Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl has urged the Chief Rabbinate not to comply with court orders compelling it to open rabbinical certification exams to women, calling the move a serious breach of religious boundaries.
The rabbi stated that as long as the exams remain open to women, observant Jews should refuse to participate in them, either as examiners or examinees.
“We must not submit to the demands of the appeals court judges who are forcing the Chief Rabbinate to open the exams to women," he wrote. “This creates a great breach in the walls of religion. Therefore, one should neither examine nor be examined while the gates of these exams are open to women as well."
Rabbi Nebenzahl proposed an alternative solution for those who wish to take the certification exams. He suggested that examinations be held independently within respected rabbinical courts or by another body that operates without any intervention from the civil courts.
He emphasized that God-fearing individuals should be given the option to be tested in frameworks that fully align with their religious outlook.
“At such a time," he added, “an option should be provided for those who fear God and desire it, to be examined by the important rabbinical courts in the Land of Israel, or by another body that will conduct the examinations without any court involvement."
Rabbi Nebenzahl concluded by noting that although other arguments exist, his position will remain firm unless the greatest rabbis of the generation explicitly instruct otherwise.