From: Wanda

Dear Rabbi,

Would you please clarify for me what a woman’s obligations are in prayer? Is it the same as for men, or different? Might it vary depending on whether she’s single or married, with children or without?

Dear Wanda,

This is a very interesting question, with varying approaches in the classical commentaries on the Talmud.

The first point is that regarding women’s obligation to observe mitzvot, a very important general rule is that women are exempt from what’s referred to as “positive, time-bound mitzvot”. This means that commandments which are “do’s”, like tefillin or succah, whose observance is brought about by the passage of time from a period of inapplicability to obligation, are not incumbent upon women.

Since tefillin is applicable only during the week but not on Shabbat, its obligation is brought on by the passage of time. Similarly, since succah is applicable only during the holiday of Succot, it is also time-bound. Notable exceptions to this rule would involve cases where women have a special connection the mitzva, such as when it commemorates a miracle of salvation in which both men and women have a part; or when the positive time-bound mitzva also has a prohibitive component, for example, Shabbat.

In any case, regarding prayer, which would seem to be considered a positive time-bound mitzva from which women should be exempt, we find that women are, in fact, obligated. The question is why and to what extent.

Rambam is of the opinion that a person’s obligation to pray to G‑d is from the Torah verse, “And you shall serve G‑d with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5). However, the Torah doesn’t specify any particular wording or time for prayer, these are of Rabbinic origin. The result of this is that the Torah mitzva of prayer is not time-bound, but rather applicable at all times, and therefore incumbent upon everyone, both men and women. Everyone is required to pray to G‑d in some way, every day. But since the wording and times for prayer are Rabbinic, based on the general rule above, the Sages exempted women from the additional rabbinic wording and time-bound components of prayer.

The majority of commentators, however, understand the mitzva of prayer differently. They are of the opinion that the essential requirement to pray is not from the Torah, but rather entirely of Rabbinic origin, together with its prescribed wording and times. Despite the fact that according to the general rule women should be exempt from this Rabbinic time-bound mitzva, the Sages nevertheless obligated women to pray, since everyone needs to cultivate a relationship with G‑d and to ask Him of their needs.

The practical difference between these approaches is that according to the Rambam, a woman has only the Torah mitzva to pray in her own way once a day at any time of the day. According to the others, she only has the Rabbinic mitzva to pray the formal “amida” prayer at its appointed times.

It seems that very many communities over much of Jewish history adopted the approach of the Rambam, requiring women to fulfill the Torah obligation of prayer by asking G‑d for their needs, in their own way at least once a day.

Nowadays, it seems most communities encourage women to fulfill the other authorities’ opinion of the Rabbinic requirement to pray the formal “amida” prayer at its relevant times. However, even this approach has two important qualifications:

For one, it does not apply to the evening “ma’ariv” prayer since initially, even for men, this prayer was voluntary and not obligatory. But unlike men, women never took upon themselves the custom of “ma’ariv” as an obligation. Secondly, a woman who has her hands full with the supreme mitzva of bearing and raising children while building and running a Jewish home, who finds that this domestic privilege conflicts with the burden of formal prayers limited by set times is encouraged to rely on the Rambam’s approach by turning to G‑d n prayer once a day, in her own way, night or day.