It is commonly believed that halakhically-based women’s prayer groups originated in contemporary circles of the progressive wing of Modern Orthodoxy. Think again.
In his book Nahalat Avot, Rabbi Yosef Messas reveals that in certain ancient communities in Spain, there were pious religious women who conducted their own early morning prayer services.
Born in Meknes, Morocco, Rabbi Messas was one of the 20th century’s outstanding halakhic authorities. He served as the Chief Rabbi of Tlemcen, Algeria and the Chief Rabbinic Judge (Dayan) in Meknes. A prolific author of 48 rabbinic books, he was also a talented liturgical poet and artist whose drawings graced many pages of his books. In 1964 he made Aliyah, and in 1968 became the Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Haifa, a position he held until his passing in 1974.
Nahalat Avot is an eight volume collection of Rabbi Messas’ sermons from his years in Meknes, Morocco, starting in 1943. Published in stages between 1971 and 1987, Nahalat Avot is a treasury of Torah wisdom.
Discussing the dictum that one should wake up early in the morning for prayers “with the strength of a lion,” Rabbi Messas quotes a poetic verse from the Torah that describes the Jewish nation: “Lo, a people that rises like a lioness and leaps up like a lion” (Numbers 23:24).
“Rashi teaches that this verse is a metaphor for the Jewish people rising early to put on Tallit and Tefillin, read the Shema and pray,” says Rabbi Messas. “If so, why did the verse mention the female lioness before the male lion?”
Rabbi Messas’ answer to his thought-provoking question reveals a beautiful piece of Sephardic history:
“I saw written in a book, that in certain communities in Spain, the learned and pure women would wake up very early in the morning and go to their own designated synagogues, where they would conduct a prayer service. One of the women would lead as shliha d’tsibbur (designated prayer leader), and on the days of Torah reading, they would read from a Torah scroll. Some of the women wore Tefillin, and all of them were wrapped in a Tallit. They conducted such services on weekdays, Shabbat and holidays. Women are exempt from time-bound commandments, so these women voluntarily took upon these obligations. After services they went home to wake up their husbands and sons to go and pray. This is ‘the lioness waking up before the lion’.”
The women in Spain – and Rabbi Yosef Messas – were years ahead of their time.
When it comes to Torah study, the havruta system – where two people partner for serious Torah study – was historically limited to men. In the early 20th century, two prominent Iraqi personalities – one female and one male – broke the glass ceiling.
Farha Flora Sasson was a prominent businesswoman who loved to study Torah, Talmud and Halakha. Her havruta via correspondence was Yitzhak Nissim, a young Torah scholar who later became Israel’s second Sephardic Chief Rabbi (1955-1973).
Farha Sassoon was humble and modest, and wished to keep her havruta correspondence with Rav Nissim private. He respectfully disagreed, and he wanted to publish their Torah discussions in his new book of halakhic responsa. He felt that publishing their exchanges - with her name - would set a groundbreaking example for women to engage in serious Torah study:
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I don’t understand why Her Honor does not want her name written in the halakhic book I will be publishing? I firmly believe that it is incumbent on the Hakhamim of this generation to strengthen and encourage women who voluntarily take upon the study of the Oral Law. In fact, I pray that God will inspire the hearts of many women to study Torah, and that the light of their Torah will be a positive influence on their surroundings, especially on the children in their home, for to our great sorrow, our levels of Torah and reverence for God have terribly deteriorated. I therefore think it is preferable that we should mention your name in my published book. If Her Honor is not agreeable to this, I will cancel that thought, for the greatest display of respect is honoring a person’s will. Having said that, I do think that for the sake of future generations, it is preferable that your name should be mentioned in print.”
Thankfully he convinced her. Rav Nissim’s book – Yayin Hatov – was published in 1946, and for the very first time, here was a halakhic work that included three lengthy responsa reflecting a havruta exchange between a man and a woman.
In these responsa, Rav Nissim addressed Farha as “Rabbanit” – a title which could either mean “rabbi’s wife” or “female rabbi.” She was neither, so his addressing her as “Rabbanit” was out of his deep respect for her rabbinic knowledge and passion for Torah study.
Quietly, without any fanfare, Rav Yitzhak Nissim and Rabbanit Farha Sassoon helped pave the way for serious Torah study for women.
Today’s Jewish women – Sephardi and Ashkenazi – are empowered to pray and study Torah, and to follow the noble path of these Sephardic Women of Valor.
Rabbi Daniel Bouskila is the Director of the Sephardic Educational Center (SEC) in the Old City of Jerusalem, an organization and institution dedicated to teaching and transmitting the philosophy of Classic Sephardic Judaism to the Jewish world.