Some 30 women are sitting in a large room, hunched over books written in small, dense print, studying the text before them. The rabbi sitting at the head of the table begins the discussion about whether a certain meat vessel may be kashered and then used to cook dairy foods, and vice versa. “The Mishna clearly states that…”
One woman present presses on and asks, “But what is the ruling regarding a wooden spoon?” and a second woman follows up excitedly with a more specific question: “And is it enough to dip it in hot water, or do you need to wait a few minutes?” The rabbi looks around with a look of great satisfaction on his face.