I hear that many people won't allow a woman to be a mashgiach. Why is this?
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some resources http://revach.net/halacha/tshuvos/Rav-Moshe-Shternbuch-A-Woman-Mashgiach/4155 http://www.bvkkosher.com/#!women-mashgichos/c15af – rosends Mar 11 '15 at 17:02
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Relevant article (in Hebrew). – Fred Mar 11 '15 at 17:07
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4Possibly related (per the issue of שררה - communal leadership): http://judaism.stackexchange.com/q/8538 – Fred Mar 11 '15 at 17:11
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Would there be a difference between milchigs and fleischigs? – Noach MiFrankfurt Mar 11 '15 at 17:18
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2Do they not allow their wives to cook alone in the kitchen? – Double AA Mar 11 '15 at 18:12
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I have not heard this from many people. To the contrary. What communities are you referring to? – Yehuda W May 07 '15 at 16:45
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The question revolves around of whether or not a woman may be appointed to a positions of power or lordship, known as Serarah in Hebrew. This is based off the Rambam's opinion (Melachim 1:5)
אין מעמידין אשה במלכות שנאמר עליך מלך ולא מלכה. וכן כל משימות שבישראל אין ממנים בהם אלא איש
“So too all leadership appointments…we do not appoint them (woman) except from the men”.
This is the Rambam’s position (as well as the Ritva's in Shevuos 30a).
Rav Moshe Feinstien in Iggeros Moshe (Y.D., II, sec. 44) was asked this very question ie. If a woman could be a mashgicha, and after discussing the issue and the opinion of the Rambam at length. He goes on to note that the Rambam is not the only view, and demonstrates that there are a whole series of Rishonim who disagree with the Rambam and are lenient. He says that in a dire situation where we are dealing with a woman’s livelihood, certainly these other opinions could be relied on so that she could continue to be a mashgicha for kashrus. In other words, he maintains that the Rambam opinion is lechatchila, and we would generally prefer to be stringent and rule like the Rambam. However, since this shaas hadchak, and there are major authorities- including, Ramban, Rashba, Ran, and Rabbeinu Tam – who disagree with the Rambam, we can rely on these other sources to give us the flexibility to allow this woman to be a mashgichas kashrus.
Personally, my mother worked as a mashgicha for the Star-k under Rav Moshe Heinemann for many years. Seemingly he held there was no issue. And to the best of my knowledge we were not in a dire situation (maybe my mom never told us :)
However, none of this can be taken as a halachic psak for any personal circumstance.
For further reading see here: http://text.rcarabbis.org/women-in-communal-leadership-positions-shul-presidents-by-aryeh-frimer/
Shoel U'Meishiv
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1Since there are those who are not generally in favor of appointing women in such positions, this doesn't so much answer the question as it does indicate that R' Heinemann appears to hold this is not a problem. As such, maybe it's better as a useful comment rather than an answer? – Fred Mar 11 '15 at 17:15
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2One (or more) of my grandfather's female relatives worked as mashgichot in Germany before the war. – Noach MiFrankfurt Mar 11 '15 at 17:18
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1I don't see how this answers the question, which seeks justification for those who don't allow for female mashgichos. – msh210 Mar 11 '15 at 23:48
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+1 It does not answer the question, but this answer, its comments, and their up-votes are important as evidence against the OP's premise. Important in that we are in a public space on the internet and do not want people to get the idea that the opinion the OP is asking about is normative. – Mike Mar 12 '15 at 01:11
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@DoubleAA I see your point, but as a mod, can you move this set of comments from this answer to the main question so they are preserved? – Mike Mar 12 '15 at 01:37
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1@ClintEastwood could be. But Nidda is different. The gemara says Nidda was given over to woman see ksuvos 72a – Shoel U'Meishiv Mar 12 '15 at 13:44
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@DOUBLEAA workers, owners, everyone... mashgiach has to be tough and maintain policy. Its lordship – Shoel U'Meishiv Mar 12 '15 at 16:57
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@Mefaresh Lordship over what? They're just a glorified video-cameras with legs. They report what they see. The owners can do whatever they want. – Double AA Mar 12 '15 at 17:06
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