What is Quote Mining
For anyone who is unaware of what quote mining is – it can be defined as “the fallacious tactic of taking quotes out of context in order to make them seemingly agree with the quote miner’s viewpoint” (RationalWiki)
I came across this video randomly and there are a couple sections that I need to respond to right now
Please do not contact or harass anyone involved in these clips
Claim: Women can’t learn Torah
The first clip is a brief introduction to this main clip which is an attempt to show that women cannot learn Torah
Response: Women can learn Torah
Yes, this quote does exist but it is from the Jerusalem Talmud (which most people don’t even know exists)
“A lady asked Rebbi Eliezer, why did one sin of the golden calf lead to three different kinds of death? He said to her, the wisdom of a woman is only in her spinning rod, as is written: “All wise women span with their hands.” His son Hyrkanos said to him, in order not to give her an answer you made me lose 300 kor of tithes every year. He answered him: May the words of the Torah be burned and not be delivered to women!” (JT Sotah 3:4)
A woman asks Rabbi Eliezer a question but he refuses to answer her. His son, Hyrcanus attempts to get his father to answer her because her family have been generous donors to the yeshivah. This is when Rabbi Eliezer makes his pronouncement about women and Torah.
There is a lot of controversy surrounding this text and it is not used to establish a clear cut rule that women cannot learn Torah.
Preceding this text, there is another Rabbi – Ben Azai – who does not follow this advice and does allow women to study Torah. So, right here in the same part of the Jerusalem Talmud, there is a statement that women can learn Torah.
What you need to understand is that men and women have different obligations when it comes to certain mitzvot – which includes studying Torah.
Women are no obligated to study Torah even though men are obligated. This doesn’t mean though that women are forbidden from studying Torah.
According to Rambam: “Women, slaves, and minors are free from the obligation of Torah study. Nevertheless, a father is obligated to teach his son Torah while he is a minor, as [Deuteronomy 11:19] states: “And you shall teach them to your sons to speak about them.”
A woman is not obligated to teach her son, for only those who are obligated to learn are obligated to teach.” (Mishneh Torah: Seder Madda: Torah Study 1:1)
However Rambam goes on to explain that even though women are not obligated to study Torah they are permitted to study Torah and will receive a reward.
“A woman who studies Torah will receive reward. However, that reward will not be [as great] as a man’s, since she was not commanded [in this mitzvah]. Whoever performs a deed which he is not commanded to do, does not receive as great a reward as one who performs a mitzvah that he is commanded to do.
Even though she will receive a reward, the Sages commanded that a person should not teach his daughter Torah, because most women cannot concentrate their attention on study, and thus transform the words of Torah into idle matters because of their lack of understanding.
[Thus,] our Sages declared: “Whoever teaches his daughter Torah is like one who teaches her tales and parables.” This applies to the Oral Law. [With regard to] the Written Law: at the outset, one should not teach one’s daughter. However, if one teaches her, it is not considered as if she was taught idle things.” (Mishneh Torah: Seder Madda: Torah Study 1:13)
The Shulchan Arukh also states: “A woman who studied Torah receives a reward, but not like that of a man, because she is not obligated yet performs the commandment. And even though she earns a reward, our rabbis have commanded that one should not teach his daughter Torah, because the majority of women are not intellectual prepared to be taught, and remove words of Torah to words of emptiness due to their intellectual limitations. The rabbis said: One who teaches his daughter Torah is as if he taught her frivolity. When is this stated? In regard to the oral Torah. However, in regard to the written Torah one should preferably not teach her, but if he did so it is not comparable to frivolity. Rama: Nonetheless, a woman is obligated to study laws that are relevant to her. And a woman is not obligated to teach her son Torah. Nonetheless, if she assists her son or husband to study Torah, she receives reward along with them.” (Shulchan Arukh, Yoreh De’ah 246:6)
Women are actually commanded to learn the parts of the Torah that apply to them – such as keeping kosher and family purity. They are also obligated to learn the less tangible commands of Torah such as the fear of G-d.
Claim: Men thank God for not being women
This second clip is a reference to a part of a daily prayer performed by men – mostly Orthodox but also some non-Orthodox men
Response: Men thank God for extra mitzvot
This section reference in the video is part of the daily morning prayers known as the “Birkhot HaShahar” (dawn blessings). These blessings center around the routine of waking up in the morning.
This referenced part of the prayer is part of 15 blessings that are offered thanking G-d “for some action relating to waking up and going about our daily affairs.” (Shira Schoenberg)
These blessings originate in the Babylonian Talmud (Berakhot 60b).
However, these three blessings did not arrive until the third-century BCE and are recorded elsewhere in the Talmud.
“It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: A man is obligated to recite three blessings every day praising God for His kindnesses, and these blessings are: Who did not make me a gentile; Who did not make me a woman; and Who did not make me an ignoramus.” (Menachot 43b)
Even from the earliest version of the blessing, it was understood that this was not meant as a disparagement against women. It was not meant to imply that women were inferior. In fact, it was used by men to praise G-d for being obligated to perform more mitzvot than non-Jews, slaves and servants, and women. (Eliezer Segal)
So, the quote mining is absolutely fruitless once one knows the facts.
Non-answered Prayers
This last clip is very short but I think it is important
Answered Prayers
I have just a short comment about the very last clip.
This preacher has essentially put himself in the place of G-d so he can determine what prayers G-d answers and which He does not answer.
This is so arrogant. No human knows G-d’s Mind and no human can put himself or herself in G-d’s place.
This statement is based on nothing but arrogance, quote mining, and ignorance of the actual prayer and its meaning.