Q:
There is a gemara that says that the entire Torah is taught to a child just before he is born. My question is, suppose it’s a girl, does she also learn the Torah?
A:
And the answer is that she is taught the Torah of a girl. There is a big Torah for a girl to learn, a tremendous Torah. A girl doesn’t learn technicalities of the Torah that are not l’maaseh but the things that she has to know are endless. She has to know the Torah of good character; middos tovos is a tremendous subject. The Torah of emunah and daas Hashem is an endless subject.
You know, the malachim are never finished speaking the praises of Hashem: תמיד מספרים כבוד קל – They are always speaking about the glory of Hashem. Now, malachim have very good heads; in one minute they can see more than we see in a whole lifetime. And they are always busy talking about the glory of Hashem! They never run out of what to say! So that’s something that everybody has to study. Men and woman have to know that one of the most important of their life functions is to recognize Hakodosh Boruch Hu in this world. There is so much to learn about that; so much to study, so many things to learn. Like the Gra used to say to his daughters; he told them that they should always learn mussar seforim – all the mussar seforim are available to girls.
And so, if a girl learns all these things then she’s a gaon; she’s considered the same as if she became a gadol hador; she has learnt her Torah, she has achieved success. And therefore, absolutely the Torah is taught to girls just like to boys, each one according what he or she needs to know.
TAPE # E-182
