(ז) דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְיִקְחוּ לִי תְּרוּמָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (דברים לג, ד): תּוֹרָה צִוָּה לָנוּ משֶׁה, דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי שִׂמְלָאי תרי"ג מִצְווֹת נִתְּנוּ לְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַל יְדֵי משֶׁה, שֶׁכֵּן מִנְיַן תּוֹרָה וְאִם תֹּאמַר אֵינָן אֶלָּא תרי"א וּשְׁתַּיִם הֵיכָן הֵם, אֶלָא אָמְרֵי רַבָּנָן אָנֹכִי וְלֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ...
We read (in Deuteronomy 33:4): "Torah was given to us by Moses." Rabbi Simlai taught that 613 commandments were given to the Israelites by way of Moses, that this is the Torah. And if you say that it actually says 611 commandments, and two more are needed, rather the rabbis say that "I am Adonai your God" and "You should have no other God's besides me" [are the other two]
§ Rabbi Simlai taught: There were 613 mitzvot stated to Moses in the Torah, consisting of 365 prohibitions corresponding to the number of days in the solar year, and 248 positive mitzvot corresponding to the number of a person’s limbs. Rav Hamnuna said: What is the verse that alludes to this? It is written: “Moses commanded to us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4). The word Torah, in terms of its numerical value [gimatriyya],
Naomi said to her: We are commanded to observe six hundred and thirteen mitzvot. Ruth responded: “Your people are my people” (Ruth 1:16). Naomi said to her: Idolatrous worship is forbidden to us. Ruth responded: “Your God is my God” (Ruth 1:16). Naomi said to her: Four types of capital punishment were handed over to a court with which to punish those who transgress the mitzvot. Ruth responded: “Where you die, I shall die” (Ruth 1:17). Naomi said to her: Two burial grounds were handed over to the court, one for those executed for more severe crimes and another for those executed for less severe crimes. Ruth responded: “And there I shall be buried” (Ruth 1:17).
(ז) כָּל מִצְוֹת הַבֵּן עַל הָאָב, אֲנָשִׁים חַיָּבִין וְנָשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת. וְכָל מִצְוֹת הָאָב עַל הַבֵּן, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין. וְכָל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֲנָשִׁים חַיָּבִין וְנָשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת. וְכָל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁלֹּא הַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין. וְכָל מִצְוַת לֹא תַעֲשֶׂה, בֵּין שֶׁהַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ בֵּין שֶׁלֹּא הַזְּמָן גְּרָמָהּ, אֶחָד אֲנָשִׁים וְאֶחָד נָשִׁים חַיָּבִין, חוּץ מִבַּל תַּשְׁחִית וּבַל תַּקִּיף וּבַל תִּטַּמָּא לְמֵתִים:
(7) With regard to all mitzvot of a son with regard to his father, men are obligated to perform them and women are exempt. And with regard to all mitzvot of a father with regard to his son, both men and women are obligated to perform them. The mishna notes an additional difference between the obligations of men and women in the performance of mitzvot: With regard to all positive, time-bound mitzvot, i.e., those which must be performed at specific times, men are obligated to perform them and women are exempt. And with regard to all positive mitzvot that are not time bound, both men and women are obligated to perform them. And with regard to all prohibitions, whether they are time-bound or whether they are not time-bound, both men and women are obligated to observe them, except for the prohibitions of: Do not round the corners of your head, and: Do not destroy the corners of your beard, which are derived from the verse: “You shall not round the corners of your head and you shall not destroy the corners of your beard” (Leviticus 19:27), and a prohibition that concerns only priests: Do not contract ritual impurity from a corpse (see Leviticus 21:1). These mitzvot apply only to men, not women, despite the fact that they are prohibitions.
