פירוש על קידושין 1:7

כל מצות הבן על האב – All commandments of the son which lie upon the father to do for his son. And they are six things: to circumcise him, to redeem him if he is a first-born, to teach him Torah, to teach him a trade/craft, to marry him off to a woman and to have his son taught swimming (Kiddushin 30b).

Introduction This mishnah deals with the distinction between commandments obligatory for men and those obligatory for women. The mishnah can be divided into two subjects: 1) mutual obligations between parents and children; 2) general commandments both negative and positive. It is not entirely clear why this mishnah is in this chapter. Inside my commentary, I have not delved into the ramifications of these rules in our day, when many women wish to be more involved in Jewish ritual life.

אנשים חייבים – The father is obligated in these commandments regarding his son, but the mother is exempt.

All obligations of the son upon the father, men are obligated, but women are exempt. This refers to obligations that the father has in raising his son. They include circumcising him, redeeming him from a priest if the son is a first-born, teaching him Torah, teaching him a profession and finding him a wife. The father and not the mother is responsible to fulfill these commandments.

וכל מצות הבן – that lie upon the son to do for his father, which are fear and honor: fear – he should not sit in his place nor contradict his words, nor tip the scales against him; honor: feeds him and provides him drink, dresses and covers him, brings him in and takes him out.

But all obligations of the father upon the son, both men and women are obligated. When it comes to obligations that a child has to his/her parent both men and women are obligated, and they are obligated equally to both their mother and father. This includes fear and respect. According to the rabbis respect means providing financially for the parent in his/her old age.

אחד אנשים ואחד נשים חייבים – [both] daughters and sons are obligated [for this].

All positive, time-bound commandments, men are obligated and women are exempt. Only men are obligated in positive time-bound commandments. This includes the reading of the Shema, blowing the shofar, sitting in the Sukkah and several other commandments. Note that the mishnah does not state that women are forbidden from fulfilling these commandments it says only that they are not obligated to do so.

וכל מצות עשה שהזמן גרמה – that the time carried with it for the commandment that would come, such as Shofar, Sukkah, Lulav and Tzizit (ritual fringes)

But all positive non-time-bound commandments both men and women are obligated. Positive commandments which are not time-bound are obligatory upon both men and women. This would include such mitzvoth as mezuzah, charity and returning lost objects.

שלא הזמן גרמה – such as Mezuzah, making a railing around the house (Deuteronomy 22:8), a lost object, and sending forth the mother-bird. And these two general principles are not exact/specific: As we hold: we don’t learn from general principles, even in a place where it says regarding them, “except for.” For the [eating of] Matzah on the night of Passover, rejoicing on the festivals and Hakhel (gathering together in Jerusalem – see Deuteronomy 31:12 on the holiday of Sukkot), they are all positive time-bound commandments but women are obligated [in them]. But the [commandments of] Torah study, being fruitful and multiplying, and the redemption of the [first-born] son, which are positive commandments which are not time-bound, and women are exempt [from them]. But the final principle of “all negative commandments, both men and women are obligated, except for [the commandments of] “you shall not round off [the side-growth on your head]” (Leviticus 19:27), nor “destroy the side-growth of your beard” (ibid.,) nor defile yourself to the dead (Leviticus 21:1). This general principle is exact, and we derive it as it is written (Numbers 5:6): “[Speak to the Israelites:] When a man or a woman commits any wrong towards a fellow man…” The Bible compares a woman to a man in all the punishments that are in the Torah.

And all negative commandments, whether time-bound or not time-bound, both men and women are obligated, except for, the prohibition against rounding [the corners of the head], and the prohibition against marring [the corner of the beard], and the prohibition [for a priest] to become impure through contact with the dead. Nearly all negative commandments are equally obligatory upon men and women. The mishnah notes a few exceptions. The prohibitions of rounding the corners of the head and marring the beard (Leviticus 19:27) are obligatory only upon men. Since most women don’t have beards the beard prohibition would not apply to them the prohibition of rounding the corners of the head is an accompanying prohibition appearing in the same verse and hence women are exempt from it as well. In addition, women do not act as priests and therefore the prohibition of a priest from coming into contact with a dead body applies only to male priests and not to daughters of priests. .

חוץ מבל תקיף ובל תשחית – As it is written (Leviticus 19:27): “You shall not round off the side-growth on your head or destroy the side-growth of your beard.” That which is [forbidden] in destruction, it is [forbidden] in rounding-off. And these women, since they are not [involved] in destruction [of the side-growths of the beard] are also not [involved] in “rounding off” [the side-growth on your head]. And from where do we learn that they are not [commanded] in “destroying” [the side growth of the beard]? As it is written, “the side-growth of your beard.” And it is not written, “the side-growth of your beards.” What is “your beard?” Your beard, but not the beard of your wife.

ובל תטמא למתים – as it is written (Leviticus 21:1): “The LORD said to Moses:] Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron….” [which means] the sons of Aaron, but not the daughters of Aaron.