If you believe women are not allowed to teach...

IF YOU BELIEVE WOMEN ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TEACH …

1 Corinthians 14: 34. Let your women be silent in the assembly: for it is not permitted them to speak, but to be in subjection, as also Torah says. 35. And if they wish to be informed on any subject, let them ask their husbands at home: for it is unbecoming for women to speak in the assembly. (AENT)

1 Timothy 2: 11. Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: 12. for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness.  (AENT)

 NOTE: The above refers back to Genesis 3 which shows that men will rule over women because the woman listened to the serpent (not because she wasn't "equal" to her husband)...But read also what YHWH then said to Adam!

Genesis 3:14 ADONAI, God, said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and wild animals. You will crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live. 15 I will put animosity between you and the woman, and between your descendant and her descendant; he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel." 16 To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pain in childbirth. You will bring forth children in pain. Your desire will be toward your husband, but he will rule over you."

17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to what your wife said and ate from the tree about which I gave you the order, 'You are not to eat from it,' the ground is cursed on your account; you will work hard to eat from it as long as you live. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat field plants. 19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your forehead till you return to the ground - for you were taken out of it: you are dust, and you will return to dust."  (CJB)

Titus 2:1. But as for you, the things that belong to wholesome doctrine. 2. And teach the older men to be watchful in their minds and to be sober, and to be pure, and to be sound in the faith, and in love and in patience. 3. And so also the elder women that they be in behavior as is becoming to the Fear of Elohim; and not to be slanderers; and not to be addicted to much wine; and to be teachers of beautiful things, 4. making the younger women to be modest, to love their husbands and their children, 5. to be chaste and Set Apart and to take good care of their households and to be obedient to their husbands, so that no one may reproach the Word of Elohim. (CJB)

In 1 Timothy, Rav Shaul (Paul) commands that women keep silent in the assembly and not assume authority over a man. However, in Titus 2:2, the older women are instructed to lead by examples of their own piety and to teach the younger women in the Fear of Elohim. (The word malpan most certainly means to teach.) Y'shua is frequently called a Malpana almost as often as he is called a "Rabbi." 

The concern in 1 Timothy seems not so much about women speaking, but to not speak out of turn while the official leader is teaching. Surely, such action is disrespectful universally; neither is it normal for men to be given such liberty. Rav Shaul encourages the older and spiritually mature women to both teach and be examples for the younger women, as they are able to help safeguard young men and women from "worldly lusts." We don't see endorsement of women congregational leaders in Paul's writings, but we certainly do see encouragement for women to exercise leadership in modesty and be Set Apart unto YHWH.

First Timothy 2:11–15 does not teach that women cannot exercise their spiritual gifts when the body meets. We know that women can, and are to do so (Acts 2:17; 1 Cor. 12:7; 14:26). Instead, the passage has a more narrow focus on the role of a ruling elder. To "teach" (1 Tim. 2:12), as defined "with authority" is an elder's function. This particular function in the body of Messiah ­ and only this function! ­ is reserved for men.

More significant was the local situation in the Messianic assembly. False teachers had apparently found support in homes headed by widows (1 Tim. 1:6, 7; 5:13–15). False teaching was apparently still a problem for "gullible women" when the letter of 2 Timothy was written (2 Tim. 3:6-7). So the instructions for a woman to "learn" but not to "teach" was aimed at keeping the women, who in this congregation had proved particularly susceptible to false teaching, from spreading it.

Paul, therefore, says, "I do not permit a woman to be a teacher." The context here has to do with assembly order, and the position of the man and woman in the assembly worship and work. The kind of teacher Paul has in mind is spoken of in Acts 13:1, I Corinthians 12:28, 29, and Ephesians 4:11 - YAHWEH-called, and YAHWEH-equipped teachers recognized by the Assembly as those having authority in the Assembly in matters of doctrine and interpretation. 

This prohibition of a woman to be a teacher, does not include the teaching of classes at the pastor's request, or children in a Sunday School, for instance, but does prohibit the woman from being an elder.

