A More Feminine Judaism

I was nine years old, playing in the backyard of the Shul in LA, when my cousin and the Seventh graders started murmuring with excitement: “The Rebbe is giving out ‘hot pink’ booklets in NY!”

It was the winter of 1992, a month before the Rebbe was to have a stroke and the fourth yartziet of Rebbetzin Chaya Mushkah (the Rebbe’s wife). In her honor, the Rebbe gave a landmark talk on the contemporary role of the Jewish woman, after which he gave each of the 10,000 men, women, and children present a compilation of his talks, spanning 40 years on the theme of the contemporary role of the Jewish woman.

The feminine color of the booklet (which the Rebbe had chosen himself) was not simply “window dressing”; it was a strong visual message that the deepest Jewish teachings were to be presented with a more feminine form.

In the past, Judaism was presented in a patriarchal and presumptive manner. Through a combination of expectations and academic knowledge, it was passed down through the generations. “Because it’s tradition!” was the classical answer a father would give to a question whose answer he did not know. At a time when survival was a struggle and few had time to ponder the question “What is the meaning of love?” focusing on the rules and mechanics of Judaism were key to its survival.

Today, we are far more in touch with our feelings and emotions. Our struggles are more often with feelings of self-worth than survival. In this era, the more feminine aspects of Judaism are key. The nurturing and encouraging nature of its teachings, the beauty of its practices, and its song of faith are what the world truly needs.

In the past, we were dealing with the surface of being. Today, we are transforming our essential nature, and for this, we need a more feminine Judaism. We need a Judaism in which its holy books are printed in pink.

This Shabbat, Chabad’s International Women’s Leadership gathers in NY for their annual conference to talk about just that. With Israel and war and antisemitism abroad, how do we nurture the Jewish people? Tune in to their live gala this Sunday, February 4th, at 5 PM Eastern at Chabad.org/Kinus.

For more on the contemporary Jewish woman, see TheJewishWoman.org