In Search of the Synagogue Part I
http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefsandlaw1/f/nobeitdin.htm
http://judaism.about.com/od/beliefsandlaw1/f/nobeitdin.htm
How does the lack of a Beit Din affect the legitimacy of a conversion? -
Question: Can women be counted in a minyan to recite the Mourner's Kaddish prayer?
Answer: You ask about women's participation in Reform Jewish practice and, also, about the need for a minyan (quorum of ten adult Jews) to recite the Mourner's Kaddish.
One of the founding principles of Reform Judaism has been the equal participation of women in all aspects of religious practice. Over the last two centuries, Reform Judaism has adopted changes in its practice to increase women's participation in ways that reflect changes in society. Women have been allowed to participate in synagogue ritual (1811), to be counted in a minyan (1845), to sing in synagogue choirs (1845), to speak from the pulpit (1928), to sit together with men in the synagogue (1929), and to be ordained as rabbis (1972).
The Kaddish originally was a prayer marking the end of liturgical sections of the synagogue service. Traditionally, it is only recited in the presence of a minyan and only by men. During the medieval period, the Mourner's Kaddish became associated with mourning and has since become the primary prayer associated with Jewish mourning, recited daily during the eleven Hebrew months following the death of a near relative.
In most Reform congregations, the presence of a minyan is not absolutely necessary for the reciting of the Kaddish, but is considered highly desirable. The need to have a minyan at a shivah service is stressed in most Reform congregations. I generally encourage mourners to attend services at the synagogue whenever possible to recite Kaddish, but to recite it privately at home (without a minyan) when it is not. There is absolutely no distinction between men and women in the recitation of the Kaddish in Reform practice.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser
One of the founding principles of Reform Judaism has been the equal participation of women in all aspects of religious practice. Over the last two centuries, Reform Judaism has adopted changes in its practice to increase women's participation in ways that reflect changes in society. Women have been allowed to participate in synagogue ritual (1811), to be counted in a minyan (1845), to sing in synagogue choirs (1845), to speak from the pulpit (1928), to sit together with men in the synagogue (1929), and to be ordained as rabbis (1972).
The Kaddish originally was a prayer marking the end of liturgical sections of the synagogue service. Traditionally, it is only recited in the presence of a minyan and only by men. During the medieval period, the Mourner's Kaddish became associated with mourning and has since become the primary prayer associated with Jewish mourning, recited daily during the eleven Hebrew months following the death of a near relative.
In most Reform congregations, the presence of a minyan is not absolutely necessary for the reciting of the Kaddish, but is considered highly desirable. The need to have a minyan at a shivah service is stressed in most Reform congregations. I generally encourage mourners to attend services at the synagogue whenever possible to recite Kaddish, but to recite it privately at home (without a minyan) when it is not. There is absolutely no distinction between men and women in the recitation of the Kaddish in Reform practice.
Best wishes,
Rabbi Jeffrey W. Goldwasser
In Search of the Synagogue Part II
[In Search of the Synagogue Part II: The Temple Destroyed; The Synagogue Takes a Turn [70c.e.–4th century]
|
To understand the evolution of the synagogue in Roman-occupied Palestine, an interview with Lee I. Levine, professor of Jewish History and Archaeology at Hebrew University and author of The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years.
