Montreal, Canada – 33 year-old Rachel Kohl Finegold, Maharat at Montreal’s Congregation Shaar Hashomayim and one of the small, but growing number of Orthodox Jewish women ordained as rabbis, says women rabbis are “comfortable” in their roles in the Orthodox community, and are working towards “positive” change.
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THE DAILY BEAST (http://thebea.st/1eFX8m9) reports that Kohl Finegold, is one of three women who made history last June by graduating New York’s four-year Yeshiva Maharat, the groundbreaking program begun in 2009 with the sole purpose of producing ordained female Orthodox spiritual leaders.
Despite predictions that she and her classmates would have trouble finding jobs in the male-dominated world of Orthodox clergy, Kohl Finegold says she was instantly embraced upon landing at Congregation Shaar Hashomayim, where after giving her first sermon one woman grabbed her hand and said, “We’ve been waiting for you.”
“Once people meet us, they realize we’re actually not strange or different. We’re just like them, Kohl Finegold said. “We’re comfortable in the Orthodox community and we want to help it move forward in a positive way.”
And change is seemingly what Kohl Finegold and her Yeshiva Maharat classmates are affecting, as Yeshiva Maharat currently has 16 future female rabbis enrolled, with 21 already having applied for next year.
It is so disenheartening to see more and more “Jews” celebrating their departure from Torah and Halacha.
Regardless of their shtuppping tehe word “orthodox” in their anti Torah movement.
Yes Charlie, it is anti Torah. Ask the RCA and their many member Rabbis who have signed proclamations and written well sourced and researched articles about the numerous departures of Avi Weiss and his group from Torah and Halacha.
Meisitim umodikhim.
Oy it is terrible, expanding the spiritual holocaust.
This movement is just a stepping stone towards Conservative and Reform
Kol HaKavod Maharat. I wish you Hatzlocho.
All this means is that reform and conservative are in a coma and dying and this is the alternative since if your not labeled Orthodox you are finished …..THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
The generations that preceded us and brought down the Torah from Sinai are no match for our superiorly evolved 21st century brains. What we’ve been missing all along were Maharats. So happy to hear they’re feeling comfortable. Good news! Since that is the ultimate goal of every G-d fearing Jew– to make sure he’s comfortable with his life. And of course, as they’re so wisely doing, to move forward in a positive way. All the while being very very careful not to look back.
Another rotting branch of our tree, soon to wither and fall into the dustbin of history with the rest.
Netzach Yisroel lo yishaker. (I Shmuel 15:29)
I don’t hold from these maharats but if the current leadership would be more helpful to women’s issues, actually talking to a woman instead hearing her problems throught their wives or through the men in her family, maybe women wouldn’t need to invent new roles for themselves.
I’m so proud of these women. It’s so nice to see true leaders who actually care about Torah and not $$.
Sailing to the future with your hand in your black look is a fraud. This maharat scheme is a fraud against Torah and the Jewish community. Sure they are comfortable. You would even be more comfortable with a new necklace or a new Cadillac. But it does not mean you paid for it. No Maharats for Israel. G-d is not a sheep.
Stay in the kitchen please………
Well, we’ll see what history says. She looks pretty lovely, and she may be just the right influence on half the population (women!) She is not doing anything against Halacha – the opposite, her intent is to bring more people to observance.
There are so many religions in the world. So many interpretations of Judaism.
Ironically, everyone is SURE that only that what they believe in the genuine.
And even more ironic is that everyone can find a quote in the Tanach or Talmud or an opinion by a Gadol to support their view.
Interesting.
One thing is obvious. She’s not a black- hatter..
Even if you believe that a “maharat” is acceptable under halacha, how would one trust this maharat? She doesn’t know the aleph-beis of tznius. Her neckline is too exposed. She therefore possuls herself to be in charge of ANYTHING in Yiddishkeit
One thing’s for sure: orthodox she ain’t.
My recollection is that this was a conservative synagogue that un-affiliated with iJTS and has never been an orthodox synagogue nor do they have an orthodox minyan. So what is the revelation?
Neboch on this perutza and her half off the derech girlfriends!!!
Wake up and do tshuva!
If these women live on G-d’s earth and are striving to educate themselves in Torah and serve their communities, I see it as a positive development to ever evolving Jewish civilization. If some commenters are uncomfortable with their comfort, then I feel sorry for your daughters.
Please explain the negative and sexist positions which appear on this board, pertaining to woman Rabbis. Where is it stated in Halacha, that a woman cannot be a Rabbi. Do you all think that only a Rabbi with a very long beard, and payyot qualifies for that position? Also, the character who stated “stay in the kitchen” is no different than the Taliban and some Arabs, who oppress their women!
B’H, following in the path of Miriam and Devorah Hanivyu.
The Shaar Hashomayim is a Conservative synagogue. You can count on one hand people who are actually shomer shabbat.
They invite the Lesbian reform rabbi as a guest lecturer, they give women aliyot on simchat Torah and in general, make up stuff as they go along.
Montreal has very fine Modern Orthodox synagogues, I happy to report, with regular musmachim from YU and none of this Marat stuff, thank you very much.
The Shaar was losing members because most of their people there are over 80, so they thought they would jazz it up a bit, but I dont think it will help.
Plenty of respectable young modern Orthodox communities in Montreal with great rabbis as leaders, like TBDJ, Beth Israel Beth Aaron, Adath Israel, Beth Zion, etc, with young and vibrant membership, who do not need to resort to untraditional tactics to beef up membership.
Creative? Yes. Desperate? Maybe. But Orthodox? No.
This idea is not for me or mine, but only time will tell whether this is good for klal yisroel or not.
I hope it works out ok for torah and yiddishkeit because it is here whether anyone else likes it or not.
Chassidus was blasted as anti torah but it evolved and today many of the ideas that drew the condemnation of the GRA now show up in yeshivos too.
Perhaps this will likewise ger watered down over the next hundred years and will become part of mainstream Orthodoxy.
Only time will tell.
Lets open a charity fund to help clothing. Apparently she does not have enough money to be dressed appropriately.
TO: EVERYONE
I live in mtl canada and let me explain to you these stupid woman.
1. They are not orthodox, there abnormal reform.
2. One who changes the ways of the torah is considered a ______
Please don’t be fooled.
Maharats exist as a form of spiritual backlash against the Haredi inventions of public gender segregation and the exclusion of women from any and all leadership roles. Powerful women frighten timid Haredi men.
I read this stuff and rejoice that I removed myself from this ghetto.