The feminine mystique has, well, mystified humans from the beginning of time. Just read the Biblical verses about the original woman and man in the Garden of Eden. Most of history testifies to a male dominated hierarchy, with women, especially in the last generation, trying to level the playing field. But — listen to this surprise: recent studies are making the case that women are actually more significant than men, if not outright superior. Articles and books titled “Are Fathers Necessary?” and “The End of Men” argue that the human race is dependent on women and not on men.
One biology professor puts it bluntly: “Women are both necessary and sufficient for reproduction, and men are neither. The father contributes an infinitesimally small packet of DNA, less than one-millionth of the embryo’s mass. And by the time the baby is born, it is the mother who has contributed all its weight. In contrast, the father’s 3.3 pico-grams of DNA comes out to less than one pound of male contribution, counting from the creation of Adam and Eve and the birth of some 100 billion babies since then.” He concludes: “If a woman wants to have a baby without a man, she just needs to secure sperm (fresh or frozen) from a donor (living or dead) … If all the men on earth died tonight, the species could continue on frozen sperm. If the women disappear, it’s extinction.”
To thicken the plot, there are recent studies finding that all fetuses begin as females, and then the male chromosome kicks in, which some see as a mutation… The Female Brain, a book by neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, sums up hundreds of studies on the neurological differences between men and women. All human beings, she writes, start out with a brain that looks female. But around the eighth week in the womb, testosterone surges through male brains, killing cells in some regions (communications) and growing cells in others (sex and aggression). By the time they are three months old, girls are, on average, much better at making eye contact with other people and picking up information from faces. During play, girls look back at their mothers, on average, 10 to 20 times more than boys, to check for emotional signals. Girls can also, on average, hear a broader range of sounds in the human voice, and can better discern changes in tone. Later, girls are much more likely to use sentences that begin with “Let’s …” while playing: Let’s do this or Let’s do that. They are more likely to take turns. As a result girls are inclined to pursue certain goals: for example, to forge connection and to create community. In other words, to build a home.
Pretty strong words. Turning on its head the long-held notion that men are superior to women. Can that perhaps be the deeper reason that men always needed to demonstrate their dominance — due to their unconscious fear that they may be negligible?
What does the Kabbalah have to say about this? And what then is the role of men in what appears to be a predominant female world? And above all, what truly defines us as women and men? If you are not aware of your true identity how can you expect to be acting on it, or even worse — how do you know if your not undermining it?
Please join Rabbi Jacobson in this fascinating 22 Shevat/Mishpatim workshop for an eye-opening perspective on the core essence of feminine and masculine energy, and how it applies to our lives today. Explore mystical Kabbalistic and Chassidic sources and discover a new awareness of yourself and your enormous potential. Learn how to align your choices and decisions with the true woman or man you are meant to be.
