Three months after Israel’s High Court of Justice ordered the Chief Rabbinate to open its rabbinical exams to women, the rabbinate has petitioned the court for a new hearing on the matter, while signaling partial compliance by allowing women to take certain tests, Times of Israel reports.
In a legal document filed Sunday, the rabbinate wrote, “The chief rabbis’ position is that there are relevant differences between men and women regarding the possibility of receiving rabbinical ordination or qualifications, as well as in matters of Torah study.” Still, it acknowledged that “there is no obstacle for women to study certain subjects, including, first and foremost, laws relating to everyday life.” The statement added, “In accordance with this position, the chief rabbis believe that there is also no obstacle for women to be tested by the Chief Rabbinate in some of the aforementioned exams on these laws.”
The rabbinate cited halachic areas such as Shabbos and taharas hamishpachah as examples of topics open to female examinees. It also requested that the court delay implementing the earlier decision until another hearing can be held and new guidelines are established.
That request immediately drew criticism from women’s rights petitioners, who opposed any postponement of the ruling. Such hearings are rarely granted, making the rabbinate’s petition an uphill legal effort.
The Chief Rabbinate’s exams are the gateway to official rabbinic recognition in Israel. Applicants must pass at least six rigorous tests covering the main areas of halacha, including kashrus, Shabbos, and taharas hamishpachah. Those who complete the full series earn the Yoreh Yoreh certification, which can carry economic and professional benefits, including eligibility for certain public-sector jobs and salary enhancements equivalent to an academic degree.
The legal battle over women’s eligibility to take these exams began in 2019, when five female Torah scholars and three advocacy organizations—focused on advancing women’s and religious rights—petitioned the High Court. They argued that the rabbinate’s exams, being publicly funded, must be open to all qualified candidates regardless of gender. Previous attempts to create equivalent state-sanctioned alternatives through the Religious Affairs or Labor ministries had failed.
In July, the High Court ruled in favor of the petitioners, declaring that women must be allowed to register for the rabbinate’s tests. Despite that decision, the rabbinate has not yet opened registration for the next round of exams scheduled for next month and has now asked permission to conduct those tests under the old regulations.
“This is a request that raises shameful arguments regarding the status of women and their ability to study and engage in Torah,” said Rabbi Seth Farber, head of the ITIM religious rights organization, one of the main petitioners. “These claims shame the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and risk setting us back by years, and undermining the revolution in women’s Torah study.”
Among the original petitioners are Farber’s wife, Michelle Cohen Farber; Avital Engelberg, head of Yeshivat Maharat’s Israeli branch; Shlomit Flint, a Talmud teacher at Midreshet Be’er; Rabbanit Sarah Segal-Katz; and two advocacy groups, the Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status and the Kolech Religious Women Forum.
Segal-Katz told Ynet that the rabbinate’s new request ignores the spirit of the court’s ruling. “The Chief Rabbinate’s request for an additional hearing pushes us backward,” she said. “Even the attempt to present the distinction based on whether women are exempt from some [Torah] commandments does not justify preventing them from learning the subjects or being tested on them.”
The High Court has yet to decide whether to reopen the case, but the rabbinate’s stance has reignited a debate over women’s access to advanced Torah scholarship—and over how far the state’s religious authorities are willing to go in recognizing it.
{Matzav.com}
