Some Conservative schools and synagogues add the Imahot into the beginning of the Amidah, and others do not. Some choose to add the Imahot on certain occasions such as Rosh Hodesh.
To view the Teshuva by Rabbi Golinkin, who advises inserting a "piyut" (liturgical poem) about the Imahot into the Amidah instead of changing the original text, click here: http://www.schechter.edu/responsa.aspx?ID=35
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| Piyut for the Imahot |
I would prefer to add the Imahot because women are important, too. The Imahot do so much work and get little credit. That's sexist! Besides, there's no good reason NOT to, it's just four extra words.
ReplyDeleteYoure right, there is o reason for people to be sexist. Women are extremely significant in the community, and are one of the main reasons that people have stayed together and alive for so many years
DeleteI agree with Aviva girls are just as good as boys!
DeleteI think that it would be good to add the matriarchs to the Amidah because the women in the torah never get any credit. They make sacrifices for the people just as much or maybe even more than the Avot, and worked so hard. I don't see any problems with adding the Imahot, except that Bilhah and Zilpah were also mothers of the tribes of Israel, so shouldn't they be included, too? :)
ReplyDeleteNice point about Bilhah and Zilpah; Rabbi Golinkin says the same thing! On the other hand, they weren't really the ones involved in raising the kids in the Israelite faith and traditions, right? So it would be strange to call them "matriarchs of our people..."
DeleteShalom!.I would put the Imahot in the Amidah because women are significant to the world.They have relationsips with g-d and make sacrifices for their people.Without them their would be no Beni Israel. Also modern sensibilties. There's no reason you can't do it.
ReplyDeleteI think that the Imahot are important too, because they helped a lot in the Torah. For example: Sara made food and served the Angels. She had the quality of hachnasat orchim that we can learn from.
DeleteNo aviva. You need to not add them because Leah tricked Jacob into marrying her and as a punishment I think she doesn't get her name mentioned.
ReplyDeleteYou are tough! But - wasn't it Lavan who tricked Jacob..?
DeleteI definetly agree with Aviva!!!! The Imahot are very important!!!!!! Without them, none of us would be here!!! Not including them would be like revoking equal rights between men and women.
ReplyDeleteI think we should always add in the imahot because there are very few places in the torah where they apreciate women. even though it is not in the torah i think it is important to add it now in modern times. i also think that if we add it, it may make women/girls pay more attention in services because it is talking about us, and our FEMALE leaders/ansectors!
ReplyDeleteAgreed. GIRL POWER! Women should be thanked for all that they contribute to the world. Without women, there are no people! Why SHOULDN'T women be added? Especially, like Lizzie said, in modern times. Adding imahot will make woman feel more aknowledged in Judaism, which is important.
DeleteHow did you like the experience of adding the Imahot in our service? Positive, negative, neutral?
Deleteבעד: נשים בתנך מאוד מעשיות ולכן צריך להוסיף אותם בכדיי לציין את העשיה
ReplyDeleteנגד: הספורים מתייחסים לטקסט כקדוש ובגלל זה מתאמצים להעביר טקסט לדורות הבאים
I agree. Women do all the work everywhere; cleaning, cooking, and they have all the children. I think women should at least get their name MENTIONED in the Amidah, even if it's only a couple words. If men have their names in the Amidah, then women should,too. It's only adding a couple words to the Amidah, and it'll sure make women happier !!
ReplyDeleteDo you prefer the "Page 15(b)" option of adding the names of the imahot, or the "Golinkin" option of adding a piyut about them?
DeleteI like the idea of page 15(b). It should be optional for people to add the matriarchs.
DeleteI think that the Imahot should be included. In my personal life I have not added them since that is not what my synagogue does. Although I do think we should add it at school since the women should get respect. If the synogogue is very traditional I think they should at least say it on Rosh Hodesh which is a women's holiday.
ReplyDeleteThere is a shul in this area that adds the Imahot on Rosh Hodesh, but not other weeks. I think it's an interesting compromise!
DeleteWhat about the issue of not changing the text which has been used for so long? Does that bother you at all?
I think now that I really think about it I have a little problem with changing it. Now though it is modern times and just like we did with the constitution we can add it in.
