Rav Moshe Shapira zt”l, the towering baal machshavah we just lost, rarely taught women directly. Yet he cared deeply about women’s chinuch, and through his students, conveyed priceless messages to bnos Yisrael.
Photos: Menachem Kailish and Nissel Family Archives
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hroughout my almost three decades as a seminary tefillah teacher, I was zocheh to discuss many facets of the unique nature of women’s davening with mori v’rebbi Rav Moshe Shapira zt”l. He took women’s chinuch very seriously. He believed it was possible to inspire, empower and challenge women intellectually, without compromising an iota on the timeless mesorah.
Through Rav Moshe’s many talmidim who taught in seminaries, a generation of women were exposed to his thinking. Prominent rabbanim showed their talmidos the fathomless layers of depth and infinite beauty in every maamar Chazal. They made irrelevant the mistaken need to expose women to Talmud or use Talmudic methodology to teach halachah and machshavah. The educational revolution started by Rav Dessler was all that was necessary. This was taken to a new level under the guidance of Rav Moshe, Rav Dessler’s great talmid.
He was also sensitive to the many challenges women face. When I wrote my sefer, Rigshei Lev — Women and Tefillah, he instructed me that the book should always strive “to make life easier for women.”
Rav Moshe once commented that when dealing with contemporary youth, “every three months is a generation,” and our pedagogical instincts had to be constantly fine-tuned. In contrast, when it came to practical living, he disdained any innovation. Our forbearers were to be emulated, not “improved on”; our bubbes knew best.
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