Put another way:

1 Tim. 2: 11. Let a woman learn in silence, with all submission: 12. for I do not allow a woman to teach or to be assuming over the man; but let her remain in stillness.  (AENT)

When we look at the grammatical notation for "to teach" we find that it's a present infinitive which means that it speaks of a continuous or repeated action. So what Paul said to Timothy was that a woman was not to continuously teach a man, which would be seen as not being submissive (when looking at this verse in context), because if she was always teaching the man, he would never have time to teach her.

At the same time, because the grammatical notation is a present infinitive, it would show that Paul did not say that a woman could not teach a man at all. So from a Scriptural standpoint women are allowed to teach men, just not continuously. 

Priscilla is seen in Scripture helping her husband teach Apollos the way of God more perfectly (Acts 18:24-26) and yes, even as we see in Scripture, there sometimes are exceptions to this as seen in Deborah (Judges 4 and 5), when there were no men spiritual enough to do the job - but not very often.

In conclusion, we know that women are allowed to teach other women and children (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15; Titus 2:3-5) and that it is permissible for women to teach men, though it is not to be a continuous ministry. Sometimes YAHWEH does raise up a woman to fill in a gap where men weren't standing to fulfill His good purpose.

What is always forgotten here is that we are to submit to one another. Ephesians 5:21: And be submissive one to another in the love of the Mashiyach. Many put emphasis on "who" has authority but Shaul always makes a pretext of loving one another as well as submitting to one another before describing the spiritual order of men and women.

If a group of people are gathered and no one but a woman can explain Torah, should she keep quiet just because men are gathered there? At other times, a woman may have to be an authoritative voice just because her husband cannot or will not do so. In an ideal world, women could just be supportive and administrative but in our world there are scenarios where men will need to be just as submissive as a woman is told to be. Paul knew this and thus qualified his teaching.

According to Scripture women are to teach children and younger women, but that doesn't mean they are to shun men if put in a situation where a man asked a woman a question concerning Torah and the rest of Scripture. 

The Book of Judges says that Deborah was "under the palm tree" and that's where the children of Israel sought her, indicating she wasn't in the Tabernacle teaching! Lydia and the women were down by the riverside in Acts, and although Mary Magdalene did proclaim the resurrection to the disciples, she wasn't in the Temple, either.

Bottom line: It is whoever is capable of doing the job that qualifies them; not the sex of the person! If it were not for women in our day and time, there we be fewer spiritual heads of families. Abba will send anyone who will be obedient and is qualified to handle it.

Consider also the following:

In Paul's letter to the Galatians, Paul had said that in Messiah, 28. For there is neither Jew nor Aramean, nor slave nor free, nor male nor female, but you are all one in Y'shua the Mashiyach (Galatians 3:28)

In Paul's letter to the Corinthians, he refers to women praying and proclaiming YAHWEH's message in public worship. (1 Corinthians 11:5)

In Paul's letter to the assembly in Ephesus (Romans, chapter 16), he recognized and introduced the woman Phoebe as not only a "deacon" (not a deaconess) but also the president of the assembly in Cenchreae. (Romans 16:1,2)

In the same letter to the assembly in Ephesus, Paul refers to the woman Priscilla and her husband Aquila as his coworkers, who also host the assembly at their house. (Romans 16:3-5) Earlier when he was in Ephesus writing his letters to the assembly in Corinth, he also had referred to the assembly in Ephesus as being in the home of Priscilla and Aquila. (1 Corinthians 16:19)

In the same letter to the assembly in Ephesus, Paul also addressed the woman Junia and her husband Andronicus as apostles - even as "prominent among the apostles." (Romans 16:7)

There is a lot more that could be written about this issue, but you get the drift.  Here's the grand finale:

Acts 2:17 Elohim said, In later days it will be (that) I will pour out my Ruach upon all flesh, and your sons will prophesy and your daughters and your young men will see visions, and your elders will dream dreams. And upon my servants and upon handmaids I will pour out my Ruach in those days. And they will prophesy. (AENT)

(For more, please read our website’s article about women teachers.)