DeleteI think you should choose. I think if you want to add them then you should be able to. Personally, I believe that you should add the Imahot, because they did a lot of things and should get recognized for that.
ReplyDeleteFair enough! But do you think anyone should be able to change any prayer they want? If each person or synagogue started deciding, "We'll do this prayer but we'll change this one," wouldn't the Jewish people unravel because everyone is doing something different and there is no consistency?
DeleteThat is true. There would be chaos. But I still think people should be able to chose.
DeleteI think the person praying should choose what to say. With or without the Imahot it's a prayer, a prayer to G-d. Why shouldn't the women be added though? We aren't lesser than men, we work and cook and do chores, just like men do. I personally haven't added them, but I will. You're adding an extra part, maybe you will have more of a connection to G-d.
ReplyDeleteThe Amidah, is supposed to be a person's prayers and reflections to G-d. If the person feels that they would feel closer and more comfortable, then they should add them.
It's not a big difference if you add them or if you don't. It won't be a sin not to add it. You're not really changing anything by adding it, but you're changing the way you pray. Improving it, making it fit for you. This makes it special, because its not a direct prayer from the book, it's your own version/organization of prayers. It makes it from the heart, and from you - Carly Epstein
Well put!
DeleteRabbi Golinkin said that adding the Imahot to the Amidah would sort of be like adding "mothers" to the Gettysburg address, and re-writing history. Do you think this is different?
I think that we should not add the Emahot. It is true that girls do a lot, but we shouldn't change tradition. I personally don't say them, and I don't think we should. I think we should not change the text at all and, as Rabbi Golinkin said, God didn't make a covenant with the Emahot. And it's a quote from the Tanach! We shouldn't change a quote! We can't rewrite history.
ReplyDelete--Melanie--
Well put! What do you think of the "compromise" that he comes up with, by inserting a piyut about the imahot into the Amidah? (Shira brings it up; you can respond to her below!)
DeleteI personally wouldn't add it, but I do think it is a good compromise.
Delete--Melanie--
I agree with Golinkin. I think he's right when he says that we shouldn't change the wording of the Amidah. It's written that way for a certain reason. I definitely think that if you change the wording, you should go back and then do the original after. I think that Golinkin had a great idea, though. Instead off adding the eemahot, and changing the text of the Torah, I think that we should add poems on the liturgy instead! It's a great idea, and a compromise.
ReplyDeleteI think that there could be a second version of the beginning of the Amidah, because if you don't want to do it, it doesn't affect you,so leave everyone who wants to do it alone. And today women have a larger role than back then,so I don't see what's wrong with giving credit to
ReplyDeletethem. Maybe back then,women weren't that helpful, but that's outdated now, so it is good to have an OPTIONAL prayer.
Interesting. So, if you had the option to include the second version of the prayer, would you do so, or prefer not to? What was your response to the addition in our service?
DeleteI WOULDNT FOR I WOULD PREFER TO DO IT HOW I NATURALLY DO IT. BUT I DONT MIND IF OTHERS DO IT, ITS THEIR CHOICES
DeleteI think that we should add the imahot. Women are just as important as men. In fact, a tradition states that women are holier than men. That's why men have britot milah. We become just as holy as women when having a brit milah. So, women should also be added to the amidah. Feminism is very strog today and we should wupport it because women have an important role in today's society and they are just as important as men. אני חושב שאנחנו צריכים להוסיף imahot. נשים הן חשובות בדיוק כמו גברים. למעשה, נאמר בתורה שנשים הן hollier מאשר גברים. זו הסיבה שהגברים יש בריתות מילה. אנחנו הופכים להיות פשוט קדושים כמו נשים בעת קיום ברית מילה. לכן, נשים צריכות גם להוסיף לתפילת שמונה עשרה. פמיניזם מאוד כבה היום ואנחנו צריכים את זה כי wupport נשים יש תפקיד חשוב בחברה של היום, והם חשובים באותה מידה כמו גברים.
ReplyDeleteThe imahot are just as important as the avot, becuase they are both your parents which means that they are equal. If there were no mothers, there couldn't possibly be any fathers because they couldn't be born, so I think that it is important that you praise both the imahot and the avot.
ReplyDelete