Jan 2, 2011
Interesting Psak: Women Drivers
Rav Avraham Yosef, the Chief Rabbi of Holon, paskened a question on the Moreshet website.
The question posed was if women could drive cars or if it is not appropriate as it is not considered modest.
Rav Yosef's answer was that people should behave in each area according to the direction of the local rabbonim, so in a city like Bnei Braq women should not drive. In general, women who do drive should only do so in situations where it is necessary and not as a luxury.
NRG brings Tzippi Hotovely's response that "such piskei halacha will not deter the integration of women into the normal daily activities of today's life, such as driving. Specifically in the religious community where families have many children the car is a necessary tool for the family. Mothers take an inseparable part of the family life, such as performing the purchasing int he supermarket, family visits and carpools."
The psak is really nothing new, as many rabbonim in the haredi community have said the same. I would suggest that the psak is extremely outdated and it needs to be approached from scratch by those who oppose women driving. Even in Bnei Braq women drive as regularly as men. Even if the rabbonim have already paskened that it is wrong, they are missing the boat if they stick to that.
They should realize that at best they have made a gzeirah that the people cannot adhere to and therefore should just drop the subject, or allow it just like something as basic as walking outside the house is allowed. It really has become the same thing, just as basic a need for most people. Unless of course you also think it is not tzanua, and therefore not allowed, for women to walk out of the house as well. Since that is allowed them, or at least nobody publicly paskens against it, it is time to stop paskening against other basic activities such as driving.
I understand that in the past, 20 or 30 years ago it was not as basic a need, and female drivers were less common in the haredi and religious areas, so such a psak had teeth, Those days are long gone.
Sticking to one's guns on an outdated psak like this just makes you look foolish, and worse it forces people to ignore you and deem you and your psak irrelevant.
The question posed was if women could drive cars or if it is not appropriate as it is not considered modest.
NRG brings Tzippi Hotovely's response that "such piskei halacha will not deter the integration of women into the normal daily activities of today's life, such as driving. Specifically in the religious community where families have many children the car is a necessary tool for the family. Mothers take an inseparable part of the family life, such as performing the purchasing int he supermarket, family visits and carpools."
The psak is really nothing new, as many rabbonim in the haredi community have said the same. I would suggest that the psak is extremely outdated and it needs to be approached from scratch by those who oppose women driving. Even in Bnei Braq women drive as regularly as men. Even if the rabbonim have already paskened that it is wrong, they are missing the boat if they stick to that.
They should realize that at best they have made a gzeirah that the people cannot adhere to and therefore should just drop the subject, or allow it just like something as basic as walking outside the house is allowed. It really has become the same thing, just as basic a need for most people. Unless of course you also think it is not tzanua, and therefore not allowed, for women to walk out of the house as well. Since that is allowed them, or at least nobody publicly paskens against it, it is time to stop paskening against other basic activities such as driving.
I understand that in the past, 20 or 30 years ago it was not as basic a need, and female drivers were less common in the haredi and religious areas, so such a psak had teeth, Those days are long gone.
Sticking to one's guns on an outdated psak like this just makes you look foolish, and worse it forces people to ignore you and deem you and your psak irrelevant.
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Since driving is sakanat nefashot, even if it's not considered as such, even men should only drive in situations where it is necessary and not as a luxury.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he is expecting some people will buy a car and then only use it in the most pressing situations, taking bus and taxis the majority of the time...
ReplyDeleteI see now Rav Avraham Yopsef has told Srugim that his words have been distorted and he never aprohibited women from driving. All sites that quoted his from moreshet distroted his words. I saw it on NRG, and now I see kikar is running it as well, though they seem to have copied the NRG article.
ReplyDeleteI am proud to say that I translated directly from Moreshet and did not distort, and commented on what he actually said.
actually, this psak is a better one. the "rabbis" have already assured girls to wear seat belts if they sit in the front seat, as the chest strap "highlights" their boobage. so this way, the rabbis are just taking the women off the road, rather than having them drive without seat belts!
ReplyDeleteCan we drive if we wear a burkah? What's next? permission to beat a woman as long as no marks are left? I am modest in dress and speech. Stay out of my business and out of my car!
ReplyDeleteI really don't understand. In fact I heard it the opposite way - men shouldn't drive since they're forced to see everything on the road, they should leave the driving to their wives.
ReplyDeleteWhat makes driving not tzanua? It isn't like riding a bike. Did it used to be a man's "role" - like taking out the garbage and changing light bulbs???
It's really an environmental thing. Once again, as I have written many times, these p'sakim should not be taken personally unless you consider the author your posek.
ReplyDeleteI guess we women will have to buy a motorcycle instead of using the car!
ReplyDelete