Former Chief Rabbi, HaGaon HaRav Shlomo Amar, addressed the topic of the Supreme Court’s ruling ordering Israel’s Chief Rabbanut to allow women to take Rabbinical certification exams during his weekly shiur at the Ner HaTorah Yeshiva on Sunday.
In July 2025—after a years-long legal battle—the Supreme Court issued a ruling ordering the Chief Rabbanut to allow women to take the Rabbinical certification exams. The Rabbanut fought the decision—unsuccessfully—while repeatedly delaying the certification exams. But in December 2025, after the Supreme Court rejected the Rabbanut’s request for another hearing on the issue, the Rabbanut determined that it would be impossible to win the battle in court. According to reports, the Rabbanut is now preparing to open the exams to men and women while tightening the testing criteria to make it difficult for women to pass the tests and creating a special committee to grant certifications.
HaRav Amar said, “About 20 or 25 years ago, people filed a Supreme Court petition to appoint female neighborhood Rabbanim, and since then no neighborhood Rabbanim have been appointed at all. Even our own people, instead of finding a way to act, refrained, and since then there are no neighborhood Rabbanim. Now it’s also city Rabbanim—most cities don’t have Rabbanim at all.”
“Now they went to the Supreme Court again, and the court said that women are entitled to take the exams for the Rabbanut and Dayanut. And some people say—because there haven’t been exams for a long time, so they feel pressured—what will be? If we don’t hold exams, we won’t have Rabbanim. So let them take the exams, but we won’t appoint [the women].”
“Baruch Hashem, I heard that the Chief Rabbanim, HaRav Dovid Yosef and HaRav Kalman Ber, both vehemently oppose it. They say it is preferable to have no exams than to allow women to take them.”
“But there are those trying to weaken them and fight them. I want to give them chizzuk—that the thought should not even enter their minds, chalilah—even in thought—this is truly an idolatrous idea. If, chas v’shalom, they allow them to take exams, ultimately they will appoint them. Better to stop now and not let it happen through us. Even if the result is that there are no Rabbanim, even if there will be no Batei Din, even if there will be no Rabbanut at all in Israel. Then we’ll create a private Rabbanut. There will be private community Rabbanim like abroad, each community appointing its own Rav, until Hashem has mercy and they understand what they are doing. I’m sure we won’t reach that—we will overcome them; we just must not be afraid.”
“I say to the Chief Rabbanim: Stand firm. Hashem has given you great and important roles. The responsibility for Am Yisrael is on your shoulders. Don’t look to anyone else—place only Hashem before your eyes. Don’t agree under any circumstances to exams for women, not for the Rabbanut and not for anything. All the matters of the Rabbanut belong to men—and this is not shameful or degrading to women. This is the honor of women, everyone with their own roles.”
“We will not submit; we will stand guard. What the Torah preserved for five thousand years—and we’ve been in Galus for two thousand years and we haven’t allowed any women—except the Reform movement, which caused a huge Churban in Am Yisrael.”
“Should we listen to them? Chas v’shalom. We will try to bring them back, to draw them close in love—‘Let sins cease,’ not sinners; the sinners should repent. But sins, the transgressions, should end.”
“But to submit, chas v’shalom—there will be no exams under any circumstances. And woe to anyone who lends a hand, rachmana litzlan—such a person destroys generations, the Rabbanut for generations. This is the real destruction, from within and out. We must stand guard and protect. ‘He who comes to purify is assisted,’ and Hashem will assist us—I have no doubt.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
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12 Responses
Screw the Nazi Supreme Court that does everything they can to persecute and antagonize religion on the daily basis but then suddenly they want women to study it
the exam does not grant semicha; it merely tells you whether someone has the requisite knowledge to receive semicha.
In other words: THE LEFTISTS DESTROYING THE COUNTRY IN MULTIPLE WAYS – CHAREIDIM WILL GET MORE AND MORE AND STRONGER AND STRONGER, BUT THE SYSTEM, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL WILL BE DESTROYED!
In no other country are the courts and authorities mixing into our religious services as in the [ANTI-]”Jewish” state of Israel!
Around the world we had countless of men-only events; not a beep! All the Kehillos have their Rabbonim and some have a chief Rabbinate; no-one mixing in! No mechizos torn down etc ONLY IN THE ZIONIST STATE! NOT EVEN BEN-GURION DREAMT THERE WILL BE A TIME WHEN THE COURTS A SHREDDING JUDAISM IN EVERY POSSIBLE WAY – HASHEM IS WITH US AND WE WILL PREVAIL ONE WAY OR OTHER!
“Better To Abolish The Rabbanut” – that’s exactly what my rebbi muvhak Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz זצ”ל had been saying 50 years ago. ברוך שכיוונת!
And that’s why anything the state touches becomes poison, and then people get upset when people are against the state. Religion doesn’t belong in state hands, or if they want to contribute to it then let the people who actually learn it be in charge
It would be nice if Rabbi Yair Hoffman offers a halachic analysis of what exactly is the issur (or multiple issurinm) for a woman become a rabbanit, midoraysa, midrabonon?
Devora was a shofetes – al pi hadibur (a Divine exception), or, because of her qualifications she was willingly accepted (Tosafot on Niddah 50a). Rashi to Shoftim 5:6 states that Yael also judged Israel.
Can a knowledgeable woman not answer a halachic question about the milk spoon that was put into the chicken soup? Of, if the shchita process is acceptable?
Can a woman not decide if A owes B money or if C and D should get married, divorced or converted?
What about giving a shiyur? Can a woman not give a class or public lecture?
How about a halachic analysis?
Rebbitzen Goldenpickanicerscreenname, a woman cannot be a dayan. HOWEVER, if both sides agree, she can adjudicate any financial matter. She cannot perform a geirut or be an eid; she can certainly give a shiur on any topic. she can answer all sheailot, when asked
the rabbinate is a state-funded institution that has far outlived its usefulness. if this is the issue that it wants to go down on, so be it. shkoyach!
The halacha comes from hashem who acknowledges the biological and emotional makeup of a woman where generally they are more prone to emotional based decision making which disqualifies any judging, ruling, testifying in these matters. It doesn’t mean they’re bad people like some of the leftists think, they were made for a different role where those emotions are beneficial to child rearing and raising a family. Not acknowledging these differences only serves to harm Humanity further
Real holy women DON’T WANT to be Dayanim and Rabbanim – these Reshaim’s holy grandmothers included. Holy women find all the fulfillment they need in life in doing what women have done forever – nurturing families physically and emotionally. And davening with tears in their eyes for hatzlachah in raising holy families.
Like the lunatics of the world that are obsessed with redefining what a woman is; these Reshaim are trying to do the same.
Closing down the Rabbanut is exactly what they want to achieve in the hope that they will be allowed to have civil marriages and conversions choliloh.
While the left wants to destroy the country, Reform wants to destroy Am Yisroel.
For once DrYidd is correct. A woman who knows halacha is allowed to pasken shaylos, just like a man. So there’s no reason she should not take the exams and receive Toreh Toreh, just like a man.
And if she knows choshen mishpot she can’t serve on an official beis din, but she can judge cases if both parties consent. So again there’s no reason she shouldn’t take the exams for dayonus, and receive a certificate that attests to her knowledge, and says that if the parties to a dispute consent she is qualified to hear their case and tell them what the halacha is.