practice in this matter.

This has nothing to do with Hakafos, but the Rebbe should have said about this what the halacha is.

I have in mind, the Rebbe says, the din cited in Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim, paragraph 88, Bayis Chadash, and in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch—which I'll share with you in a minute—Hilchos Kriyas Shema, referring to women in a certain circumstance relative to visiting the synagogue and the Sefer Torah.

That means he overlooked the matter that has to do with the idea of women maintaining purity and holiness upon themselves, even though it's not related to Hakafos.

Now let's see what it says in the Shulchan Aruch here, what the Alter Rebbe says, and the Rebbe wrote down that the Rebbe said to look this up.

Noshim noheg taharah preishus b'atzman shelo lehiknas l'veis hakneses v'shelo l'heira'os im teda b'shaas nidusam, af gam k'she mispalelim einan oindes b'fleiga v'rishoin umishum minhag v'koved oisin kein v'lo mishum issur. Uv'mei vo'inan lo oinag v'lachmir. Uv'yomim noraim mi'yud alef shel slichos v'eilach, she'rabim mis'asfim laleches l'veis hakneses, mutar lis leilech l'veis hakneses af b'mei nidusam k'shain noshim, ki hi yirah l'eila achswain godol she'akul mis'asfim v'hein yam d'chutz.

Now the Alter Rebbe says over here like this: women have traditionally conducted themselves in holiness when entering the shul—that they shouldn't enter the shul when they have their period, when they are a niddah. And because of that minhag—it's only a custom and honor—they did this, but not because it's prohibited. But in the days of the seven clean days before they go to the mikvah, lo oinag v'lachmir, then they were not machmir, and they did go to shul.

Then the Rebbe says—the Alter Rebbe says here—uv'yomim noraim, what about the Yom Tovim: Slichos, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, where many people go to shul—so they went to shul, meaning that even if they're in niddah, like the rest of the women. Why? K'eeye, because they will be distressed or sad that everybody goes to shul and they won't. So because of this reason, they went to shul on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkos, even though they're in niddah. This is what the Alter Rebbe says here.

Now I'll continue the Rebbe's letter.

You will note there, the Rebbe says, and at greater length in the sources cited there in the Acharonim, how much the poskim wrestled with the problem of women's participation under such circumstances. As the Alter Rebbe states in the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, in the location cited, special consideration was given to women in certain matters on the ground, k'eeye lo heini tzaar godol sha'akul mis'asfin v'hein yam bachutz. It will be for them great distress, sad, that everyone is gathered and they are standing outside.

Be it noted, the question there refers to entering the shul, and even then it is not enough—it's oven, and not that, but it's oven godol, great distress.

So some might think the same heter can apply to Hakafos. Since by Hakafos, women see that everybody dances with a Sefer Torah, so maybe they might also dance with a Sefer Torah—with a man, even separate—or maybe as it's a [unclear].

So the Rebbe says it follows from the above, what we just said, that it would be a stress for the people. That's why they could go in when they're in niddah.

It follows from the above that in such matters, especially in relation to, let's say, the Sefer Torah, we have no power to introduce innovations, new things, as is also evident from the lengthy discussion there of the distinction between what is done at home and what is done in shul alike, as the Rebbe says there. Therefore, the practical conclusion must be not to add anything to the established practice, and certainly no permission may be given for our matter, say, for example, with the Sefer Torah. And we can't change a minhag. This is the way it was all the time, even though they will be sad and distressed that everybody's dancing and they're not.

Now, the Rebbe, in another paragraph, [writes]: this is a general rule. People might feel—more moderate people might feel—that this is called a restriction. The Rebbe never wanted to use the word restriction: I have purposely avoided the use of the word "restriction," for it is well known that any matter in Torah, which is called Torah shel chessed, that might appear as a restriction is not that at all, but on the contrary, for the utmost benefit of those concerned. There is surely no need to elaborate on this.

Now, in order to ease my mind, the Rebbe says, that nothing undesirable in actual practice might result from the opinion I had expressed without delving into all aspects of the subject at the yechidus under discussion, I would appreciate receiving from you a confirmation of the receipt of the letter, whether by telephone or in writing.

And the Rebbe asked Rabbi Mentlik [?] to make sure that he got the letter—that this rabbi got the letter. This shows how the Rebbe was concerned.

I would also like to add, the Rebbe says, a further point as to how careful one must be in connection with Jewish customs, whether lenient or strict, kula or chumra. Since our discussion, it has bothered me how it is that we do not find in the writings of the Gedolei Yisrael the thoughts we discussed as a means of involving Jews in greater devotion and love for the Torah. In other words, why didn't Chazal ever discuss something about our Hakafos?

To be sure, something of that nature we find in the introduction of girls' schools in recent generations, because the darkness of the golus had so intensified. But this already has its precedent in previous generations, in the teaching of girls on an individual basis or in small groups, though of course not on the present scale.

Now the Rebbe, I think, is saying over here—it seems like, why do we see some people say the Gemara states that girls shouldn't learn Torah, and now girls have schools? So we see that we do have new things. So why can't we do the same with Hakafos? We see that girls have schools now.

And the Rebbe mentioned—regarding Sorus Shlira [?]—the Rebbe mentioned many times that years ago [girls' education was limited]. So the Rebbe says that it's not something new; years ago they didn't have girls learning on such a scale. But Hakafos was never done [by women]. So we cannot make anything new, that women should dance by Hakafos.

The same thing, the Rebbe says, applies similarly to the custom of candle lighting by girls before marriage, which has recently become widespread. This practice existed in many communities of different backgrounds—girls learning and lighting candles was done before. But Hakafos was never done.

Meaning, when the Rebbe came out with the mivtza of hadlakas neiros, the Rebbe said it was not something new. We don't make anything new; it was done years ago, then it stopped, and the Rebbe renewed it again. But with Hakafos, the Rebbe cannot make anything new, any new minhag that women should make Hakafos. It was never done. That's what the Rebbe says now.

In the matter of Simchas Torah Hakafos, there has nowhere been any precedent of women actually participating, although precisely in connection with Simchas Torah, certain concessions were made, as cited—standing on the balcony—in the Acharonim. So who are we to introduce something new?

But I realize now that the reason is simply the one cited above, but because it is not cited in connection with the laws of Simchas Torah, it is easy to overlook. This is a case where one can indeed apply the saying of our sages, in paraphrase.

It's a Gemara: just like we get reward for learning, so we get reward for avoiding. It speaks about that in Mesechta Sukkah—it's a lo sa'aseh. In other words, maybe they will make a mistake. The Gemara speaks of this. So by avoiding, by choosing not to do something, is also good.

Needless to say, I have no objection to your quoting me in accordance with this letter—that it is a charatah, a regret of the previous position. For the important thing is that the actual practice should be in strict conformity with the halacha. With esteemed blessing, [the Rebbe's signature].

Now, some people—I gave this letter years ago, the Rebbe signed [it], and I gave it to some people in Israel. So they went to the Rebbe; they wanted to see actually that I have a letter signed, because I have a copy. And they went to him, and the Rebbe showed them exactly the way I read it. And the Rebbe wanted that this letter should be publicized, that people should not make a mistake about what the Rebbe maybe meant something else.

So now, since it's a couple of weeks before Simchas Torah, I thought I would share with you this letter.

And how do we know that the Aibishter will forgive us on Yom Kippur? It's because of Simchas Torah. The more simcha, the more we know that we'll have a good year, a sweet year, like [unclear] and tayva. We should all have this, and we should have tayvus and a simcha, a good year.

And we should be, with Mashiach Tzidkeinu, be called in mamash. Amen.