Positive Mitzvah: Mitzvot where you actively DO something (248)
Negative (Prohibitions) Mitzvah: Mitzvot where you actively DON'T do something. Everyone obligated (365)
Rambam went through and outlined all of them in is Mishnah Torah
Time-Bound Mitzvah: Has to be done within a certain time (can be within a few hours, or simply during the day in the case of sitting in the sukkah)
דתנן בכל מערבין ומשתתפין חוץ מן המים ומלח ותו ליכא והאיכא כמהין ופטריות אלא אין למדין מן הכללות ואפילו במקום שנאמר בו חוץ:
ומצות עשה שהזמן גרמא נשים פטורות: מנלן גמר מתפילין מה תפילין נשים פטורות אף כל מצות עשה שהזמן גרמא נשים פטורות ותפילין גמר לה מתלמוד תורה מה תלמוד תורה נשים פטורות אף תפילין נשים פטורות
§ The Gemara turns to the sources of this principle. From where do we derive that women are exempt from positive, time-bound mitzvot? It is derived by juxtaposition from the mitzva of phylacteries: Just as women are exempt from donning phylacteries, so too, women are exempt from all positive, time-bound mitzvot. And the exemption of women from donning phylacteries is derived from their exemption from Torah study: Just as women are exempt from Torah study, as derived from Deuteronomy 11:19, so too women are exempt from donning phylacteries, as the two issues are juxtaposed in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:7–8).
Just as women are exempt from learning Torah: it is written "to your sons" and not "to your daughters" therefore women are exempt from tefilin
(א) מי הם הפטורים מישיבת סוכה ובו י סעיפים
נשים ועבדים וקטנים פטורים מן הסוכה טומטום ואנדרוגינוס חייבים מספק וכן מי שחציו עבד וחציו בן חורין חייב:
(1) 1. Who is exempt from dwelling in the Sukkah, and in it is 10 paragraphs. Women, slaves, minors are exempt from the (mitzvah of) Sukkah. A tumtum (one has genitalia that are covered, unable to be recognized) or an androgynous is obligated out of doubt (perhaps they are male). And similarly one who is a half slave, half free person is obligated.
Rav S. R. Hirsch, Vayikra 23:43
It seems to us much more likely that the Torah did not impose these mitzvot on women because it did not consider them necessary to be demanded from women… The Torah takes it for granted that our women have greater fervor and more faithful enthusiasm for their religious calling, and that they are in less danger than men of falling prey to the temptations that they encounter in the course of their lives. Accordingly, it was not necessary for the Torah to give women these repeated reminders to remain true to their calling, and warnings against moments of weakness, in contrast to men.
I bring this text and not the one from Abudarham because this answer is so much more palatable. The other one insinuates that a woman has to be ready to do God's will at any time and therefore cannot be obligated to do a commandment within a certain time frame.
Can women perform positive time-bound commandments?
(ט) ...וְנָשִׁים וַעֲבָדִים שֶׁרָצוּ לְהִתְעַטֵּף בְּצִיצִית מִתְעַטְּפִים בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה. וְכֵן שְׁאָר מִצְוֹת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַנָּשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת מֵהֶן אִם רָצוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת אוֹתָן בְּלֹא בְּרָכָה אֵין מְמַחִין בְּיָדָן...
(9) ... If women or bondsmen desire to wear garments with fringes, no objection is raised, but they do not recite the blessing. The same is the rule with respect to other affirmative precepts from the obligation of which women are exempt. If they wish to fulfill them without reciting the blessing, no objection is raised...
(ו) אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁנָּשִׁים פְּטוּרוֹת, יְכוֹלוֹת לִתְקֹעַ; וְכֵן אַחֵר שֶׁיָּצָא כְּבָר, יָכוֹל לִתְקֹעַ לְהוֹצִיאָן, אֲבָל אֵין מְבָרְכוֹת וְלֹא יְבָרְכוּ לָהֶן. הַגָּה: וְהַמִּנְהָג שֶׁהַנָּשִׁים מְבָרְכוֹת עַל מִצְוַת עֲשֵׂה שֶׁהַזְּמַן גְּרָמָא עַל כֵּן גַּם כָּאן מְבָרְכוֹת לְעַצְמָן, אֲבָל אֲחֵרִים לֹא יְבָרְכוּ לָהֶן אִם כְּבָר יָצְאוּ.
