The parshah for April 6, 2024 is Sh’mini (Shemini), Leviticus 9:1-11:47 and since it is usually Shabbat Hachodesh, we learn Exodus 12:1-20 along with Sh’mini. Sh’mini accommodates commandments relating to animal sacrifice, the dying of two of Aaron’s sons, lists of which animals are kosher and which aren’t, and distinctions between clear/unclean and holy/profane. The excerpt from Exodus, learn because the maftir, describes the final plague earlier than the Jews had been free of slavery in Egypt, the institution of Pesach, and the consuming of unleavened bread or muffins. In at the moment’s commentary, I’m specializing in the one point out of femaleness in Sh’mini and by doing so I hope to seek out extra room for ladies and women inside up to date Judaism.
The one point out of ladies and women in Sh’mini, particularly within the function of daughters, is in Leviticus 10:14, which reads, “The breast of the waving and the thigh of the elevating up you shall eat in a clear place, you and your sons and your daughters with you, for [as] your portion and your sons’ portion they’ve been given, from the peace choices of the kids of Israel.” Right here we see the distinct point out of the daughters of Aaron within the first a part of this verse though they aren’t talked about individually within the second a part of the verse. What are we to do with this? There are a lot of doable questions we might ask. Why are daughters included? Are we meant to imagine that the point out of sons within the second a part of this verse contains daughters as effectively? Was the point out of daughters imagined to be within the second half as effectively? Did there exist a convention inside the excessive priesthood that included daughters? What was it? Did later writers erase it?
All of those questions additionally had me enthusiastic about the following verse because it appears fairly related. Leviticus 10:15 reads, “They shall carry the thigh of the elevating up and the breast of the waving upon the fat for fireplace choices, to wave as a waving earlier than the Lord. And it shall belong to you and to your sons with you as an everlasting due, because the Lord has commanded.” Right here sons are known as to partake within the fireplace choices. There isn’t a point out of daughters. Why? Are we to deduce that by utilizing sons right here the textual content means to incorporate daughters? How are we to grasp the textual content?
One situation we encounter is actually language-based. Hebrew, like many languages, accommodates grammatical gender and in addition defaults to the male varieties after we are taking a look at teams of individuals. Allow us to have a look at an instance of how this patriarchal side of the language works. If there are 50 girls in a bunch and one man, reference to all the group would tackle the male types of the verbs, adjectives, and so forth (see notice). Thus, it might be that one point out of daughters as distinct from sons within the first verse reminds the reader to incorporate daughters as effectively in the remainder of the verses that solely point out sons. Nonetheless, it might be that daughters are included within the peace choices however not within the fireplace choices. But, on the similar time, why reference daughters in any respect if the default can be to make use of the masculine language to ‘embody’ these gendered female, or feminine? Nonetheless, it is usually necessary to notice that very often the point out of sons within the Torah doesn’t embody daughters. Nonetheless, on this explicit case, the query stays what are we to do with the daughters?
Rashi too was tripped up by the inclusion of daughters on this verse. But, slightly than err on the aspect of inclusion, Rashi does the other. He argues that, as a result of within the second half of verse 14 daughters will not be talked about, they don’t also have a share of the peace providing. It could be given to them to eat; that’s permitted, however they aren’t owed it. In different phrases, Rashi ‘clarifies’ that using daughters right here is definitely meant to exclude them.
If we take Rashi critically then, females, particularly the feminine daughters of Aaron, haven’t any portion in Aaron’s inheritance of the excessive priesthood. That will imply that feminine people will not be a part of this Torah portion in any respect. It dismays me to see just one reference to females in a parshah. Then, to have ‘the authority’ on the interpretation of the Torah, Rashi dismiss these women all collectively makes me offended.
I can’t think about any society or any faith functioning with out the contributions of ladies and women. I can’t think about that girls or women would put up with the fixed denial of their humanity within the face of the holy, particularly when this parshah calls us to be holy (Lev. 44-45). Conceivably, Israelite girls had their very own traditions along with the lads’s, with goddesses, gatherings amongst girls and women, and their very own holy days. On this regard, each the concept Asherah finds a spot within the temple in Jerusalem (2 Kings 21:7) and the ladies baking muffins for the Queen of Heaven (Jeremiah 7:18) supply a compelling argument.
Alternatively, the early cultic practices surrounding the deity could have included girls and women and their contributions and practices had been later diminished and erased by generations of privileged, discovered males embodying patriarchal beliefs. The terse mentions of ladies and women, like we’ve got right here in Leviticus 10:14, then can be all that’s left of this extra egalitarian Israelite society. It must be famous that this earlier model of Israelite faith could have been then extra inclusive of ladies and women then than some streams of the Jewish faith are at the moment.
Whether or not or not girls and women had their very own traditions, participated alongside the lads within the traditions described within the Torah, or partook in a mix of the 2, we are going to by no means know. Sh’mini’s one terse point out of Aaron’s daughters drew us right into a dialogue that reasserts the price, dignity and equality of 1 half of humanity: girls and women. Extra so, it reminds us that girls and women ought to take part in faith as full and equal members. To do in any other case replicates the patriarchy of Rashi’s commentary, Sh’mini, and Hebrew itself, and this could be removed from the decision in Sh’mini; “Be holy for I’m holy,” (Lev. 11:44 and 45).
Be aware: Grammatical gender does have some exceptions however I can’t get into all of this right here and neither is it related as we’re discussing gendered people.
