Kiddushin 31a asks: why don't we learn from the juxtaposition between mezuzah and talmud Torah that women are exempt from mezuzah (just as they are exmept from Torah)? Gemara answers that the next pasuk says l'Ma'an Yirbu Yemeichem, which is referring to mezuzah; since women need long lives, they must be obligated in mezuzah. Apparently, whenever we apply l'Ma'an Yirbu Yemeichem, women are obligated, even if there was a reason to say otherwise. (Tosfos write explicitly that if Ki Hu Chayech v'Orech Yamechah was definitively referring to talmud torah then women would be obligated as well.)

However one opinion in Shabbos 32b says l'Ma'an Yirbu goes back on the previous few Pesukim and this is why violating both mezuzah AND TALMUD TORAH leads to death of children. According to that opinion, Talmud Torah is also included in l'Ma'an Yirbu, which should mean that women are obligated to learn Torah so they can have a long life!

This would have major ramifications because Kiddushin says many other exemptions are learned from this. If women would be obligated in learning torah then they would also be obligated in tefillin, and a father would have to teach his daughter Torah, and she would be obligated to teach her Torah to her children!

So must we conclude that according to the opinion that l'Ma'an Yirbu refers to Talmud Torah, that women are obligated learning Torah and all of those other mitzvos??

Yaakov Abramovitz, United States