Prayer V: She-lo Asani Isha, She-asani Kirtzono תפילה (ה): שלא עשני אישה, שעשני כרצונו

Rabbi Meir would say: A person must recite three berachot every day. They are these—’Who did not make me a non-Jew,’ ‘Who did not make me a woman,’ ‘Who did not make me a boor.’

Who did not make me a woman.…”A woman” because women are not obligated in [as many] mitzvot…

Rabbi Meir would say: A person must recite one hundred blessings every day.

For if he were to bless ‘Who made me a Yisra’el [an Israelite],’ he would no longer be able to bless ‘Who made me a free person’ and ‘Who made me a man.’ For the language of ‘Who made me an Israelite’ that he already blessed connotes a free person and also connotes an Israelite man and not a woman. For a woman is called a Yisra’elit. If so, he would not recite threeberachot but a single beracha. It is not our intention to shorten [the series ofberachot] but to prolong thanksgiving and to recite a beracha independently on each and every kindness.

Rav Acha son of Yaakov heard his son reciting the beracha, “Who did not make me a boor.” He [Rav Acha] said to him, “All this also?” He [the son] said to him [to Rav Acha], “Rather, what [does one] bless? ‘Who did not make me a bondsman?’ That’s like a woman, a bondsman!” [Rav Acha responded,] “Zil tefei.” [He is lesser. Alternatively, “Go add more” (i.e., add the bondsman blessing).]

That’s like a woman … (Alternate explanation:) Is like a woman in that regarding mitzvot, a woman and a bondsman are equivalent.

Go more … (Alternate explanation:) Go more, meaning go and add more and bless ‘Who did not make me a bondsman’ in order to complete [the set ofberachot].

For he blesses “Who did not make me a woman,” for she, too, [like the bondsman] is not obligated in positive time-bound commandments.

If everyone knew that the second language in Rashi is primary, and if all men were to bless out of joy in serving God and in His mitzvot, then there would be no place for this bitterness [of women], because it is a scriptural decree that men are obligated in more mitzvot than women and one cannot lodge a complaint over that. But since out-of-place thoughts have become intermingled with [men’s] intentionality [in reciting] the beracha…that the man blesses over his superior social status, even though Rashi’s second explanation is primary, therefore, women object.

The general rule is that anyone who changes the formula that the sages coined for berachot is in error. This refers to adding to or removing from the text that our sages enacted. However, if one said the core matter that our sages enacted, but changed to a different text, even though it is not proper to do this from the outset, after the fact one has discharged [the obligation of reciting the beracha].

There are those who wish to stop saying the beracha entirely, but one cannot cast one’s hand against a beracha that our sages enacted if not for a great need and a “time to act for God,” and this would also require wide halachic consensus… Others suggest changing the men’s blessing from negative to positive, as to recite “Who made me a man,” but whether one can recite that with mention of God’s name and kingship requires further investigation, because it is not in accordance with the language that our sages set…. We cannot bring “Who made me an Israelite,” which is found in some prayer books, as a proof, because it is known that its source is fear of the censor…

The women are accustomed to recite the beracha‘she-asani kirtzono‘ [who made me in accordance with His will].

“Blessed are You Lord our God, King of the world, Who did not make me a woman,” because she is not obligated in positive time-bound commandments. And women have been accustomed to bless “Who made me according to His will,” and it is possible that this practice is like acknowledging the [Divine] justice of adversity.

There is value to the creation of woman, therefore she must indeed recite aberacha on her value.

Even though in the beginning she [woman] was created from his [man’s] side, it was established for future generations that she be born complete in herself, as first arose in God’s will and thought. It seems that they enacted for women to recite She-asani Kirtzono over this. Meaning, over being made [i.e., born] complete, as arose in God’s will from the first.