I’ve been pretty to some interesting conversations, in the past few weeks, regarding the inclusion of the Imahot/Matriachs in the recitation of the Amidah. There’s no question that TI is an egalitarian congregation – our fantastic cantor, Rochelle Helzner, is a woman, and many, if not most, of our lay leadership, are women. On any given Shabbat, you might hear most or all of the Torah reading chanted by women.
There are a number of congregants who feel very strongly that the language of the liturgy, which is predominantly excludes female gender, needs to be updated. On Shavuot, Rabbi Gorin provided a thoughtful and thought-provoking analysis of the Teshuva on inclusion of the Imahot (I came across some excerpts posted online). As with the other recent TeShuva on Gay & Lesbian ordination and commitment ceremonies, this teshuva includes both arguments for and against inclusion of the Imahot, and ultimately leaves the decision in the hands of the rabbi, the Mara D’Atra, of individual congregations.
Since Shavuot, our official policy is that the person leading the davening makes the choice. Cantor Helzner has opted to include the Imahot during Shacharit on Shabbat morning, but not during Musaf. Some weekday minyans regularly include the Imahot, and some regularly do not. This compromise has pleased some members, has outraged others, and probably confused many. Some would prefer that we go “all the way”, while others wish we hadn’t taken this turn.
So, I invite you to voice your opinion – either quickly but voting with the poll in the right-hand sidebar (when viewing the blog home page – at least as of 10/3/07), or by adding a comment here.
