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There is very little written and much confusion about the Obligation of Women for Tefilla.  A Siddur we recently purchased from Artscroll has a section written by Rabbi Hersch Goldwurm entitled “Women’s Obligation to Pray”.  There is some confusion in this section concerning whether this obligation is from the Torah or Rabbinic; as well as the extent of this obligation. 

Without the Oral Torah we would often not understand what are the true Torah requirements. I decided to do a little research on my own and found that Gemara Tractate Kiddushin (29a) derives from the Scripture that women are exempt from all positive commandments from the Torah whose performance are time-bound.  The Shema falls into this category, according to Rashi, since its recital is required at certain times of the day.   In Mishna Berachos we are told that women are exempt from reciting the Shema but are obligated in prayer.  We are definitely here informed that despite the profound significance of Shema, women nevertheless are exempt.

The Gemara Berachot (20b) states that women “are obligated in prayer, because prayer is essentially a request for Divine mercy, and women have as much a need as men.

Now the big questions are whether this obligation is from the Torah or the Rabbis and what women’s prayers should include.  Don’t expect this to be a simple answer please.  Rashi states that prayer is a rabbinic obligation, and thus the issue of time is no longer relevant.  Ramban also holds this view. According to Rambam and Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 106:1) women’s obligation to pray is from the Torah.  Rambam finds this Biblical obligation to pray, based on Exodus 23:25.  “You shall worship Hashem, your G-d, and He shall bless your bread and your water, and I will remove illness from your midst.” (Hilchot Tefilla 1:1)  Rambam also tells us that in the Torah there were no set times at which one must pray.  The times set were of rabbinic origin. To Rambam this makes prayer a non-time-bound obligation, and therefore women are included in it.

There are several opinions regarding the extent of the obligation. According to the Mishna Berura (106:4) women are required to recite the Shemoneh Esrei of Shacharit and Mincha. Women also are obligated to recall the Exodus and recite the Shema twice a day.  Some require further prayers.  A lenient opinion of Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim 106:2) is that women are obligated by the Torah to pray once a day and they may formulate the prayer as they wish. In many places the minhag follows this lenient opinion.

Any thoughts on Women’s Obligation for Tefilla would be appreciated.  Feel free to write them in the Webyeshiva blog or contact me directly.