(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 commandments of the son which are [incumbent] upon the father, men are obligated, and women are exempt. And [with regard to] all commandments of the father which are [incumbent] upon the son, both men and women are obligated. And [with regard to] every positive commandment that is time-dependent, men are obligated and women are exempt. And [with regard to] every positive commandment which is not time-dependent, both men and women are obligated. And [with regard to] every negative commandment, whether it is time-dependent or it is not time-dependent, both men and women are obligated, except for: "You shall not round off [the corners of your head]" (Leviticus 19:27), "You shall not destroy [the corners of your beard]" (ibid.), and "You shall not become ritually impure for the dead" (Leviticus 21:1).
Rambam Sefer HaMitzvot
Mitzvot Aseh Sh'Bi'Zman Gerama that woman are not obligated in.
- Reciting the Shema
- Wearing Teffilin Shel Rosh
- Wearing Tefillin Shel Yad
- Wearing Tzitzit
- Counting the Omer
- Dwelling in the Succah
- Taking the Lulav
- Sounding the Shofar
Mitzvot Aseh Shaiyn Bi'Zman Gerama 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.
Mitzvot Aseh Sh'Bi'Zman Gerama 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
Mitzvot D'Rabanan Sh'Bi'Zman Gerama 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
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).
(כח) והטעם שנפטרו הנשים ממצות עשה שהזמן גרמה לפי שהאשה משועבדת לבעלה לעשות צרכיו. ואם היתה מחוייבת במצות עשה שהזמן גרמא איפשר שבשעת עשיית המצוה יצוה אותה הבעל לעשות מצותו. ואם תעשה מצות הבורא ותניח מצותו אוי לה מבעלה. ואם תעשה מצותו ותניח מצות הבורא אוי לה מיוצרה. לפיכך פטרה הבורא ממצותיו כדי להיות לה שלום עם בעלה.
(28) The reason women are exempt from time-triggered positive commandments is that a woman is subjugated to her husband fo rthe fulfillment of his needs. If she were obligated to perform time-triggered commandments, it might happen that just when she is performing the commandment her husband will command her to do his bidding. If she were to fulfill the command of the Creator and ignores his [her husband's] command, woe to her from her husband! And if she were to fulfill his command and ignore that of the Creator, woe to her from her Maker! Therefore the creator exempted her from his commandments, so that she can be at peace with her husband.
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Iggerot Moshe, Orach Chayyim, IV, 49
And that which the Torah exempted women from time-bound positive commandments… for the majority of women in the world are not rich and they have the responsibility of raising the children, which is the most important work for the sake of God and the Torah. Similarly, God implanted in the nature of all the species of animals that the females should raise their young, and even the human species is not excluded from this rule, for women are more naturally fit to raise children. So it was for this reason that the Torah was lenient in exempting them from the obligation of learning Torah and from time-bound positive commandments.
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.
(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.
והרי סוכה דמצות עשה שהזמן גרמא דכתיב (ויקרא כג, מב) בסוכות תשבו שבעת ימים טעמא דכתב רחמנא האזרח להוציא את הנשים הא לאו הכי נשים חייבות אמר אביי איצטריך סלקא דעתך אמינא הואיל דכתיב בסוכות תשבו תשבו כעין תדורו מה דירה איש ואשתו אף סוכה איש ואשתו ורבא אמר איצטריך סד"א נילף חמשה עשר חמשה עשר מחג המצות מה להלן נשים חייבות אף כאן נשים חייבות צריכא
The Gemara further asks: But there is the mitzva of residing in a sukka, which is a positive, time-bound mitzva, as it is written: “In sukkot you shall reside seven days” (Leviticus 23:42), referring to seven specific days of the year. Nevertheless, the reason women are exempt from this mitzva is that the Merciful One writes in the continuation of the verse: “All the homeborn in Israel shall reside in sukkot.” The definite article “the” is an exclusion, and serves to exclude the women from the obligation to reside in a sukka. It may be derived from here that if that was not so, women would be obligated. This indicates that women do not receive a blanket exemption from every positive, time-bound mitzva.
Abaye said: In the case of residing in a sukka a special verse was necessary to exempt women, as otherwise it might enter your mind to say that since it is written: “In sukkot you shall reside,” this means that you should reside as you dwell in your permanent home: Just as a man and his wife live together in a residence, so too, a man and his wife are obligated to reside together in a sukka. And Rava said: It is necessary to state this verse for another reason, as it might enter your mind to say: Derive a verbal analogy with regard to Sukkot, where the verse states: “On the fifteenth day of this seventh month is the festival of Sukkot” (Leviticus 23:34), from Passover, where the verse states: “And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the festival of Passover” (Leviticus 23:6). One would then say that just as there women are obligated to eat matza on the first night of Passover, despite the fact that it is a time-bound mitzva, so too here, with regard to the mitzva of residing in the sukka, women are obligated. Therefore it was necessary for the verse to use the term “the homeborn” to exclude women from the obligation to reside in a sukka.
