The Chabad Kehot Chumash is a beautiful work and the Lubavitcher Rebbe's commentary is reflective of a man who is a "thinker" and a "big talmid chocham" as Rabbi Avigdor Miller described him.
So I was disappointed to see on page 435, Shemos 19:3 the statement "women are more naturally predisposed toward spirituality." I thought, the Rebbe couldn't have said this. It's a modern day feminist myth that has spread throughout much of the Orthodox world. I checked the footnote and sure enough the source given is not the Rebbe. It's Maharal, Derush Al Torah.
So is the Maharal the source? No, he is not. All he says in Derush Al Torah is that women as receivers are more ready to receive their reward. Men are more aggressive and need Torah to help tame that aggressiveness to ready them to receive their reward. This is not a statement regarding general spirituality. It could be that male aggressiveness, when applied properly, is a good tool for uncovering spirituality as we find with limud Torah.
However, the Maharal says in many other places that the male is more spiritual and operates on a higher plane. For example:
Maharal, Gur Aryeh, Vayikra 12:2, beginning of parshas Tazriah.
Chidushei Agados, Makos 23b
Chidushei Agados, Baba Matzia 59a
Chidushei Agados, Nidah 45b
Derech Chaim 1:5
Derech Chaim 2:9
Tiferes Yisrael 28
Tiferes Yisrael 4
Some excerpts:
"Rav Tachlifa says, it is fitting to proceed with women first (regarding the receiving of the Torah). And this is because the decree and the command from Hashem, may He be blessed, to man who receives it, is the covenant and the connection of Hashem to man, who received the decree. And this is explained in many places. And since the man is more fitting to the covenant and the connection with Hashem, may He be blessed, since the woman is more physical, and the level of the woman is not like that of the man, therefore, the man was commanded first since his level was close to Hashem, may He be blessed....And afterwards the man was commanded his connection and his level are greater than that of the woman." Maharal, Tiferes Yisroel 28
"And now we can understand that woman who is material is obligated to observe the Negative Commandments but is not obligated in all the Positive Commandments. That is because the spiritual level of women does not reach to the highest level - which is the level of the Positive Commandments that a woman would function fully - because she is material." Maharal, Chidushei Agados, Makos 23b
"After the Mishnah mentions possessions, as they are relevant to a man, it says 'more wives more witchcraft.' Reference to the woman comes after that of possessions because the man needs the woman to take care of his house. And it says that she increases witchcraft. Even if he is married to Avigail. Certainly, kosher Jewish women don’t practice witchcraft. Nevertheless, she leans towards witchcraft as it is a lower level of being. Witchcraft is found more in women. Because of the lowness of the level of witchcraft it is found in women since they are lower in the level. Witchcraft comes from the power of materialism that is found in women. Therefore, witchcraft only works when a person is standing on the earth. Therefore, increase of women brings a man to the level of witchcraft. And even if she doesn’t actually practice witchcraft, nevertheless, he will lean towards the lowness and lacking due to the increase of wives since their increase will tend him towards the lowness of witchcraft." Maharal, Derech Chaim 2:8
"All those who follow the advice of their wife fall into Gehinom – This is truly incredible. We explain this also in relationship to Avos (1:5), All those who talk a lot with their wives are idle from words of Torah and in the end they inherit Gehinom. You should know that the woman is compared to Substance while the man is compared to the Form in every place. And when the Form is not separated from the Substance but rather the Form follows after the Substance entirely – he falls in Gehinom. That is because it is well known that the deficit is attached and bound with the Substance. This is alluded to by the Sages when they noted that when the woman was created the Samech was created with her. Because we don’t find the letter Samech in the Torah until the woman was created. ויסגר בשר תחתנה Bereishis (2:21) and closed up the flesh. That teaches you that with the woman was attached the deficit which is Satan who is the Angel of Death. When the Form follow after the Substance the Form obtains the deficit. That is because Gehinom is only the complete deficit as we learn from the names Gehinom itself." Maharal, Bava Metzia 59a.
"And because the feminine leans towards the physical, her completion does not reside with the distinctly spiritual matters. Certainly she has these (purely spiritual traits) but not as much." Derech Chaim 2:9 (on the Mishnah: Amar lehem tzoo u’rahoo) d’h’ U’Mizeh.
In addition to the Maharal, there are numerous other commentators who make similar comments asserting the higher spiritualty of the male. They include the following:
Akeidas Yitzchak (Chapter 6)
Abarbanel (Bereshis, Chapter 1)
the Baal Magen Avraham (Ziet Ra'anan on Yalkut Shemoni, Shmuel 1:1)
Vilna Gaon (Even Shelaimah 1:8)
Rav Tzadock (Dover Tzedeck p. 119)
Baal Shevet Musar (Midrash Talpiyos, Ohs Aleph, Anaf Isha)
Certainly, there are areas where women excel: emunah peshuta, moral purity (Rav Hirsch), tranquility (Maharal), initiation of teshuva (Chasom Sofer), and feeling hashgacha pratis (Rebbe Maharash). However, the statement that they are more naturally predisposed toward spirituality is incorrect in my estimation. I would be very interested to see a Torah source that makes such a statement. I understand the temptation to buy off feminist complaints about the Torah by saying women are better than men. But it just isn't true. The Maharal in particular is very clear about that.
