Jewish Scene  Rivkah Lubitch
Hijab in the Rabbinic Court
Rivkah Lubitch
Published: 09.02.10, 08:29
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22 Talkbacks for this article
1. Perfectly illogical.
Avi ,   Modiin Israel   (02.09.10)
I might be crazy, I might be nuts. But I have a hard time with the following statement. "So the Court can’t set its own dress code and impose it on those who come before them. Whatever is the public dress code for the civil courts or in the Knesset should be good enough for the Rabbinic Courts." If no court could set it's dress code this would be fair and reasonable. But I fail to understand why it is that the dress code set for somewhere else falls upon the religious courts. If we said a court setting a dress code is illegal, fine so be it. One courld also show up to a secular court wearing a bikini as such. But to give this right only to the secular courts fails any logic test I dare apply to it.
2. more like the teliban state
Avi ,   Israel   (02.09.10)
First of all they dictate who and how you have to marry and then tthey dictate what women should wear because apparently these so called men cant control their sexual urges? They are sick indiviuals and belong in the Teliban not in a democratic society.
3. Interested to know.
Shlomo Silverstein ,   Maale Adumim, Israel   (02.09.10)
Being a Rabbinic pleader and having a totally disrespectful and antagonistic attitude to the Rabbinate court system, I'd like to know something. Do you actually win any cases for your clients or is it all about standing on principles? Any women that need help in the courts, for their own sake, I hope they stay well away from you.
4. Cente for Women's Justice ??????
Ariel ,   São Paulo - Brazil   (02.09.10)
Center for Women's Justice? Do not make me laugh. Unfortunately, you just try to adapt the laws of Jewish orthodoxy, so that women do not feel so broken. Find me a secular country in the world where there is such a farce. It is only in places where reigns religious dictatorships.
5. All courts set dress codes.
Roman ,   Lod, Israel   (02.09.10)
Be they secular, religious, or otherwise. About three months ago I read about a woman being found in contempt of the court in the US for coming to court in shorts for the third time, after being told this wasn't proper clothing for attending the court. A secular court in Israel has the same power. As does a religious court, Mrs. Lubitch. Take it as you will.
6. here we go again
observer   (02.09.10)
One would expect this sort of complaint from a woman who does not cover her hair correctly according to halachah - just look at her photo! This woman just has one massive chip on her shoulder.
7. dear rivka
yoni ,   tel aviv   (02.09.10)
why do you abuse the fact that you appear to be a torah observant individual and use that to profess such derogatory and undermining claims against our most sacred and fundamental teachings. How could you call a head covering which has been a Jewish custom forever a hijab? What is the connection? Have you ever thought about the importance of it? Perhaps you should look into it and learn about it then maybe you can appreciate our torah and our practices. Until this please refrain from belittling our torah and undermining the beauty contained within the Jewish life. All enemies of the Torah are also enemies of the jewish people and of G-d.
8. Throughing the hijab into the title makes Judaism more hated
m   (02.09.10)
It's all about fomenting hatred against any Jewish customs. All her articles are pointed in this direction. Speaking as a woman I find her focused on one thing only--hatred of Judaism, at least be honest and take the hat off. Why not join the reform or reconstructionist movement?
9. Where is the law based on?
Suzanne   (02.09.10)
Where in Torah is it clearly stated that married women should cover their hair? Show me.
