Reply To: What Did I do?!

commonsaychal, the Halachos you point to are evidence that the Torah is non-egalitarian only on the most superficial level. The key point here is (and this is where most of contemporary society, including Avi Weiss, gets it wrong) that “equality” of necessity does not mean “sameness”. This is not the venue for a comprehensive review of the subject, but here is a basic synopsis of the general idea advanced by the Meforshim, as I remember it:

The Torah recognizes the different roles of men, women, Kohanim, Leviim, Yisraelim, etc., and, based on these roles, assigns each person different responsibilities. This explains witnesses and Avodas Beis HaMikdash.

Resources are allocated by the Torah with respect to the roles and responsibilities of each person. Inheritance is much more than simply assuming the estate of the departed. Inheritance symbolizes the continuation of the personality of the departed, and the furtherance of his earthly mission. This, of course, necessitates that the closest living relative be the one to inherit. The role of the Woman in the Torah’s society is complementary to her that of her husband, and so a son is better able to continue the legacy of his father than would be a daughter.

None of this reflects any sort of bigoted or biased attitude, and, in fact, the Torah repeats many times the idea of equality. ???? ??? ????? ??? is the standard by which we are to evaluate our system.
?? ??? ????, ?? ??? ????, ?? ????? ???? ???, the list goes on and on. There is no question that the Torah expects us to treat all people equally and fairly, regardless of who they are.