Rahel Berkovits
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
Rahel Berkovits lectures on Mishnah, Talmud, and the Status of Women in Judaism at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. She received her BA in Religion from Barnard College, and has spent many years studying Talmud in both traditional and academic frameworks at such institutions as Midreshet Lindenbaum, the Shalom Hartman Institute, and Hebrew University, where she is currently working on her Masters in Jewish Education. Rahel is the editor of JOFA’s Halakhic Study Guide Series.
Lying for the Sake of Peace
A Rabbinic Text Study
- Saturday 1:00PM–2:15PM Congressional Room 1
Identity and Responsibility, Text and Thought, High School Recommended, University Student Recommended
The Torah teaches us never to bear false witness, but is lying always wrong? Did God ever lie out of concern for the appropriate social etiquette? Is it permissible to tell a white lie just to make someone feel better about their self? See what traditional rabbinic texts have to say about this important interpersonal challenge.
Torat Hayyim—A Living Torah: Women’s Status Today
The Philosophy of Rabbi Eliezer Berkovits
- Saturday 3:00PM–4:15PM Congressional Room 1
- Monday 11:20AM–12:35PM Congressional Room 1
Canceled, sorry
Text and Thought, University Student Recommended
What is the interplay between Torah and real life situations? How do ancient texts apply to modern times? More specifically, how should the strides women have made towards equality in the modern age affect their status with regards to ritual performance and divorce proceedings within the halakhic community? To address these issues, the philosophy of Rabbi and Professor Eliezer Berkovits will be examined through the lens of his writings on women and Jewish law.
Voices from Behind the Mehitzah: Women and Kaddish
An In-depth Halakhic Text Study
- Sunday 2:55PM–4:10PM Embassy Room 1
Identity and Responsibility, Ritual and Prayer, Text and Thought, University Student Recommended
During the critical time of mourning, women often encounter opposition to their desire to honor the deceased by reciting kaddish. Is there precedent within the halakha for women saying kaddish? May she say it alone or only accompanied by a man? Can her voice be heard from the women’s section or should she enter the men’s section to be in the presence of a minyan? Through a serious text study of responsa and legal rabbinic literature we will examine the issues surrounding this emotional topic. This will be an advanced class.
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