Women are not bound by time?

July 25, 2016 at 5:01 PM
Leah asked 8 years ago
What do you mean when you say women are not bound by time?  Please explain.  Ty.
1 Answers
Rabbi Alon Anava answered 8 years ago
Shalom, Women are obligated to observe all the negative commandments, e.g. don't murder, don't steal,etc. Women are exempt from all time bound positive commandments (Mitzot Aseh Shehazman Grama) with a few exceptions including:
  • Observance of Shabbat
  • Eating matzah on Passover
  • Lighting Chanukah candles
  • All the Mitzvot of Purim
Women are also required to perform all positive mitzvot that are not time-bound, e.g. mezuzah, returning lost items, etc. Defining Time-Bound Commandments A positive time-bound commandment is defined as one that could be physically fulfilled at any time, but that the Torah has mandated is to be done only at specific times: if not fulfilled at that specific time, there is no way to “make up” the mitzvah. This category includes all holiday related mitzvot (shofar, sukkah, and lulav, etc.), as well as mitzvot that need to be fulfilled during certain parts of the day or week (such as tzitzit, k’riat Shema, and tefillin). Matzah on Pesah and kiddush on Shabbat are exceptions in which the Torah specifically obligates women. The mishnah in the Talmudic tractate of Kiddushin, page 29a, states “…and all positive, time-bound commandments (mitzvot aseh shehazeman gerama), men are obligated [in] and women are exempt [from].” The gemara acknowledges that there are exceptions to this rule when the Torah (either explicitly or through the interpretation of the Oral Law) states that women are obligated. However, the gemara accepts the halakhah of the mishna as biblical in origin, and–in the absence of a statement obligating women in specific positive time-bound commandments–women are considered exempt from the majority of such mitzvot.