Friday, February 13, 2026

Response to an apologist

That was an hour and a half of your opinion. I didn't hear you cite a single authority who says that women are superior. You decided for example that a yoke is only for one who needs it so since men have more mitzvos they must need more help. So why does a Kohen have extra mitzvos? He is not spiritually inferior. Do you want to say that every Jewish female is superior to the Lubavitcher Rebbe because he was obligated in mitzvos that they are exempt from? You could say that opposite that the extra mitzvos channel the spiritual capabilities of the spiritually "superior" creature. The Maharal says that men are strong in all five parts of the soul and women in three. (Derech Chaim 2:9)


Rav Moshe Feinstein says that mitzvos require inborn holiness:

"The mitzvah of You shall be holy, which is followed by a recitation of several of the fundamental mitzvos, is not of the same type as the mitzvos that follow it. This mitzvah means that every Jew should realize that he is sanctified with the holiness of the Jew, and it is only because of that holiness that we were given the Torah and obligated to do the mitzvos. As I have often written, mitzvos cannot be fulfilled properly unless the doer has the holiness of the Jew. The Kohanim, who have additional mitzvos, must have the particular holiness of Kohanim. This is why we make a blessing before mitzvos and say, "Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos"; and Kohanim, before doing mitzvos that are limited to Kohanim, say, "Who has sanctified us with the sanctity of Aharon." The expression "Who has sanctified us with His mitzvos" should not be misunderstood as meaning that mitzvos are the source of the sanctity. It is self-understood that the sanctity the blessing refers to is the underlying sanctity of every Jew -- that which enables us to fulfill the mitzvos."

Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt'l, Darash Moshe, Volume II, p. 154, Vayikra, Kedoshim


Why you are so keen on using the word superiority is a mystery. How will that be helpful to Shalom Bayis? A woman wants a man she respects. She doesn't want an inferior. If women are superior then why aren't they the rabbis? Are you trying to be shocking to excite the audience? Are you trying to be popular with the women? Regardless of your motives, we have numerous Torah authorities who say explicitly that the male is more spiritual. What is your response to them? The Maharal, upon whose teachings much of the Tanya is based, says it numerous times. Examples:

Maharal:
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)
Vilna Gaon (Even Shelaimah 1:8)
Rav Tzadock (Dover Tzedeck p. 119)
Baal Shevet Musar (Midrash Talpiyos, Ohs Aleph, Anaf Isha)

Here's the Baal Magen Avraham (Ziet Ra'anan on Yalkut Shemoni, Shmuel 1:1):

Shmuel 1:1 And Chana prayed upon her heart.
Yalkut Shemoni: Why were women grouped with children and slaves concerning mitzvos? Because they have but one heart, as the verse says,
“And Chana prayed upon her heart.”
Zies Ra’anan (the Magen Avraham): Women with children: The explanation concerns the positive time bound commandments. One heart: The yetzer tov does not dwell in them sufficiently. Therefore, if the positive time bound commandments were imposed upon them, it is likely that they would not do them.

You have to rely on proper Torah authorities rather than interpret a few ideas the way you want.