International
Rahel Berkovits is a senior faculty member at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and has been teaching Mishnah, Talmud and halakha for thirty years.
Rahel lectures widely in both Israel and abroad on topics concerning women and Jewish law and a Jewish sexual ethic. She is the Halakhic Editor and an author for JOFA’s Hilkhot Nashim series, published by Maggid, and is a founding member of Congregation Shirah Hadasha in Jerusalem. In June 2015, Rahel received Rabbinic Ordination from Rabbis Herzl Hefter and Daniel Sperber.
Session 1
Messages from the Mishnah: Darkhei Shalom - Ways of Peace: The Path to Building Community
How important is it to compromise the letter of the law for the sake of peace among people? Whom do the Rabbis consider to be part of an average Jew’s concentric community? How are people with disabilities, people from low socioeconomic backgrounds, or those who are not Jewish viewed? Which areas in life do the Rabbis feel cause the most fighting and unrest in communities? (Don’t be surprised when the Synagogue tops the list!) How does one not compromise their personal identity when interacting with people who are different from themselves? To answer these questions and more we will analyze the literary and meta-thematic structures of the Mishnayot in Tractate Gittim which deal with the laws of Darkhei Shalom- pathways to peace.
Session 2
Sexuality and Sanctity: Consent and Individual Autonomy in Sexual Encounters
What does Judaism have to say about issues surrounding consent in sexual acts? Must one consent to each individual sex act? How does my personal individual desire for pleasure in a certain manner affect my partner? What does tradition say about intercourse while drunk or when the partners are fighting? What values and challenges can the rabbinic texts impart for us living with the modern sexual norms of the twenty first century? In this class we will examine, analyze and openly discuss rabbinic texts from the Torah and Talmud through to the modern responsa on issues related to sexual intercourse. The class aims to be a safe space for students of diverse backgrounds, orientations, and practices.
Session 3
Are Tefillin Only for Men? An In-depth Halakhic Text Study
Today many women sit in the sukkah, shake the lulav, hear the shofar and recite the Shma- all mitzvot from which they are exempt- and yet it is still considered taboo in the Modern Orthodox world for a woman to wear tefillin. Why is this mitzvah treated so differently from the rest? Do the issues just stem from social discomfort or is there a halakhic difference that sets tefillin apart from the rest of the time-caused mitzvot? Is there room for future development with regards to women’s practice of this mitzvah? In this session this issue will be examined and discussed by studying sources from the Talmud through to modern legal Rabbinic literature.
Session 4
Halakha and Our Changing Reality: Can Halakha Meet the Needs of the Religious Gay Community?
What is a halakhically religious person to do who desires love, sexual intimacy and partnership with someone of their own gender? In this session we will examine the views of some of the leaders of the national religious camp in Israel. R. Shlomo Riskin, R. Yaakov Medan, R. Benny Lau, and R. Yuval Cherlow all grapple with this modern challenge. How they understand the function of halakha in general and what specific suggestions and answers they give to this question will be openly examined and discussed. This class aims to be a safe space for all people.