More Discussions for this daf
1. 3, 5, and 7 2. Tenth Man Leaving a Minyan 3. Refusing to Join a Minyan
4. Shem Hash-m Without a Minyan 5. A woman being called to read from the Torah 6. Women and Aliyot
7. Kavod ha'Tzibur 8. Question on Minyanim 9. Contradiction with Maseches Sofrim
10. Keneged Mi 11. Giving an Aliyah to a woman 12. Chazaras ha'Shatz
13. הני שלשה חמשה ושבעה 14. נשים בתפילה בציבור 15. סתירה למסכת סופרים
16. כנגד מי
DAF DISCUSSIONS - MEGILAH 23

Harry Stark, Ph.D. asked:

It would seem from item 3 on this daf that the beraisa is allowing for women to have an aliya if the men in the tzibur would not object. What other issues are in place that are seen as rejecting women having an aliya?

Harry Stark, Ph.D., West Hills, USA

The Kollel replies:

I'm not sure why you think that the Beraisa allows women to have an Aliyah, provided the men in the Tzibur do not object. The Shulchan Aruch cites the Beraisa verbatim, without giving any Heter. And the Rambam, who often cites the Gemara word for word, even when it is not necessary to do so, omits the first half of the Beraisa (that a woman is permitted to Lein), citing only the prohibition. So it seems that the Chachamim instituted an unconditional Isur due to Kavod Tzibur.

Actually, if you check out all the places where Kavod Tzibur is cited, starting with Daf 24b and the three other locations cited there by R. Akiva Eiger, you will see that the same applies to all of them. Perhaps the best proof is from the case on 24b, where the Gemara states that a naked person is forbidden to be 'Po'reis al Sh'ma'. Will you suggest there too, that if the Tzibur doesn't object, it will be permitted?

You asked whether there are any other issues in place ...

Presumably not, since the Gemara basically permits her to be called up. The Ya'avetz goes so far as to say that if there are only six men who know how to Lein (in former times, whoever was called up would Lein as well), then the prohibition will not apply.

The Me'iri does cite another objection however. In his opinion, the Heter is confined to the five middle Aliyos, where in former times, no B'rachah was recited. Nowadays, he maintains, when we recite a B'rachah over all the Aliyos, a woman, who is not Chayav, cannot receive an Aliyah anyway. Rabeinu Tam too, cites this opinion in Rosh Hashanah 33a (end of DH 'Ha R. Yehudah).

This seems to run contrary to the Maseches Sofrim cited by the Magen Avraham, which obligates women to hear Keri'as ha'Torah no less than men (See Mishnah Berurah Si'man 282:3).

What bothers me is why hearing women Leining is not intrinsically forbidden on account of 'Kol be'Ishah Ervah'.

Two other interesting observations regarding these Halachos:

1. that it is only in a Minyan of men that the initial Heter of calling up a woman applies, but not where there are only women.

2. that it is confined to Shabbos, where seven people are called up. It does not extend to Mondays and Thursdays or Rosh Chodesh, and not even to Yom-Tov and Yom Kipur (Mishnah Berurah Ibid.).

In conclusion, it seems to me that a community that contravenes the Takanas Chachamim and calls up women to the Torah, is subject to the Pasuk in Koheles "Poretz Geder Yishchenu Nachash".

be'Virchas Kol Tuv

Eliezer Chhrysler.