Submission or Separate But Equal
"Talk of submission rankles many a hair on the necks of women.???"
| Noun | 1. | control freak - someone with a compulsive desire to exert control over situations and people |
Ephesians
5:22-25, 33.
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the
Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the
head of the church . . . . [T]he church is subject to Christ, so also
the wives ought to be to their husbands . . . . Husbands, love your
wives, just as Christ also loved the church . . . . [E]ach individual
. . . also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must
see to it that she respects her husband.
"ouch!
how can that be? the following is by a couple in our church who has
been married 42 years. Talk of submission rankles many a hair on the
necks of women.
Paul writes to the Ephesians and addresses
relationships from the perspective o
f leadership and
responsibilities. Having been married for 42 years, we know it either
works together sweetly under the right priorities, or it fails
miserably. We've done both.
For years we clashed over the
husband's role. We had different opinions, but little understanding.
As a result, we competed for control while he demanded obedience to
the rank of husband. This is not God's design for roles in marriage.
Leading in the role of headship involves loving, serving, caring for
the other person as Jesus Christ does for the church -- His people.
He died for her.
We learned that submission involves four
responsibilities beginning with an attitude of entrusting ourselves
fully to the Lord. Our focus in life must be on Jesus Christ. Through
Him we are able to love and submit. Second, submission involves
respectful behavior; third, godly character. And fourth, it involves
doing what is right and according to God's will. Finally, we learned
that God doesn't intend for one to be a slave to the other in total
subservience. We simply relate to one another as unto the Lord.
But,
to prevent chaos, there needs to be order. So, God placed the husband
in authority over his wife with the responsibility to love and lead
her, just as Jesus does for His people. These are roles we accept
willingly as we pursue Jesus.
We learned perfection in this is
impossible. Essentials include: unconditional and sacrificial love, a
willingness to forgive, keeping short accounts, and the ability to
laugh at yourself. This makes submission reasonable, not a burden,
but it requires taking the initiative and serving with
integrity.
Finally, praying together daily has changed our
hearts in a way nothing else has. Leadership involves acting on
Paul's instruction to the Corinthians, "stand firm in the faith,
act like men" (1 Corinthians 16:13). Men, lead well, serve well,
and pray with your woman. Respect will follow." [sic] [1]
Why is hypocrisy singled out as the worst of evils?
Hypocrisy is not a species of pride or lust or anger, etc. If it is a sin, it is is a sin against truthfulness. But on second thought, perhaps hypocrisy can be understood as a type of pride. The proud man, blinded by his own excellence, cannot see his own faults. Lucifer the light bearer's very phosphorescence hid from him his finitude and creaturely status and transmogrified him from light bearer to Prince of Darkness. Lacking humility and incapable of accurate self-assessment, the proud man imagines himself to be better than he is. He is arrogant in that he arrogates to himself qualities that he does not in fact possess. But this doesn't really support the notion that hypocrisy is a species of pride. The proud man, blinded by his excellences, is blind to his faults. But it seems that the hypocrite must be well aware of his faults so that he can hide them from others. He must know his true motives in order to dissemble them. [2]
What
makes Judaism stands out in the sense of gender equality is that, G-d
is neither male nor female.
The
role of women in traditional Judaism has been grossly misrepresented
and misunderstood. The position of women is not nearly as lowly as
many modern people think; in fact, the position of women in halakhah
(Jewish Law) that dates back to the biblical period is in many ways
better than the position of women under American civil law as
recently as a century ago. Many of the important feminist leaders of
the 20th century (Gloria Steinem, for example, and Betty Friedan) are
Jewish women, and some commentators have suggested that this is no
coincidence: the respect accorded to women in Jewish tradition was a
part of their ethnic culture.
In
traditional Judaism, women are for the most part seen as separate but
equal. Women's obligations and responsibilities are different from
men's, but no less important (in fact, in some ways, women's
responsibilities are considered more important, as we shall see).
The
equality of men and women begins at the highest possible level: G-d.
In Judaism, unlike traditional Christianity, G-d has never been
viewed as exclusively male or masculine. Judaism has always
maintained that G-d has both masculine and feminine qualities. As one
Chasidic rabbi explained it to me, G-d has no body, no genitalia,
therefore the very idea that G-d is male or female is patently
absurd. We refer to G-d using masculine terms simply for
convenience's sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; G-d is no
more male than a table is.
Both
man and woman were created in the image of G-d. According to most
Jewish scholars, "man" was created in Gen. 1:27 with dual
gender, and was later separated into male and female.
According
to traditional Judaism, women are endowed with a greater degree of
"binah" (intuition, understanding, intelligence) than men.
The rabbis inferred this from the fact that woman was "built"
(Gen. 2:22) rather than "formed" (Gen. 2:7), and the Hebrew
root of "build" has the same consonants as the word
"binah." It has been said that the matriarchs (Sarah,
Rebecca, Rachel and Leah) were superior to the patriarchs (Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob) in prophecy. Women did not participate in the
idolatry regarding the Golden Calf. See Rosh Chodesh below. Some
traditional sources suggest that women are closer to G-d's ideal than
men.
Women
have held positions of respect in Judaism since biblical times.
