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.

This powerful initiative honours survivors, and their families, remembers those lost, and preserves their stories through first-hand testimonies, biographies, photos, videos, documents, and other historical resources. Through primary sources, accessible online, this initiative helps counter Holocaust disinformation and distortion. During this session, we will work with you to begin inputting your family's story. We will walk you through how to create entries for your family, upload documents and photos, and create the journey of your family. Please bring your laptop, charger, mouse, and any photos/documents/videos you have.

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.