By Miriam Lichtenberg
“If it’s stagnant, it’s not Halacka [Jewish law],” declared Rav Smuel Klitsner, director of the Women’s Ordination program at Midreshet Lindenbaum, a pioneering Orthodox women’s Beit Midrash in Jerusalem. The Nachshon fellows were privileged to hear from him as part of a lecture series in attempting to understand different strands of Judaism and their approach to questions of Jewish law. The aforementioned quote was the thesis of Rav Shmuel’s lecture – Jewish law is a living, breathing, being and must be approached in such a manner. To approach it in any other way is to disregard the way of the halachik process.
Rav Klitsner has spent his life in this effort, working to show how halacka can be both timeless and timely. How he sees it, every halachik question needs to be approached very carefully, starting off with understanding what the Torah has to say. Or if it is not a question the Torah can answer, what does the cumulative precedential source material have to offer? That is then placed through the prism of reality – what are the practical ramifications of this halkhik question? Who will be hurt by it? These questions are what create Halkha. Rav Klitsenr proceeded to give us a few examples of how this method has been used to save lives, or free women of marriage who did not know where their husbands were – examples of how this Halkhik process has been needed in order to live a full Halkhik life. .
I found Rav Klitsner to be amazing for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is that he dedicates his entire life to this pursuit of Halkhik discourse. He not only talks, but he takes action to make his understanding of Halakha a reality. He is revolutionizing the Orthodox Halakhik process by spearheading the first Orthodox Women’s Ordination program in Israel. Understanding his approach to Halakha, and the immense thought and care he puts towards it, was inspiring and uplifting. To know that Orthodox Halakha, according to him, is something so sacred and needs to be approached in such a manner was moving.
Along with Rav Klitsner, we had the opportunity to hear from other Halachik thinkers. They were all brilliant and so sensitive to their approach to Halakha. Perhaps because I find myself coming from the world that Rav Klitsner represents, I felt most touched by his words and his presentation. He works so hard to find ways for Orthodox Judaism to be a sensitive, inclusive religion. He is taking an ancient tradition and making it applicable to our times, while maintaining a degree of seriousness and commitment to what has always been done. Ordaining women is a new tradition, yes, but the halkhik process is not. And finding ways to merge both is his life mission and an admirable pursuit.
