1. The Tur says we have 4 aliyot at keri'at ha-torah [like Chol Hamoed] since women don't do melacha and the rule of thumb is that we limit the aliyot to 3 only when there's a problem of bittul melacha were we to have more aliyot.
What on earth does women working or not have to do with keri'at hatorah?

2. Are single women and young ladies permitted to do melacha on Rosh Chodesh? The Bei'ur Halachah [the last sentence of d"h Nashim] seems to say yes: "kol bat yisrael", but the Aruch Hashulchan se'if 10 seems to say only a ba'alat ha-bayit.
Which is it?

Melacha similar to Shabbos melacha? what? Add another sin to that ever-growing list I suppose.


oh boy.

Certain "girlie" melachot. Like sewing. On h.com people have mentioned things like laundry.

lol. cooking ok?

There are different minhagim about which melachot are permitted and which are not. I would venture to guess that cooking, because not cooking would interfere with rabbis' dinners being on the table, is not among the forbidden melachot.
/sarcasm.

There are different minhagim about which melachot are permitted and which are not. Interestingly, the Aruch Hashulchan permits melacha that she does for the sake of parnasah. But he says some melachot are permitted, and some are not, depending on your particular minhag. I'd be surprised if many won't even do what they do on Chol Hamoed.

1. I think the Ba"ch mentions something about it being a reminder to the men not to make the women do work. (others point out that they couldn't make them even if they wanted to).

also some are of the opinion that men also should not [didn't?] do extra heavy work on R"C.

2. I am not sure that the Aruch hashulchan is really arguing about that. I think he is just making a distinction between a women working for her livelihood, and working in her house, not between a married women and a girl. So I will stick with the Biur Halacha [err actually on second thought, we have been told that the MB is too radical, so probably he should not even be mentioned ].

Immaterial since the Tur specifically links the 4 aliyot to women not working. Had he said, there's an inyan for men not to work, so therefore we don't limit the aliyot to three, that would have been fine.


The Ba'ch doesn't seem like a stretch? Why not have 4 aliyot on chanukah then to remind the women not to work while the candles are burning?

Hmm true, however it is percisly because of this question (and others as well) that various Miforshim on the gemora are of the opnion that men also at least in the time of the Beis Hamidash were prohibeted from doing real Melacha See the Turi Even on Meggilah 22b for example. I didn't really look at all the various miforshim on the gemora\tosofs, but this is really a question on the Gemora\Tosfos ibid.

hmm but the Menorah is lit at night, not in the morning.