As a member of the yeshivish community I am taught to not talk to women. Kiddushim, chasanas are seperate etc.. Then this week there is a professional Happy Hour for people in my field. Recruiters will be there. I want to network but is it apropriate to go? I feel wierd asking a rov.

Ask AskMoses.
Or ask a rav. It is a perfectly respectable question.

LOL. Glad you approve.

Oh, I didn't mean to connote approval; I merely found this suggestion amusing.

Oh, I'm sorry. I was under the impression that a smile meant approval. Unless, of course, it was a sarcastic smile.

FTR, that is my "amused" smile. What others may use that particular emoticon for, varies. At any rate, I don't think it warrants an apology or a frown, and I wasn't actually poking fun at you. I just found the suggestion amusing.

I understood that. I found the fact that you were amused, amusing. I meant it seriously- at least if he doesn't want to ask his rav.

If you have a rabbi whom you trust, there's no reason why you shouldn't ask him. You'd feel more comfortable afterwards. Explain to him all the facts - how it'll be better for you professionally if you go.
As much as we can give you advice here, you'd best off go to the person you trust most.

Aren't you also taught to ask a rov halachic questions?

Like everyone else, I would also suggest that the best solution is to discuss it with a rav.

However, I do think there is a big difference between 'casual' contact with the opposite gender and mixed simchas on the one hand, and professional networking on the other... You won't be looking for personal contact and the conversations you'll be having will probably be on professional topics. Therefore, the risks that this contact would lead to any form of inappropriate intimacy would also be much smaller than in the case of personal conversations or mixed simchas. But that's just my reasoning, of course.

I don't really have a rov. Thats the problem.

Just go. It's professional. Talking to women as part of work is acceptable.

Perhaps some wouldn't see this as a halachic question requiring a psak. There is a lot of grey between halacha l'maaseh and personal counseling or life advice.





Well there you go.

I agree it's not a halachic question (in my opinion). However, rabbis are great people from whom to ask advice, too!

Motcha, you don't have to ask "your" rabbi - or even a rabbi at all. You can ask the businessman you sit next to in shul what he thinks. And you can ask the cheder rebbe who sits on the other side of you. That way you can weigh the pros vs. the cons.

If you feel uncomfortable doing it without a rabbi's approval, then definitely ask. You'd feel better asking and it's not a strange question.
But if you want the opinion of others on board here, IMO, it's okay to network professionally - as this is part of earning a parnassah. It's not as if you're socializing out of the norm - you're just being friendly to get better professional connections.