Excluding women form the cemetery. Halachic versus kabbalistic rulings
The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the rabbinical rulings regarding women's participation in funerals and the entry of women into the cemetery while funerals are being held. An examination of the various halachic methods finds considerable inconsistency on this matter betwe...
| Subtitles: | מה לנשים בבית הקברות בין פסיקה הלכתית לפסיקה קבלית |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Print Article |
| Language: | Hebrew |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
College
2007
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| In: |
Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Year: 2007, Volume: 78, Pages: 47-65 |
| RelBib Classification: | BH Judaism |
| Further subjects: | B
Rabbinic Judaism
B Halacha B Grave B Cabala B Woman B Funeral |
| Summary: | The aim of this paper is to describe the development of the rabbinical rulings regarding women's participation in funerals and the entry of women into the cemetery while funerals are being held. An examination of the various halachic methods finds considerable inconsistency on this matter between the halachic approach and the kabbalistic one. In both Talmuds, as well as in the halachic rulings of the rishonim, women are permitted to attend funerals. R. Joseph Karo ruled that, according to the Zohar, women should be forbidden to enter the cemetery. The paper describes the various halachic approaches: those that completely reject any involvement of the Kabbalah in halachic ruling, those that hold a debate with the Kabbalah and arrive at a different conclusion, and those that accept the Kabbalah — either partially or completely. It is possible that the acceptance of R. Karo's ruling on the exclusion of women from the cemetery by Ashkenazi halachic authorities merged with the existing stringent Ashkenazi customs regarding the distancing of women in a state of nidah from anything having sanctity, and that this is what produced the relatively late custom regarding the non-entry of women in a state of nidah into the cemetery. |
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| ISSN: | 0360-9049 |
| Contains: | In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
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