In recent years, Torah learning for women has advanced in ways previous generations could never have imagined. Some may view these developments as innovative or modern, but a read of Frierdiker Rebbe’s Memoirs proves it has deep roots. Teaching girls Torah, at the highest level, was a defining feature of the early mekubalim, the precursor to the Chassidic movement.
A prime example is the story of Devorah Leah, the aunt of the Alter Rebbe. The Frierdiker Rebbe paints us a vivid picture of young Devorah Leah’s childhood in 1720s Poland. Rochel, like most Jewish girls of her time, was never taught how to learn. All she knew was the little nuggets she gleaned from while sitting on her balcony and listening to her neighbor, Reb Noach the melamed, teaching his students. The more she listened to his teaching, the more she longed to join them.
Sometimes, after her father left the house, Devorah Leah would see her mother take down a gemara from the bookshelf, and begin to study. She would watch silently with longing tears in her eyes. One day, she could no longer contain her tears. She ran to her room and began to sob. Soon, her mother came to find her and asked her what was wrong.
“I saw you learning Torah,” Devorah Leah said between her sobs. “Your father must have taught you how to learn. Why won’t my father teach me Torah too?”
“My father was amongst the early mekubalim,” Rochel responded. “The mekubalim who believed in giving their daughters a Torah education no less than their sons. That’s why he taught me torah. Your father is amongst the misnagdim, who believe it is wrong to teach their daughters Torah. That’s why he never taught you.”
When Rochel saw how badly Devorah Leah wanted to learn, she began to teach her.
But still, much like the other practices of the early mekubalim — things like learning kabbalah, befriending the simple Jew, and spending long hours on personal tefillah — Devorah Leah’s learning had to remain a secret. The world was not yet ready. And so, formalized Torah learning for women would have to wait for someday in the future.
In a sicha from Parshas Emor 5750, the Rebbe references the stories told in the Memoirs as a precedent for high-level Torah scholarship for women and adds that while in the past this tradition was only practiced by yechidei segula, in our times, it is available for every woman.
This Monday and Tuesday, Batsheva Learning Center is running a campaign centered around the vision articulated by Rochel all those years ago. There will be a 36-hour learn-a-thon packed with classes, panel discussions, and interviews from and with leading Chabad women teachers and scholars. The goal: raising 50,000$ to fund a new women’s Beis Midrash they are opening next fall.
Click here to join the learn-a-thon:
https://batshevalearningcenter.raisegiving.com/
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