Q&A: They Too Were Included in That Miracle
They Too Were Included in That Miracle
Question
Hello Rabbi,
I didn’t understand the meaning of the reasoning that women are obligated in the lighting of Hanukkah candles (as well as in other positive time-bound commandments) because “they too were included in that miracle.” Why is that relevant? Is the reason women are exempt from positive time-bound commandments because they have no connection to those commandments?
Thank you in advance,
Yuval
Answer
This reasoning was stated only regarding rabbinic obligations (the four cups, the Megillah, and the Hanukkah lamp). However, Rashi and Tosafot disagree about whether women were exempt at all from rabbinic positive time-bound commandments. Tosafot challenges Rashi based on the need for this reasoning, since without it the implication is that they would have been exempt.
Notice that all these commandments are connected to publicizing the miracle. They too were included in that miracle, and therefore they too must publicize the miracle, even though strictly speaking there was room to exempt them.
However, this can be discussed from another angle, since the fact that they were included in the miracle is not really relevant. If Judith had not taken part in the victory, would women then not need to give thanks for it and publicize it? They are part of the community as a whole, and the community was saved. Somehow it seems to me that this reason is not essential, and was stated only to provide some rationale so that people would not come to confuse it with the ordinary exemption from positive time-bound commandments.
See some discussion here: http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/shana/lichten-1.htm