From the Other Side of the Mechitzah

Prepared for print by Faigy Peritzman

Are the halachos different in the ezras nashim, since we can’t see the aron kodesh or the sefer Torah? For example, may you give another woman a mazel tov kiss in shul?

The ezras nashim, a place designated for women to daven, is considered (to a large degree) as part of the shul itself and the rules of kedushas beis haknesses apply to it. It is forbidden, for instance, to use the ezras nashim as a shortcut from one side of the building to another, just as it is forbidden to use the shul as a shortcut.

Still, a mazel tov kiss would not be forbidden in the ezras nashim, since technically, it is not forbidden in the shul itself either. Although it is forbidden to kiss children (or grandchildren) while in shul, since it is inappropriate there to display a love other than our love for Hashem, a mazel tov kiss does not fall into that category and is permitted. (Rav Elyashiv ruled that kissing children in the ezras nashim is permitted as well, since its kedushah is a bit less than the kedushah of the shul itself.)

I heard that the reason men shouldn’t talk among themselves during Torah reading is so that they shouldn’t miss hearing Krias HaTorah. Based on that, would there be a more lenient approach to women speaking, since we are not obligated in hearing Krias HaTorah?

Although some poskim connect the prohibition of talking during Krias HaTorah with missing out on the reading, many other poskim, including the Mishnah Berurah, rule that talking is forbidden as soon as the sefer Torah is opened, even before the reader begins to read, as it is considered disrespectful to talk once the Torah scroll is unrolled. This applies to the women in the ezras nashim as well. In addition, talking during Krias HaTorah is disruptive and insensitive to those women who, despite being exempt, would still like to follow the parshah and pay attention to Krias HaTorah.

When the Torah is picked up to be put away, I cannot see it. Should I still be saying v’zos haTorah? If I can move the mechitzah curtain for a second to see the Torah, is that appropriate?

Women (and men) do not recite v’zos haTorah unless they can see the open, unrolled klaf upon which the words of the Torah are written (and in fact, during their monthly cycle women should specifically avoid gazing at the open scroll), but it is not necessary to be close enough to be able to read the actual words. Whether or not it is appropriate to move the mechitzah curtain depends on the type of the shul you belong to and the logistics of the mechitzah. This is a question that needs to be presented to the rav of your shul.