Q&A: Women's Testimony
Women's Testimony
Question
Shalom,
I read the Rabbi's column 74. Following your remarks, what would your attitude be toward the sages' ruling regarding women's testimony (one example among many)? Should their authority be questioned here, since it is possible that they derived it from the text because of the influence of the period in which they lived? Or should one say here that even if they may have been mistaken, one must still act in accordance with their words? I would be happy to receive an answer both regarding women's testimony specifically and more generally regarding where the line is drawn.
Answer
I do not know how to draw the line. The Talmud has authority, and therefore even rulings that rely on some factual assumptions have validity. However, there is a possibility of change, and I discuss this at length in the third book of my trilogy, which, God willing, will be published in about half a year.