A friend, Dr. Irv Birnbaum, is the Gabbai of the minyan where I daven Shachris. An alumnus of Bobov in Crown Heights and holder of a doctorate in Chemical Engineering from Princeton, his coruscating intelligence is not his most distinguishing attribute. In any case, it annoys him that people daven in the Ezras Nashim, especially when we only have nine people in the main shul, because there is a serious problem of tziruf. But even without the problem of tziruf, there is a problem of pirud. He feels that there is a maaleh of rov am, there is a sense of achdus, that is diminished when some daven behind the mechitza. They might not realize that there are poskim that hold that kedushas ezras nashim is less than the main shul, so it's not in their best interest either, because the kedusha of the place is a factor in the effectiveness of tefilla. (Please see the comments here regarding Kedushas Ezras Nashim.)
The other day, Irv referred to the people behind the mechitza as Mechusar Kippurim. Why? Because the Mishna in Keilim says that a mechusar kippurim has to stay in the Ezras Nashim.
The other day, Irv referred to the people behind the mechitza as Mechusar Kippurim. Why? Because the Mishna in Keilim says that a mechusar kippurim has to stay in the Ezras Nashim.
הר הבית מקודש ממנו, שאין זבים וזבות נידות ויולדות נכנסים לשם.
החיל מקודש ממנו, שאין גוים וטמא מת נכנסים לשם.
עזרת נשים מקודשת ממנו, שאין טבול יום נכנס לשם, ואין חייבים עליה חטאת.
עזרת ישראל מקודשת ממנה, שאין מחוסר כיפורים נכנס לשם, וחייבין עליה חטאת.
עזרת הכהנים מקודשת ממנה, שאין ישראל נכנסים לשם אלא בשעת צרכיהם, לסמיכה לשחיטה ולתנופה.
Excellent!
Another classic example in the geshmakkeh shtoch genre is this story.
A rov was besides himself because of the kiddush club. As soon as Krias Hatorah began, week after week, the same people would go to the kitchen and have a lechaim. He chastised, he begged, he cried, he excoriated, but his words did not make a bit of a difference.
One week, he got up to speak and he had a big smile on his face. He said that he had a revelation. "I could never could understand why people walked out for the heiligeh Krias Hatorah. It upset me terribly, but then I realized something - I have no tayneh on them! Not at all! They are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. They are taking the words of the davenning seriously! Every time we take the sefer Torah out, we say קומה השם ויפוצו אויביך וינוסו משׂנאיך מפּניך. They are doing what they are told to do!They are being told to leave, so they leave!"
NOTES:
I
The vast majority of poskim (Rosh Yosef Chulin 28a/EA OC 151:1, Aruch Hashulchan OC 154:7,) including Reb Moshe (אורח חיים א' סי' נ"א, and mipi hashmu'ah,) hold that Ezras Nashim has Kedushas Beis HaKnesses. But even those that say that Kedushas Ezras Nashim is less than Ezras Yisrael (Chayei Adam 86:15, Ha'Elef Lecha Shelomo OC 76, Avnei Nezer OC 33:4) are absolutely not deprecating the tefilla of women. That would be absurd. The tefilla of women is at least equal to and often more potent than that of men (see Rashi Breishis 21:17 and 25:12.) Their point is that being kovei'a makom for general mitzvos does not make a chalos kedusha on a place. If you decide to do netillas lulav in a particular spot, it does nothing for that spot. Tefilla of men, which requires a minyan, is different. The minyan is a kviyus that is mashreh shechina, like the mikdash. Since women don't have a din of minyan, their keviyus may not be poeil on the place.
II
In Note I, I wrote "The tefilla of women is at least equal to and often more potent than that of men (see Rashi Breishis 21:17 and 25:12.)" I believe that to be true. If it were practical and appropriate, I believe men would be well advised to go to tzidkaniyos for brachos. True, with women it's harder to tell who's a tzidkanis because they don't give lomdisheh shiurim or have thousands of talmidim, which Chazal (BB116a) seem to associate with effective tefilla, but I'm convinced that for women's tefillos, there's a whole different dynamic involved, something involving the difference between עבד לפני המלך and שַׂר לפני המלך.
III
Even if you hold that the Ezras Nashim has Kedushas Beis Haknesses, that does not make it the same room as the men's shul. The mechitza separates them as far as tziruf to create a minyan. (Proof: combine the words of the Aruch HaShulchan in OC 154:sk7 and his words in OC 55:sk20, despite 55:sk24.) Lack of tziruf means pirud.