What is the goal of feminism?
Is it equality alone? Or is there also a greater goal?
The Zohar on this weeks Parsha states, regarding the Song of Miriam, that it is the unique song of the Jewish woman that will bring healing and redemption to the world. (see www.chabadrt.org/2744)
To elucidate, I’d like to share with you Hinda’s speech from Spa for the Soul this past Sunday.
"The future is female!
No, we’re not getting rid of all the men, sorry ladies :)
Maybe I should say, the future is femininity (rather than the future is female) It’s a little more PC :)
Judaism, since its inception, has championed femininity.
There are feminine values and masculine values, and while each has its time and place, and men and women each have the capacity for both, Judaism has always placed feminine values above masculine values.
Examples of feminine values are empathy, nurturing and patience, whereas assertiveness, courage and competitiveness are examples of masculine values.
Before the Torah was given masculine values were respected, while feminine values rejected.
Great men were those who vanquished their enemy. Forgiveness was seen a weakness and competitiveness and ruthlessness were the hallmarks of society.
But the Torah came along and said “love the stranger, care for the orphan and protect the weak”.
Judaism teaches that peace is greater than war, forgiveness the master of vengeance.
Judaism champions the nurturing, as opposed to the competitive, spirit within us. Essentially, Judaism started a feminine revolution.
And who better positioned to carry out this revolution than the Jewish woman.
Yes, we can be masculine when we need to (we have proven that we can be assertive, independent and courageous) but that’s not our unique message and contribution to the world. The world has had plenty of masculinity, it is time for the feminine voice to be heard!
Expressing our G-d given gift of femininity we can teach the world to be more compassionate and nurturing.
We can teach the world that peace is greater than war, that bravery is found in acts of kindness, that how much our children admire us is far more important than how much our business associates do, that our rank in the Forbes 400 is secondary to where we stand in our relationships, and that to empower others is the greatest form of power.
The future is femininity! It is time for our nurturing feminine spirit to bring healing and redemption to a fractured world. "
Of course the above applies for men as well as women. While there is a time and place for courage, assertiveness, competitiveness and other "masculine values", we must cultivate our "feminine values" such as empathy, patience and our ability to nurture and love.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Benjy Silverman