Rabbi: Redesign synagogues, for women's sake

Rabbi: Redesign synagogues, for women's sake

Prominent Religious Zionist Rabbi Yuval Sherlo rules women should be integrated into prayers even if this would require redesigning synagogue

04-25-2008
Ynet

The public must sit down and find the way to design the synagogue in order to make women an inseparable part of the prayer, Rabbi Yuval Sherlo ruled Thursday

Sherlo, head of the hesder yeshiva in Petach Tikva and one of Religious Zionism's most prominent rabbis, explained that he did not believe there were any halachic rules in regards to this issue, stating that "this is obvious."

Sherlo was asked the following question in the Q&A section of the Moreshet website:

"In the synagogue near my home, one cannot hear the prayer and the rabbi's sermons from the women's gallery, or view the Holy Ark and the taking out of the Torah Scrolls

"Are there any halachic rules guaranteeing women's ability to hear, see and feel that they are praying in public? All the answers I've come against only address the assurance of men's ability to pray properly"

In his reply, Rabbi Sherlo wrote that women should be allowed to become an inseparable part of the prayer, even if this would require redesigning the synagogue

The rabbi admitted that he had no explicit halachic text to back this issue, "apart from one, which is a great Torah rule – love your neighbour as yourself"

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