The ancient rabbis did! And they weren't shy about asking some pretty direct questions. Let's take a peek into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah, a collection of rabbinic interpretations of the Book of Genesis. Here, Rabbi Yehoshua fields a series of pointed questions, offering explanations rooted in the creation story and the perceived roles of men and women.
So, picture this: Rabbi Yehoshua is sitting, maybe surrounded by students, and they're just firing away with questions. The first one is a real head-scratcher: "Why does a male emerge [from the womb] face down, while a female emerges face up?" Rabbi Yehoshua's response? "The male looks to the place of his creation," meaning the earth, while "the female looks to the place of her creation," referring to the body. It’s a poetic idea, linking the newborn's orientation to their origins.
Next up: perfume. "Why do women have a need to perfume themselves, but men do not?" Here, the answer delves into the materials from which Adam and Eve were created. Man, created from the ground, never becomes malodorous, according to Rabbi Yehoshua. Eve, however, was created from a bone. The analogy? Leave meat unsalted for three days, and it spoils. Strong stuff!
Then comes the volume question: "Why does a woman have a voice that carries far away, whereas a man does not?" Rabbi Yehoshua uses a pot of meat as an illustration. Meat alone doesn't make much noise when it boils, but a bone in the pot? That’s a loud sound. Interesting, right?
Persuasion is next on the list. "Why is a man easily persuaded, but the woman is not easily persuaded?" This time, the answer goes back to the earth and bone analogy. Earth quickly absorbs water, while bone remains resistant even after soaking. So, men are easily swayed like the earth, and women are more resistant, like bone.
Now, let's get to who makes the first move. "Why is it that the man propositions the woman but the woman does not proposition the man?" Rabbi Yehoshua compares it to someone losing an item. The person who lost something searches for it; the lost item doesn't search for them. In this context, Adam's rib, or side, is the "lost" item that he seeks to retrieve.
And what about planting seeds? "Why is it that the man deposits seed in the woman, and the woman does not deposit seed in the man?" The response compares it to entrusting something valuable to a reliable person. A person with something valuable to safeguard seeks someone trustworthy. The woman's body, specifically her belly, is seen as the reliable place for gestation.
The conversation takes a turn towards modesty. "Why do men go out [sometimes] with their heads uncovered, but a woman’s head is always covered?" The answer: shame. It's "analogous to one who committed a transgression and is ashamed in front of people." Since Eve was the first to sin by eating the forbidden fruit, she wears a head covering as a sign of that shame.
Then, a somber question about funerals. "Why do women walk in front of the dead [in a funeral procession]?" The response is stark: because women "caused death to exist in the world." The verse from Job (21:33) is cited: "Following him are all men, [and before him, those without number]." The men follow the bier, while the women go in front. Midrash Rabbah notes that women are called "those without number" because they aren't counted in the Torah's censuses.
The final set of questions focuses on specific mitzvot (commandments) connected to women. "Why were the laws involving menstruation given to her?" The answer is direct: "It is because she spilled the blood of Adam the first man; that is why she was given the laws involving menstruation.”
Next: "Why was the mitzva of ḥalla given to her?" Ḥalla refers to the separation of a portion of dough for the priest. The reason, according to Rabbi Yehoshua, is "because she brought ruin upon Adam the first man, who was the ḥalla at the completion of the world." The idea, as explored in Bereshit Rabbah 14:1, is that Adam himself was a sort of "first offering."
Finally, "Why was the mitzva of the Shabbat candle given to her?" The reason offered is because "she extinguished the [eternal] soul of Adam the first man; that is why the mitzva of the Shabbat candle was given to her."
Wow. That's a lot to take in, right?
It’s important to remember the historical context here. These answers reflect the worldview of the rabbis at the time, trying to understand the world and the roles of men and women within it. While some of these explanations might feel outdated or even problematic today, they offer a powerful glimpse into the way our ancestors grappled with fundamental questions about human nature and the divine plan. As The Zohar and Ginzberg's Legends of the Jews constantly remind us, the Torah is a living text that we must always engage with and interpret for ourselves, ensuring that our interpretations align with the highest ideals of justice, compassion, and equality.