Even though women are not obligated, they are able to blow (shofar). Similarly someone who has already fulfilled (the Mitzvah), can still blow for them, but (she) does not make a blessing and others don't make a blessing for them. note: Our custom is that women make blessings on time bound positive commandments therefore they also make a blessing for themselves (for shofar), but others don't make the blessing for them if they have already fulfilled their obligation.
נשים ועבדים וקטנים פטורין מן הציצית מן התורה. ומדברי סופרים שכל קטן שיודע להתעטף חייב בציצית כדי לחנכו במצות. ונשים ועבדי' שרצו להתעטף בציצית מתעטפים בלא ברכה, וכן שאר מצות עשה שהנשים פטורות מהן - אם רצו לעשות אותן בלא ברכהאין ממחין בידן.
Rambam Hilchot Tzitzit 3:9 (Maimonides, 1138-1204, Spain, Egypt, Sphardic)
Women, servants, and minors are not required by the Torah to wear tzitzit. It is, however, a Rabbinical obligation for every child who knows how to dress himself to wear tzitzit in order to educate him to fulfill mitzvot. Women and servants who wish to wrap themselves in tzitzit may do so without reciting a blessing. Similarly, regarding the other positive commandments which women are not required to fulfill, if they desire to perform them without reciting a blessing, they should not be prevented from doing so.
שו”ת ספר הישר לרבנו תם סימן ע
דמ’ [דמצוות] עשה דרבנן שוה בכל
Rabbeinu Tam, Responsa Sefer Ha-yashar 70
For positive rabbinic commandments are equal[ly obligatory] for everyone [man and woman].
Rabbi Saul Berman, 'The Status of Women in Halakhic Judaism,' pp. 16-17
While not demanding adherence to one particular role, it is nevertheless clear that since for most of our history, our continuation as a people depended upon the voluntary selection by women of the role of wife-mother-homemaker, the law would and did encourage the exercise of that choice…. Exemption would be a tool used by the Torah to achieve a particular social goal, namely to assure that no legal obligation would interfere with the selection by Jewish women of a role which was centered almost exclusively in the home. However, it is vital to emphasize that even with these exemptions, the wife-mother-homemaker role is not the mandated, or exclusively proper role, though it is clearly the preferred and therefore protected role.
Rabbanit Malke Bina, 'Symposium on Women and Jewish Education,' p. 15
I have always believed that women are released from positive time-bound mitzvot in order that they have more flexibility and more choices.
Rambam Sefer HaMitzvot
Positive Time-Bound Commandments that woman are obligated in.
- Reciting Kiddush on Shabbat
- Fasting on Yom Kippur
- Eating matzah on the night of Pesach
- Rejoicing on the Chagim
- Gathering for Hakhel
- Offering the Korban Pesach
Positive Time-Bound Rabbinic Commandments that woman are obligated.
- Lighting Chanukah Candles
- Reading the Megillah
- Drinking four cups of wine on Seder night
- Reciting Hallel on the night of Pesach
Positive Time-Bound Commandments that woman are not obligated in.
- Reciting the Shema
- Wearing head and hand Tefilin
- Wearing Tzitzit (like on a tallit)
- Counting the Omer
- Dwelling in the sukkah
- Taking the Lulav (holding it and recitin the blessing)
- Sounding the Shofar
Positive, non-time-bound commandments that women are not obligated in.
- Studying Torah
- Writing a Torah Scroll
- Reciting the Priestly Blessing
- Procreating
- Performing a Bris
- Staying at home with one’s wife and not going out to war which applies to a newly-wed husband in his first year of marriage.
What does this all mean for us today? And what do we do with it in liberal Judaism?