The Mishna Berurah tells us that our Grandmothers could not read from a siddur. At the same time, we know that our Grandmothers were way above

us in their level of righteousness . So some people will explain that in those days when there was no washing machines or amenities/creature comforts, the women spent more time cleaning etc. This is clealry wrong! The fact is, my eight year old daughter knows how to read from a siddur and just because she learned by herself! She doesn’t wash clothing etc! Can it be said that in those days, women had no time to learn how to read from a Siddur!? Rather, I believe the answer is simple. A Siddur is a crutch (albeit a beautiful crutch) designed for us to rely on when we need to reach the Kisei Hakavod. In our modern times, when our hearts are like stone and our eyes cannot cry, we need the Siddur to enable us to reach out to Hashem.  However, the women of yesteryear did not need a Siddur in order to talk to Hashem! Indeed, a Siddur would be an insult to these women whose hearts were overflowing with love and yearning for Hashem Yisborach. Our Grandmothers were saturated with the knowledge and feeling that they were constantly living with the Ribbono Shel Olam! Their eyes were constantly damp with their tears and tefilos!

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