I remember hearing an explanation a long time ago that explained why men have more mitzvot. Simply it’s because they need them. It’s a compliment to women in general. Basically women naturally stay on/attain a higher spiritual level than men would naturally so in order to bring their spiritual level up men have more mitzvot in order to keep them on the ball....
<< if a woman does one of those mitzvot, would she be given extra tzrus? >>
I’m not sure what you mean by “tzrus.” It looks like tzarus (same as tzuris)? That means trouble, so that would be a no. Do you mean z’chus, merit? If so, then yes. If you mean something else, then let me know!
ok, this is something that has bugged me for ahwhile. if women have less mitzvot because they naturally stay on a higher level, what about the gruop with the least mitzvot of all! people who are nonjewish have far less than we do. They aren’t higher are they? I know we are ore lagoyim (a light to the nations), but it seems G-d is inconsistent, he gives goyim who (please correct me if i’m wrong) the least mitzvot, why not give them more to riase their level? It seems thats what G-d did when it comes to men, he gave them more to bring them higher. but If once we are on a higher level we have more why don’t girls have more mitzvot?
The way I understand it, non-Jews are not really included in this this whole thing of “getting closer to G-d,” or at least in a very different ways that Jews are. The sheva mitvos b’nei noach are more moral laws than anything else. The Torah is really the only way for a person to become “closer to G-d,” and the non-Jewish nations declined it. Therefore, the whole thing thing about having mitzvos to bring a person to a higher level doesn’t really apply to them.
Just as a side note, I’m sure I buy into the explanation of “women are holier than men and therefore need less mitzvot.” It seems to me that the answer is simpler, as R’ Jack said, that men and women have different purposes, and therefore have different obligations. Although there are a number of sources that do mention that a woman’s kedusha is greater than a man’s, I don’t think that that’s really an answer to this particular question.
G-d knows what everyone needs. Medicine that keeps you alive might kill me and vice versa. He gave every person, male, female, Jew, non-Jew, Kohen, Levi, Yisroel, first-born, etc. the perfect combination of mitzvos for their spiritual health. The reason Jewish women have less mitzvos than Jewish men might be completely different than the reason non-Jews have fewer mitzvos than Jews. Look how many mitzvos the Kohanim have just for the sacrifices in the Beis HaMikdash. You certainly can’t say that Kohanim needed more mitzvos because they’re farther from G-d than Yisroelim. Every case is different (and perfectly balanced).
