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Are Women Obligated To Daven?

The Daily Halacha Moment - Are Women Obligated To Daven?


״כל השונה הלכות בכל יום - מובטח לו שהוא בן העולם הבא״ (נידה עג ע״א, מגילה כח:)

“Anyone who studies Halachot every day is guaranteed that he is destined for the world-to-come” (Megilla 28b, Niddah 73a)

Question:

Are women obligated to pray every day?


Answer:

The Mishnah in Berachot (20a/b) teaches that women are obligated to pray daily. This might seem surprising at first, since women are generally exempt from time-bound positive commandments (mitzvot aseh she’hazman grama). However, the Gemara explains that prayer is fundamentally a plea for mercy and connection with Hashem, and is therefore not categorized as a time-bound commandment. As a result, women are included in this obligation.


Sephardic Custom:

According to the Sephardic custom, Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef zt”l [1] ruled that women are obligated to pray once a day. This single daily prayer can be fulfilled through any one of the three daily tefillot —Shacharit, Mincha, or Arvit. While it is ideal and most common to fulfill this obligation through Shacharit, technically, a woman may choose to pray Mincha or even Arvit instead. If she wishes to daven more than once a day, she is certainly permitted to do so and is rewarded for the effort, but it is not halachically required. [2]


It is also important to note a key difference between men and women in the structure of prayer, particularly for Sephardic women. Since parts of the morning teffilah, such as Birkot Keriat Shema (the blessings of Shema) and Pesukei DeZimra (the verses of praise), are considered time-bound mitzvot, Sephardic women who are not obligated in them should not recite Hashem’s Name within those berachot. In contrast, Ashkenazi women, based on the rulings of the Rema and later authorities, do recite these blessings with Hashem’s Name.


In all cases, regardless of which tefillah a woman chooses to fulfill her daily obligation, she should still recite Birkot HaShachar (the Morning Blessings) and Birkot HaTorah (the blessings on Torah learning), since these are not considered part of the formal prayer service and are more universally obligatory. So, for example, even if a woman decides to daven only Mincha or Arvit on a given day, she should still say Birkot HaShachar and Birkot HaTorah earlier in the day.


Ashkenazic Custom:

According to Ashkenazic practice, the Mishnah Berurah (Orach Chaim 106:4) rules that women are obligated to pray twice a day, specifically Shacharit and Mincha. This view maintains that since prayer is not bound strictly by time, and it is a Torah-level obligation to reach out to Hashem daily, women must engage in regular prayer that reflects the pattern of the day—morning and afternoon.


Practical Summary:

In summary, according to the letter of the law:

A Sephardic woman fulfills her obligation by praying once daily—Shacharit, Mincha, or Arvit. If she chooses Shacharit, the minimal halachic requirement includes:


 1) Birkot HaShachar

 2) Birkot HaTorah

 3) The first verse of Shema

 4) The Amidah (Shmoneh Esrei)


The rest of the teffilah— Pesukei DeZimra, Birkot Keriat Shema, and other additions—are optional, and if recited, she should omit Hashem’s Name in those blessings.


If she chooses Mincha instead, her requirement includes:

1)  Ashrei

2) The Amidah (Shmoneh Esrei)

(And again, she should still say Birkot HaShachar and Birkot HaTorah earlier in the day.)


An Ashkenazic woman, following the Mishnah Berurah, is obligated to pray both Shacharit and Mincha, including the essential components of each Teffilah.


Sources:

[1]. Rambam and Shulchan Aruch 106:1; Yechaveh Da'at vol. 3 Siman 7; Rambam Teffilah 1:1. See also Yabia Omer vol. 6 O.C. 17:3.

[2]. Kaf HaChaim 106:7; Yalkut Yosef Otzar dinim le’ishah, p. 31. See however, Ohr LeTzion vol. 2, 7:24  which says that women are obligated in Shacharit and Mincha.


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