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“Blessed art You O God, King of the Universe, Who has not made me a woman”
– Morning Blessings, Shacharit Service
The status of women in Jewish law and tradition was established in ancient times and was consistent
with the norms of the societies that Jews lived in.
Although women were respected, they were excluded from the public domain and their role
was confined to the private domain of the home and family.
Religious studies, knowledge, creative work, leadership and legal matters were all the exclusive dominion of men.
Even though there were special cases in some communities where women had increased rights
and enjoyed an improved status – such as in Ashkenaz,
where their right to study was recognized at the end of the Middle Ages – until the modern period,
those were exceptions to the rule.
