In the minds of many progressive Jews today, there exists a seemingly irreconcilable conflict of values between egalitarianism and Halakha. This tension, between a belief in gender equality and a code of law that often draws strict distinctions between the sexes, leads many to abandon their connection to the former or, more often, the latter. But what if it was possible to reconcile Halakhic Jewish practice with progressive egalitarian values? At the Hadar Institute, a Halakhic egalitarian yeshiva in New York City, this possibility has become reality.
To understand the mission and philosophy of this visionary community, Nu interviewed Hadar faculty member, Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg. Rabbi Rosenberg grew up in Iowa in a relatively non-observant Jewish household, but became involved in Orthodox Judaism as a Harvard undergraduate. In his sophomore year, Rav Rosenberg discovered a place of belonging in an egalitarian minyan organized through the campus Hillel. The Harvard Hillel also connected Rav Rosenberg with Rav Eitan Tucker, the current President and Rosh Yeshiva of Hadar. Rav Tucker returned to his alma mater to give a shiur about Halakhic egalitarian prayer which resonated deeply with Rosenberg. So much so that the content of that class would form the basis for a book jointly authored by Rav Rosenberg and Rav Tucker in 2017, titled Gender Equality and Prayer in Jewish Law.
After graduating from Harvard, Rav Rosenberg received Rabbinic ordination from the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and a PhD in Talmud and Rabbinics from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Now, he is on faculty at the Hadar Institute, teaching online and in-person classes and leading Hadar’s mission to foster egalitarian Jewish communities on university campuses across the United States.
According to Rav Rosenberg, Hadar’s Halakhic egalitarianism is founded upon the belief that Halakha and ethics cannot be at odds with one another. “Halakha,” says Rav Rosenberg, “is not an arbitrary game. It is an expression of God’s will.” Crucially, Judaism believes that Hashem is unequivocally just. As such, Hashem would never command us to act unethically.
Rav Rosenberg explains that when Halakha seems to be at odds with our modern conception of ethics we are misinterpreting the Halakhic sources or we are too narrow-minded in understanding ethics. “All too often,” Rav Rosenberg claims, “people assume that the surface-level, literal meaning of the source is the correct meaning of the source.” Rather, ascertaining the true meaning of Torah requires deep, critical, and sometimes metaphorical engagement with the texts. For example, the Torah commands us to “circumcise your heart” (Deut 10:16). According to Rav Rosenberg, the correct understanding of this verse is not literally to take a scalpel to one’s heart, but rather to “be vulnerable to a relationship with the Kadosh Baruch-Hu.”
Likewise, a similar interpretative method can be applied to the Shulchan Aruch, which dictates that ten zecharim constitute a minyan. Rav Rosenberg and the Hadar community understand the word zecharim not simply as ‘males,’ but rather, as a shorthand for “fully enfranchised members of your community.” Context is also important: Rav Yosef Karo wrote this authoritative Halakhic work in the 16th century CE, when this description applied exclusively to men. However, Rav Rosenberg argues that because women are now fully enfranchised members of society, “we are not violating the Shulchan Aruch, but rather living up to it” by counting women in a minyan.
These ideas are manifested in the communal structures of the Hadar community, where men and women fully participate in the service, often with no mechitza. Furthermore, Hadar’s faculty is led by many prominent female rabbis, including co-Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Aviva Richman.
Hadar’s open-minded yet honest Halakhic interpretation, coupled with its steadfast commitment to egalitarianism, makes it an attractive place of Jewish learning for many critically-minded, progressive Jews. Hadar’s unique approach fosters Jewish community in which all are equally invited to discover the wonders of Torah, further advancing our people’s age-old relationship with Halakha.
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