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When women daven (pray), even by ourselves, it is convention to daven with male-gendered words ("modeh" vs "moda" as one of many examples). Why is this; are there sources that say we should be doing otherwise? If so, when did this tradition get started?

Loewian
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morah hochman
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    i believe the koren sacks ashenaz siddur as well as rinat yisrael haveoptions for modah and goya and shifcha.but i dont have one in front of me now. maybe someone cancheck to verify – Double AA Jan 27 '12 at 17:19
  • @DoubleAA if this is true why is it not common practice? – morah hochman Jan 27 '12 at 17:24
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    Because common practice is to use artscroll :) – Double AA Jan 27 '12 at 19:11
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    @ShmuelBrill Which Sephardi siddur? – Double AA Jan 28 '12 at 23:41
  • I checked koren sacks and they offer changes from modeh to modah but not goya and shifcha. Rinat yisrael, as noted by Will in his answer, does. – Double AA Jan 29 '12 at 14:09
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    @DoubleAA: lots of sephardi siddurim say "Modah ani" for women. 6 of the 8 different brands of siddurim/machzorim that I own say a woman should say "modah" and all 8 have instructions to say "goyah" and "shifcha". (I think the two that don't say "modah" are probably an oversight on the part of their respective publishers.) – Chanoch Jan 29 '12 at 15:23
  • @DoubleAA Artscroll publishes a Women's siddur... – avi Jan 30 '12 at 17:30
  • @avi And in it does it use these variants? – Double AA Jan 30 '12 at 17:31
  • @DoubleAA I'll have to look it up one day, but I know it has some, but not others, and women have complained about it. – avi Jan 30 '12 at 17:40
  • @avi - עַד-מָתַי תִּתְחַמָּקִין, הַבַּת הַשּׁוֹבֵבָה: כִּי-בָרָא יְהוָה חֲדָשָׁה בָּאָרֶץ, נְקֵבָה תְּסוֹבֵב גָּבֶר. – Adam Mosheh Apr 27 '12 at 21:48
  • http://www.aishdas.org/avodah/vol26/v26n230.shtml#03 – Double AA Aug 26 '12 at 17:27

5 Answers5

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The original siddur did not include a version for women. Changes to the format for women began later on. R. Jacob Emden (in his siddur commentary) suggested emending the morning blessings for women, but didn't recommend it. Chid"a (Avodat haKodesh 2 5 22) allowed the changes, along with Eshel Avraham (the Buchacher, OC 46 4) and Rivvos Efraim (1 37 2) quoting R. Chaim Kanievsky. Many siddurim have adopted this approach.

Opposing views include Siach Tefilla (10) Lubavicher Rebbe (Halacha uMinhag 1 50), citing the need to adhere to established custom, which never altered the service for women. Furthermore, it is well-known that the male gender is also the neutral gender in Biblical Hebrew, thus it includes both men and women.

We do find precedent for changing the service for women in Grace after Meals, see Rema (OC 187 3). But in that case, it is more than just a grammar issue.

More on this topic in the discussion at this link (Hebrew).

msh210
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Barry
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    Which Eshel Avraham is this? (Buczacz or PMG?) – msh210 Jan 30 '12 at 17:41
  • I've linked to the page in Bes Yaakov that I assume you're referring to; otherwise, I apologize, and please correct (or remove) the link. – msh210 Jan 30 '12 at 17:45
  • related: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/13378/759 – Double AA Jan 30 '12 at 18:14
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    @Barry I think you are citing the Lubavitcher Rebbe in the wrongly. As has been explained to me by several Rabbonim, and as it appears pretty clearly in the text you cited, he is not saying that their is a need to adhere to the unchanged established custom, rather he is answering what the Lubavitch Minhag is, and the answer is that one should follow the Minhag of their location. – termsofservice Jan 15 '14 at 23:16
  • Eishel Avaraham quoting R' Chaim Kanievsky? – ertert3terte Dec 01 '14 at 21:04
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The Rinat Yisrael siddur (a very commonly used siddur in Israel) does indeed make grammatical changes for women. Modeh becomes modah, she lo asani eved becomes shifcha, etc.

Most of our prayers are worded in the plural ("we" are asking for something) or in the second person (from You, G-d - and YKVK is a masculine word, that's why it's atah, not at.)

However, the few times where there would be a grammatical difference for women; according to the publishers of Rinat Yisrael, women should say the blessings / prayers according to the rules of proper grammar.

Double AA
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First off, there are many Siddurim that bring the differences. Secondly, the Hida tweaks the Tefila a little to fix this problem as well.

Can't find the Hida, but I know that Yalkut Yosef (1:1:1:3) says to say "moda ani."

Hacham Gabriel
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Rav Yisrael Taplin(Halichos Chaim page 13)asked Rav Chaim Kanievsky this question and Rav Chaim answered a woman should say it with a kamatz (moduh) .

sam
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0

An Italian siddur written in 1471 includes in the dawn blessings, "she'asitani isha velo ish", 'that You made me a woman and not a man' (as well as the changes "shifha" for "eved" and "nokhrit" for "goy", as mentioned by others). So, I don't think we should be quick to say that using language applicable to women was a late change.

Hayyim
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