Two cases when the rabbis took women’s feelings into account TB Yevamot 100

A lot of people may eat teruma if they are connected to a priest. Although a lot of people may eat teruma, daf TB Yevamot 99b lists 10 categories of people who may not go to the granary and collect the teruma. “The Sages taught: There are ten to whom one may not distribute teruma in the granary, and they are: A deaf-mute, an imbecile, and a minor, a person whose sexual organs are concealed [tumtum], and a hermaphrodite, and a slave, and a woman, and an uncircumcised man, and a ritually impure man, and one who marries a woman who is unfit for him, i.e., who is unfit to marry a priest” (Sefaria.org translation) Today’s daf explains why each category may not collect teruma at the granary.

Clarifying the case of a woman, the rabbis differentiate between her ability to collect teruma and ma’aser oni (מַעְשַׂר עָנִי), the tithe that set aside for the poor. Because she is poor and needs the food to survive, she is entitled to the ma’aser oni. Not only that she’s entitled, poor women take precedence over poor men. “This is what it is saying: In a case where the poor man’s tithe is distributed to the poor from the owner’s house, the woman is given teruma first. What is the reason? She is given the tithe first because it is demeaning for a woman to have to wait in the company of men for a lengthy period of time.” (Sefaria.org translation) The rabbis were sensitive to her inherent dignity.

“After learning the importance of maintaining the woman’s dignity, Rava applied this principle to a different case. “Rava said: Initially, when a man and a woman would come for judgment before me, each for a different case, I would resolve the man’s quarrel first. I would say that since he is obligated in many positive mitzvot I should not waste his time by causing him to wait. However, since I heard this baraita, I resolve the woman’s quarrel first. What is the reason? I resolve her quarrel first because it is demeaning for her to be waiting in the company of men.” (Sefaria.org translation)

Back then the sexes did not mix in public. Women probably felt exposed and powerless when they were forced to be waiting in the company a man. The rabbis wanted to diminish her uncomfortableness. In our society women should not feel demeaned waiting in the company of men; nevertheless, there still might be some cases in today’s society where women’s feelings should be taken into account when waiting for a long time in mixed company. Please feel free to suggest examples in the comments.

I believe we should be sensitive to all peoples’ inherent dignity. For example, I’ve heard lots of complaints from people how a scholarship or dues reduction committee treated the supplicant. These people have complained that they felt demeaned by the process. Sometimes there complaints are unfounded. Nevertheless, we should examine how we do business to make sure that we are sensitive to their inherent dignity.