“The family purity handbook shares the qualities of the other halakhic handbooks…, but it has a history of its own”

The family purity handbook shares the qualities of the other halakhic handbooks…, but it has a history of its own. … In addition to explaining complicated rules in plain language, these books were designed from their very inception to enable women to make certain halakhic decisions on their own, obviating the need for a face-to-face meeting with a rabbi about a topic that would be embarrassing to both sides. This enriches the halakhic process rather than limiting its organic, mimetic development. Moreover, some of these books have taken on a “public relations” function as well; they are meant to “take the edge off” a field of halakhah that can and has been interpreted as being demeaning to women. Their goal is thus to present halakhic material in a manner that at least appears to treat readers with respect and broaden their horizons, rather than dictating to them.

Moshe Benovitz, “A Lifetime Companion to the Laws of Jewish Family Life and Man and Woman: Guidance for Newlyweds (review),” Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies & Gender Issues, vol. 12, no. 1 (2006), 313.