Honoring a Jewish revolutionary in Israel
Rabbi Gideon D. Sylvester / Jewish World blogger | Jan.31, 2013 | 10:12 AM
On the day Israelis headed to the polls, I attended a ceremony honoring a great rabbi who brought Talmud learning to Modern Orthodox women in the 1970s and is now bringing yeshiva study to the Web: Rabbi Dr. Chaim Brovender.
As Israel prepares for a new government, there is much talk of fundamental changes in society and the fresh hope engendered by the new parties and politicians. Others remain skeptical; the challenges are enormous, revolutions are rare, and great leaders are in short supply.
Still, just occasionally, there is a seismic shift in the Jewish world, and I am fortunate enough to have witnessed one of them. On the day that Israelis went to the polls to elect new leaders that they hoped would make a difference, I attended a ceremony to honor a man who really has staged a revolution in the Jewish world, my teacher: Rabbi Dr. Chaim Brovender.
Israel is the center of Jewish religious scholarship; it now houses frameworks for pretty much anyone who wishes to engage in intensive Jewish study. But this was not always the case. Until 1976, there was no institution catering to Orthodox Jewish women who sought in-depth study of our holy texts. No matter how intelligent they were, nor how deep their religious motivation, most of the Jewish bookshelf was inaccessible to them. They could study some basic texts, but for anything more sophisticated, they were reliant on their fathers, brothers or husbands for edification.
http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/rabbis-round-table/honoring-a-jewish-revolutionary-in-israel.premium-1.500523