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Here are three reasons why Jewish law mandates two sections in the synagogue1.
Attraction is Distraction
More than gravity pulls objects to the center of the earth, genders gravitate towards each other.
Nature’s impulse is that when in the presence of a beautiful girl (or handsome guy) and a prayer book, your attention will be on the beautiful girl. That is why they use beautiful girls, and not prayer books, in ads for watches.
Perhaps people shouldn’t be like that, but they are. Synagogues were built for people, not angels. Besides, Judaism believes you should be attracted to the opposite gender, but in the proper time, place, and setting.
Synagogue service is not that setting. Why? Because in extreme cases this attraction actually becomes an erotic thought, but even in the best situation it is still a distracting thought.
Sit Upright
For us, citizen’s of the modern era, a Mechitzah is a strange phenomenon. But if you think about it, it is not nearly as strange as praying to a G-d you can’t see, a G-d you can hardly know.
The sight of a Mechitzah is an immediate reminder of the uniqueness of this place. More specifically it is a reminder that the primary focus of this place is shifted vertically, not horizontally.
It gets stranger. Judaism is not satisfied with lip service, or prayer. The Hebrew word Tefilah which is commonly translated as prayer, actually means connection; and in Jewish writings prayer is known as “Avodah” work. Judaism wants us to form a relationship with G-d, to forge a “connection” the caliber of which requires “effort”.
Tefilah is not a recital to G-d; it is a date with G-d. But a very blind date.
Thus the synagogue is meant to create a setting which is conducive for this type of experience. The Mechitzah reminds us that this place is different. What is perfectly normal elsewhere is completely foreign here, because what is perfectly normal in this context is completely foreign in others.
The sight of a Mechitzah is an immediate reminder of the uniqueness of this place. More specifically it is a reminder that the primary focus of this place is shifted vertically, not horizontally.2
Together Separately
Two basic elements of cooking are fire and water. Yet basic physics has it that if you put fire and water together you will either have just fire, or just water. You definitely won’t have dinner. So how does one cook with fire and water?
Enter the pot, the partition, the item that defines the parameters of each, and thus lets them both join together to form a perfect meal.
A Jewish community is not complete without men and women, but men and women express different energies. G-d created each because he wants both. The Mechitzah sets parameters to separate each element, so that we can join together to create a big picture, one in which no element is lost.
(For more about the different elements of synagogue service see Pray Like a Woman)
Footnotes
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Women & Judaism » Women's IssuesMitzvot » Prayer » Laws and Customs
