In our last post, we discussed last February’s decision of the “Rabbinic Panel” of the Orthodox Union (OU) prohibiting female clergy in the OU’s member congregations.  That decision is accompanied by an extended essay in which the members of the panel, seven leading centrist[1] Orthodox poskim, set forth the reasoning behind it. The essay begins with a description of “halakhic methodology,” the way in which poskim are said to arrive at their decisions. We called that description “refreshingly honest” because it freely acknowledges the dominant role played by the “halakhic ethos” or “mesorah,” the halakhist’s ideological worldview, his sense of what an “authentic” interpretation of Torah would require, in the decision-making process. This is especially important in our case, because the legal sources, the halakhic texts upon which any rabbinical ruling is ostensibly based, are insufficient to answer the question whether women may serve as rabbis or other clergy.[2] Continue reading The OU on Female Clergy, Part 2: Why the Texts are Insufficient →