Halakhic Resources
Halakhic Resources
Since its founding, Darkhei Noam has relied on various halakhic analyses as the basis for our complex ritual system. This page serves as a guide to the various principals which serve as the core of Darkhei Noam’s approach to halakha.
Original Edah Journal Articles
One of the first articles written on the topic was Qeri’at ha-Torah by Women: A Halakhic Analysis, by Rabbi Mendel Shapiro in 2001. At the same time, a counter-analysis by Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin was published, as was as a response by Rabbi Shapiro.
Rabbi Daniel Sperber
Since 2006, Rabbi Daniel Sperber has served as the Halakhic Advisor to Darkhei Noam, providing guidance to the leadership regarding community matters.
Rabbi Daniel Sperber is the Milan Roven Professor of Talmudic Research at Bar Ilan University and rabbi of Congregation Menachem Zion in the Old City of Jerusalem. In 1992 he received the Israel Prize, Israel's highest award and is the author of Minhagei Yisrael, a seven volume work.
In 2002, Rabbi Sperber’s article, Congregational Dignity and Human Dignity: Women and Public Torah Reading, was published in the Edah Journal. Rabbi Sperber’s approach took a slightly different direction than Rabbi Shapiro’s, and is summarized below. A recording of a talk on Partnership Minyanim given at the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 is also available.
Summary of the Halakhic Justification for Partnership Minyanim
At the behest of the Darkhei Noam Ritual Committee, Rabbi Sperber provided a summary of his analysis of the key halakhic issues regarding women participation in davening.
Since Partnership Minyanim see themselves as belonging to the Orthodox community, and, on the other hand, they constitute a departure from the traditional Orthodox congregational model, it is important that their congregants understand the elementary basis for their halachic legitimacy.
Click here for a listing of the key halakhic elements which have served as the basis for the style of davening used in many Partnership Minyanim. At the end, various sources are provided as well.
Halakhic Analysis Regarding Specific Women’s Roles
At the request of the Darkhei Noam ritual committee, Rabbi Sperber has written short pieces addressing a variety of issues which have arisen as Darkhei Noam has expanded its services. These include:
- Women sounding the final 40 shofar blasts on Rosh Hashanah.
- Women leading Kol Nidrei (although at Darkhei Noam they lead other parts as well), mostly the expanded piyutim, and that they should be fasting if leading on Yom Kippur.
- This topic was also explored in a talk given by Rabbi Mishael Zion ahead of Rosh HaShanah in 2012.
- Women leining the special maftirs for Parshat Zachor and Parshat Shekalim.
During various Ritual Committee meetings, Rabbi Sperber has also addressed the topics of women leading Hallel (permitted for all except those on Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah), Hoshanot (not permitted), and Yizkor (permitted). We have also discussed when a woman can lead Mourner’s Kaddish for the community, issues regarding transgender community members, and considerations for davening in spaces which are attached to churches.
Thu, April 3 2025
5 Nisan 5785
Shabbat March 28-29, 2025
This week's Torah portion is Parshat Vayikra
Shabbat, Apr 5 |
Candle Lighting
Friday, Apr 4, 7:06pm |
Havdalah
Motzei Shabbat, Apr 5, 8:07pm |
Taanit Bechorot
Thursday, Apr 10 |
Upcoming Events
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Thursday ,
AprApril 10 , 2025
Thursday, Apr 10th (All day)
Ta’anit Bechorot, the Fast of the Firstborn, falls on the day before Pesach, 14 Nisan. It commemorates the salvation of the firstborn children of Israel during Makkat Bechorot, the tenth plague in Egypt before the Exodus, in which the firstborn children of Egypt were killed by God. This year, since erev Pesach is Shabbat, Ta’anit Bechorot is pushed up to Thursday April 10th, the 12th of Nisan. The general custom is that firstborn males attend a siyyum which is usually held after morning Shacharit services. The siyum marking the completion of a large block of learning of Torah or Talmud is accompanied by a seudat mitzvah, which the first born children can partake in and thus avoid the fast. Most synagogues with a daily morning minyan will have a siyum. -
Thursday ,
AprApril 10 , 2025
Thursday, Apr 10th 12:00a to Shabbat, Apr 12th 12:00a
The holiday of Pesach commemorates the Israelites’ salvation from bondage in Egypt. Pesach is also one of the Shalosh Regalim, the three biblical agricultural festivals on which the Israelites made aliyah laregel/pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. -
Saturday ,
AprApril 12 , 2025
Shabbat, Apr 12th 8:14p to Sunday, Apr 20th 8:22p
Please pay careful attention to the times and locations for the Darkhei Noam shacharit services this Pesach. -
Sunday ,
AprApril 13 , 2025
Sunday, Apr 13th 9:00p to Sunday, Jun 1st 12:00p
Sefirat haOmer, the counting of the omer/”sheaf,” refers to the commandment to count the 49 days from the second day of Pesach until Shavuot. In biblical times, these 7 weeks comprised the grain harvest, beginning with barley (for which the barley omer offering was brought on Pesach) and concluding with wheat (on Shavuot). Although we no longer bring these offerings at the Temple, we continue to count the 49 days. While the biblical origin of sefirat ha’omer is agricultural, this time period also connects Pesach, the celebration of Israelite liberation from slavery, and Shavuot, the culmination of that liberation process whereby the Israelites became a realized nation with their own Torah. Counting the omer each year can remind us to always elevate ourselves from an enslaved mentality to one of freedom. We perform the counting each evening after sundown. We recite a bracha and then officially count the day of the omer, indicated by weeks and days. If the counting at night is missed, we count in the morning/during the day but without a bracha. If a whole day is missed, we continue counting the rest of the omer but without a bracha. The bracha and formula for counting the omer each night can be found here: Siddur Sim Shalom Sefirat haOmer -
Wednesday ,
AprApril 23 , 2025
Wednesday, Apr 23rd 8:00p to Thursday, Apr 24th 8:00p
Yom HaShoah is the Jewish memorial day commemorating the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their allies in the 1940s. Darkhei Noam will be joining the other synagogue communities of the Upper West Side in the annual Reading of the Names organized by the JCC. This year, the overnight program will be held at West Side Institutional Synagogue and will include participation by Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw. If you’d like to volunteer to read names during Darkhei’s time slot, please contact Barry Langman -
Saturday ,
MayMay 3 , 2025
Shabbat, May 3rd 1:00p to 3:00p
Celebrate Israel with Darkhei Noam. Join us for a family friendly Shabbat lunch. The program includes children's programing, a special speaker and musical performance and sing along. -
Friday ,
JunJune 13 , 2025
Friday, Jun 13th 7:00p to Shabbat, Jun 14th 8:00p
Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld is a Rabbinic Fellow of the David Hartman Center in Jerusalem. She serves as Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, the innovative online database and interface for Jewish texts.
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