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Maharat

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Yeshivat Maharat is a Jewish educational institution in The Bronx, New York, which is the first Orthodox-affiliated yeshiva in North America to ordain women.[1] The word Maharat (Hebrew: מהר״ת) is a Hebrew acronym for phrase manhiga hilkhatit rukhanit Toranit (Hebrew: מנהיגה הלכתית רוחנית תורנית), denoting a female "leader of Jewish law spirituality and Torah." Semikha is awarded to graduates after a 3- or 4-year-long program composed of intensive studies of Jewish law, Talmud, Torah, Jewish thought, leadership training, and pastoral counseling.[2] The ordination functions as a credentialed, albeit controversial, pathway for women in the Orthodox Jewish community to serve as clergy members.

Yeshivat Maharat
Established2009
FounderRabba Sara Hurwitz and Rabbi Avi Weiss
Religious affiliation
Jewish
PresidentRabba Sara Hurwitz
Location
Bronx
,
New York

40°53′17″N 73°54′36″W / 40.888°N 73.910°W / 40.888; -73.910
LanguageEnglish, Hebrew
Websitehttps://www.yeshivatmaharat.org

History

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In 2009, Rabbi Avi Weiss and Rabbi Daniel Sperber ordained Rabba Sara Hurwitz.[3] She was the first woman to receive Orthodox-affiliated semikha.[4] That same year, Hurwitz and Weiss founded Yeshivat Maharat with the intent to be a Orthodox rabbinical school for women in New York, with Hurwitz as President.[5] Four years later, the first three graduates received ordination and went on to take leadership positions in Montreal and Washington, D.C. By 2023, 64 women had graduated from Yeshivat Maharat, and gone on to serve in clergy roles in Orthodox synagogues, schools, hospitals, universities, and Jewish communal institutions.[citation needed]

In 2015, Lila Kagedan became the organization's first graduate to adopt the title Rabbi (רבי).[6][7][8][9] Other graduates of Maharat have adopted titles such as Maharat, Rabba (רבה, a neologism), and Rabbanit (רבנית, traditionally denoting a rabbi's wife).

Condemnation by the American Orthodox rabbinate

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The Rabbinical Council of America has condemned Maharat for being outside the bounds of Orthodox Judaism, and in 2015 passed a resolution stating that "RCA members with positions in Orthodox institutions may not ordain women into the Orthodox rabbinate, regardless of the title used; or hire or ratify the hiring of a woman into a rabbinic position at an Orthodox institution; or allow a title implying rabbinic ordination to be used by a teacher of Limudei Kodesh in an Orthodox institution."[10] That same year, Agudath Israel of America similarly condemned Maharat, denouncing moves to ordain women, and went even further, declaring Yeshivat Maharat, Open Orthodoxy, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and other affiliated entities to be similar to other dissident movements throughout Jewish history, in having from their perspective rejected basic tenets of Judaism.[11][12][13]

In protest of the wider Orthodox community refusing to allow the ordination of women, Rabbi Weiss abruptly resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America.[14][15][16][17] Similarly, Rabbi Asher Lopatin also resigned in protest of the RCA resolution.[18] Rabbi Seth Farber, an Open Orthodox rabbi, protested against the RCA's unequivocal condemnation of Open Orthodoxy, calling it a "PR stunt by the right-wing membership of the RCA in order to further deepen the dividing lines among orthodoxy," and alleged, that he believed the RCA leadership did not support the resolution.[19]

Academics

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The rabbinical students are divided into two tracks following an optional year of mekhina (preparation) through the Beit Midrash Program:

  • Core Semikha Program
  • Advanced Kollel: Executive Ordination Track

History of Orthodox women rabbis

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The word "Maharat" comes from the four core values of the institution, decided upon at the semikha (originally called "the conferral") of Rabba Sara Hurwitz. Hurwitz, whose title changed several months into her service at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, landed on her first title after discussions with Blu Greenberg who had previously published a now-famous article titled “Will There Be Orthodox Women Rabbis?” (1984). Later, in 2010, Hurwitz and Weiss changed her title to "Rabba" when it became clear that many people did not understand the title.

In response to the controversy, many articles were written in support of women taking Judaic positions of leadership. The authors include Rabbi Dr. Daniel Sperber, Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin-Nun, and Rabbi Nahum Rabinovitch among others.

Publications

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Students have been published in the Keren Journal, The Times of Israel, BBC Sounds, Tablet Magazine, The Wall Street Journal and many more newspapers and journals, religious and secular.

Maharat Ba'Aretz

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A branch of the institute was established in Israel.[20]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Maharat Movement". Editorial. The Forward. June 13, 2013.
  2. ^ "Home". Yeshivat Maharat. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
  3. ^ Breger, Sarah (November–December 2010). "Do 1 Rabba, 2 Rabbis and 1 Yeshiva = a New Denomination?". Moment Magazine. Retrieved July 31, 2013.
  4. ^ "The Maharat Movement". Editorial. The Forward. June 13, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2015.
  5. ^ Ginsberg, Johanna R. (February 24, 2012). "We want to place news women in synagogues". New Jersey Jewish News. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  6. ^ Kagedan, Lila (25 November 2015). "Why Orthodox Judaism needs female rabbis". Canadian Jewish News.
  7. ^ "First female graduate of Orthodox seminary hired by synagogue". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. January 3, 2016. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency (January 4, 2016). "First female rabbi to lead Orthodox synagogue". Jewish Standard. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  9. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency (January 12, 2016). "New Jersey Orthodox Synagogue Hires Woman Who Uses 'Rabbi' Title". Haaretz. Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  10. ^ "Rabbinical Council of America officially bans ordination and hiring of women rabbis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  11. ^ "Moetzes: 'Open Orthodoxy' Not a Form of Torah Judaism". Hamodia. November 3, 2015. p. 1.
  12. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (November 3, 2015). "Breach in US Orthodox Judaism grows as haredi body rejects 'Open Orthodoxy' institutions". The Jerusalem Post.
  13. ^ Nathan-Kazis, Josh (November 3, 2015). "Avi Weiss Defends 'Open Orthodoxy' as Agudah Rabbis Declare War". The Forward.
  14. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency (June 29, 2015). "Rabbi Avi Weiss quits Rabbinical Council of America in protest". Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  15. ^ Ettinger, Yair (June 11, 2015). "Newly minted female Orthodox rabbis to be called 'rabba'". Haaretz.
  16. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency (June 29, 2015). "In protest, Avi Weiss quits Rabbinical Council of America". The Times of Israel. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  17. ^ Jewish Telegraphic Agency (June 29, 2015). "Avi Weiss Quits Rabbinic Group in Flap Over School". Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  18. ^ "YCT President Asher Lopatin Announces Resignation from RCA for Rejecting Open Orthodox Rabbis". Matzav.com. July 3, 2015. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  19. ^ Sharon, Jeremy (November 3, 2015). "Breach in US Orthodox Judaism grows as haredi body rejects 'Open Orthodoxy' institutions". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
  20. ^ Maharat Ba'Aretz. Accessed 6 June 2023.
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