10. Marriage acording God's Law
Ariel ,   São Paulo - Brazil   (02.09.10)
Two sages -- R' Ishmael (son of Rabbi Yossi) and Rabbi Elazar (son of Rabbi Shimon) -- were extremely fat and had extremely large bellies. When they stood belly to belly a yoke of oxen could pass beneath their bellies without touching their flesh. A respected gentile woman once met them and said that with bellies that big they could not possibly have full sexual relations with their wives. If so, the respected gentile lady argued, the sages' sons are not really theirs, but were sired by other men. They answered her: Our wives have even larger bellies than we do [hinting that following her own approach, no man would be able to have sexual intercourse with them]. If so, how did they manage to actually have sexual relations with their wives? Answer: The larger the man's body, the larger his sexual organ. Since the sages above had very large sexual organs, they could impregnate their wives. Another answer: Desire and craving can make the impossible happen and the very fat couple will manage to have sexual relations: "Love compresses the flesh." The scholars asked: Why did the sages answer the gentile woman when her whole question was merely to annoy? Is it not said "Answer not a fool according to his folly?" Answer: If they did not respond to the words of the gentile woman it might be taken as an admission, so they answered her so their sons would not be mocked. One of the scholars, R' Yochanan, described the large size of Rabbi Ishmael's sexual organ thus: The size of his sexual organ is as a bottle which holds 12 liters. A different scholar, Rav Papa, described R' Yochanan's sexual organ: The size of his sexual organ is as a bottle which holds six liters, and some say only four liters. Later scholars described Rav Papa's sexual organ: The size of his sexual organ is as the wicker-work baskets of Harpania. (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Bava Metzia 84a)
11. Suzanne: If I show you the source, will you cover your hair?
observer   (02.09.10)
12. @11 sure
(02.09.10)
13. Ugly hat in rabbinic court
Aviva ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (02.09.10)
Hijab is more pleasing to the eyes than Rivkah Lubitch's hideous hat. Women who need to appear before Beit Din DO NOT go anywhere near Rivkah Lubitch. Her ignorance of halachah combined with her screeching ferocious contempt for rabbinic authority will all but guarantee they will lose their case. Women deserve better than this scowling badger.
14. #3 Shlomo
Aviva ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (02.09.10)
You have said it exactly. Rivkah does a disservice to all the women she claims to represent.
15. Undermining rabbinic authority
Sara Becker ,   Toronto, ON, Canada   (02.10.10)
If the feminist are doing everything in their power to undermine rabbinic authority, what are they going to do when women achieve these positions of authority? By that time, their authority will be worthless. By the way Rivkah, where was the Centre for Women's Justice when the secular High Court sent the police to confiscate Israeli Jewish children from their mother to hand over to the non-Jewish father in France? Not a peep or a squeak out of you.
16. What about those silly wigs in UK courts?
Kyle ,   Southpark, CO, USA   (02.10.10)
And that is for the judge and barristers!
17. # 13 such lashon ha ra!
Noa ,   Beer Sheva   (02.10.10)
First, I like the hat. Second, she is doing a great job which is surely not easy, and third, such outburst as yours are immature. Forth, it might not be logical, but I do not want to be forced to wear a head covering when I usually don't wear one, and it is NOT the same as appearing in a bikini.
18. Jewish women are like Muslims one
Christian ,   Canada   (02.12.10)
They have to hide their hair. So why the hell Jews and Muslims are killing each others since they have much in common ?
19. Religious law
adam ,   uk   (02.19.10)
It is strange that the author of this article relies solely on her own opinion without giving any sources from halacha to substantiate her claim, is not a religious court bound by religious law?
20. The following Rebbitzens didn't cover their hair
Yerach ,   Jerusalem,Israel   (03.16.10)
Rebbtzen Shach wife of the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponovich Rebbitzen Solvoveichick wife of the Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University Rebbitzen Gourary daughter of the 6th Lubavitcher Rebbe
21. #6: Dear observer, unfortunately your
(06.16.10)
observation skills are most limitted. this lady is an observant Jewish woman, not secular, yet this fact does not stop her from fighting for justice on behalf of all women. She is wearing her head cover of her own free will, not because the Rabbinical court has ordered her to do so.Yet she fights for the right of secular women not to cover their heads at the Rabbinical court if they don't wish to do so. What is so difficult to understand? Or - has your hatred blocked your logical comprehension?
22. #7: Sorry, but there is no beauty in your
(06.16.10)
fanaticism. What you are trying to do bears the uggly title: "religious coercion". Religion can be beautiful and attractive only when practiced free willingly. You and people like you empty the Jewish religion from its beauty and all that remains in the presence of people like you is the wish to get rid of it all. While Rivka's wonderful personality attracts people to Judaism your attitude makes them run away from it in full speed.
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