Miriam is considered one of the liberators of the Children of Israel,
along with her brothers Moses and Aaron. One of the Judges (Deborah)
was a woman. Seven of the 55 prophets of the Bible were women (they
are included in the list of biblical prophets).
The
Ten Commandments require respect for both mother and father. Note
that the father comes first in Ex. 20:12, but the mother comes first
in Lev. 19:3, and many traditional sources point out that this
reversal is intended to show that both parents are equally entitled
to honor and reverence.
There
were many learned women of note. The Talmud and later rabbinical
writings speak of the wisdom of Berurya, the wife of Rabbi Meir. In
several instances, her opinions on halakhah (Jewish Law) were
accepted over those of her male contemporaries. In the ketubah
(marriage contract) of Rabbi Akiba's son, the wife is obligated to
teach the husband Torah! Many rabbis over the centuries have been
known to consult their wives on matters of Jewish law relating to the
woman's role, such as laws of kashrut and women's cycles. The wife of
a rabbi is referred to as a rebbetzin, practically a title of her
own, which should give some idea of her significance in Jewish life.
There
can be no doubt, however, that the Talmud also has many negative
things to say about women. Various rabbis at various times describe
women as lazy, jealous, vain and gluttonous, prone to gossip and
particularly prone to the occult and witchcraft. Men are repeatedly
advised against associating with women, although this is usually
because of man's lust rather than because of any shortcoming in
women. It is worth noting that the Talmud also has negative things to
say about men, frequently describing men as particularly prone to
lust and forbidden sexual desires.
Women
are discouraged from pursuing higher education or religious pursuits,
but this seems to be primarily because women who engage in such
pursuits might neglect their primary duties as wives and mothers. The
rabbis are not concerned that women are not spiritual enough; rather,
they are concerned that women might become too spiritually devoted.
The
rights of women in traditional Judaism are much greater than they
were in the rest of Western civilization until the 20th century.
Women had the right to buy, sell, and own property, and make their
own contracts, rights which women in Western countries (including
America) did not have until about 100 years ago. In fact, Proverbs
31:10-31, which is traditionally read at Jewish weddings, speaks
repeatedly of business acumen as a trait to be prized in women (v.
11, 13, 16, and 18 especially).
Women
have the right to be consulted with regard to their marriage. Marital
sex is regarded as the woman's right, and not the man's. Men do not
have the right to beat or mistreat their wives, a right that was
recognized by law in many Western countries until a few hundred years
ago. In cases of rape, a woman is generally presumed not to have
consented to the intercourse, even if she enjoyed it, even if she
consented after the sexual act began and declined a rescue! This is
in sharp contrast to American society, where even today rape victims
often have to overcome public suspicion that they "asked for it"
or "wanted it." Traditional Judaism recognizes that forced
sexual relations within the context of marriage are rape and are not
permitted; in many states in America today, rape within marriage is
still not a crime.
There
is no question that in traditional Judaism, the primary role of a
woman is as wife and mother, keeper of the household. However,
Judaism has great respect for the importance of that role and the
spiritual influence that the woman has over her family. The Talmud
says that when a pious man marries a wicked woman, the man becomes
wicked, but when a wicked man marries a pious woman, the man becomes
pious. The child of a Jewish woman and a gentile man is Jewish
because of the mother's spiritual influence; the child of a Jewish
man and a gentile woman is not. See Who Is a Jew? Women are exempted
from all positive mitzvot ("thou shalts" as opposed to
"thou shalt nots") that are time-related (that is, mitzvot
that must be performed at a specific time of the day or year),
because the woman's duties as wife and mother are so important that
they cannot be postponed to fulfill a mitzvah. After all, a woman
cannot be expected to just drop a crying baby when the time comes to
perform a mitzvah. She cannot leave dinner unattended on the stove
while she davens ma'ariv (evening prayer services).
It is
this exemption from certain mitzvot that has led to the greatest
misunderstanding of the role of women in Judaism. First, many people
make the mistake of thinking that this exemption is a prohibition. On
the contrary, although women are not required to perform time-based
positive mitzvot, they are generally permitted to observe such
mitzvot if they choose (though some are frustrated with women who
insist on performing visible, prestigious optional mitzvot while they
ignore mundane mandatory ones). Second, because this exemption
diminishes the role of women in the synagogue, many people perceive
that women have no role in Jewish religious life. This misconception
derives from the mistaken assumption that Jewish religious life
revolves around the synagogue. It does not; it revolves around the
home, where the woman's role is every bit as important as the man's. [3]
by Tracey R Rich More:
http://www.jewfaq.org/women.htm
Links
for Further Reading
Project
Genesis offers
an online course on Women
in Judaism, covering subjects such as equality between men and
women in Judaism, faith, prayer, relationships, and feminine
intuition.
Kresel's
Korner, written by an Orthodox woman, addresses many of the
questions that people have about the role of women in Orthodoxy.
Kresel is an intelligent, well-educated woman who responds to many
feminist critiques of Orthodoxy and illustrates a very different kind
of female empowerment.
Source:
[1] https://www.facebook.com/john.w.sr.5
[2]
http://maverickphilosopher.typepad.com/maverick_philosopher/2009/04/hypocrisy-the-seven-deadly-sins-and-the-left.html
[3]
http://www.jewfaq.org/women.htm
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