More and more Orthodox women are exploring the boundaries of their participation in communal Jewish prayer. An Israeli couple has put together a Guide for the Halachic Minyan, which not only highlights the halakha’s perspective on female participation in prayer services, but also offers a detailed account of specific prayers that women may, or may not lead.
The couple says in the guide: “According to Maimonides, both men and women are obligated in the Mitzvah of prayer. This guide’s goal is to indicate the parts of the prayer service that women may halachically lead. The guide is an outgrowth of deliberations conducted in the various prayer groups that have made it their aim to increase women’s participation in services, and it is the result of detailed study of the sources relating to holiday and Shabbat prayer.�
The entire guide can be found here.
Shabbat
Pronounced: shuh-BAHT or shah-BAHT, Origin: Hebrew, the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.
