G-dly Woman

The world will tell you that a religious Jewish woman is like a caged animal where a worldly woman is free as a bird. Nothing could be farther than the truth. 

G-d commands a religious Jewish man to treat his wife like he would treat G-d Himself. Hashem has commissioned a wife to be a personal prophet to her husband. When an upright woman tells her husband something, it’s the Divine voice speaking through her throat and therefore must be taken seriously.

A man must not cheat on his wife. He must not flirt with another woman. He must not go out to dinner or drinks with another woman alone even if they are “just friends” or “it’s business.” One dinner with a member of the opposite sex alone is considered a form of adultery. A man must not give too much attention to another woman because that level of focus is the sole property of his wife. 

He is not allowed to touch another woman. Not a hug. Not a high-five. Even hand-shakes are frowned upon. It is considered disloyalty to G-d and to his wife. 

A man is commanded to provide for his wife. He must provide her all of her needs and failure to do so is a sin not just against his wife, but against G-d. 

He must not stare at a woman for her beauty if he is not married to her. Even to think of being with another woman is a form of adultery and subject to Divine Punishment. 

A man is commanded by His Creator to express the ultimate loyalty to his wife. G-d demands of a man the same loyalty to his wife as he would have for G-d Himself. 

As a result, the religious Jewish woman is treated with reverence, loyalty, and respect. When the world honored these values, a woman stood at her rightful place – on top of her palace as a queen.

50 Years Later

A secular woman gets none of these things. 

A secular relationship allows a man to check out other women. He can keep on watching music videos and drool about what he muses to be greener pastures. He doesn’t have to support her. Any thought of the man providing for her is chauvinistic. She has to carry half the weight – at least. 

A man is allowed to flirt with other women. He can think about other women. He can see porn, go to bars, even go out anyone he considers “friends” or “work mates.” He can have friendly dances with other women, hug them, even put his arm around them for a period of time. He is allowed to inch as close as humanely possible to the boundaries and even bend them. 

The secular world does not demand that a man respect his wife. It does not ask a man to grow up, sacrifice, or fight for her.

There are little requirements of loyalty. There are no demands for dignity.

A friend told me that the Jewish religion is repressive to women. The opposite is true. In no other reality does a woman get so much respect, honor, and love for simply being a woman.