Yaffa Epstein
Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
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Yaffa Epstein is a faculty member and Director of Recruitment at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies. She holds a Law Degree from Bar Ilan University and is a member of the Israeli Bar. She is a former student of the Kollel at Pardes, and was a member of Matan's Advanced Talmud Institute. Yaffa teaches Talmud and Prayer at Pardes and has taught for SIACH, the Lookstein Center, and Young Judea.
What's Love Got To Do With It?
Legislating Love in Jewish Law
Torah & Text
- Friday 8:30AM–9:45AM Empire Room 1
Jewish Law has much to say about many issues - but what does Jewish Law have to tell me about love? This session will look at four areas in Jewish Law where love is commanded, or fails to be commanded, and attempt to construct a concept of "Commanded Love" and how that kind of love affects the love relationship.
Chavruta I: Ahavat Yisrael
What Akiba Called the Greatest Mitzvah
Ritual & Prayer, Torah & Text
- Friday 11:30AM–1:00PM Empire Room 2
Come each day to discover the power of Torah to transform our lives and yield surprising pathways toward peace in the home and peace in the world. This year "ahavat yisrael" is the theme we are tracking, as in small groups and within chevruta (partner study), you can make new friends while exploring how this mitzvah is arises in Torah, Talmud, midrash, Zohar, imagery and prayer. Chevruta (partner study) is an empowering study form in which, no matter what your level of experience, your connection to the text will soar in small groups and partner study. No experience is required; Hebrew texts are also provided in English translation. **Please note that this session will run for 90 minutes.
Truth or Myth
The Jewish Feminine Ideal
Torah & Text
- Friday 9:10PM–10:25PM Embassy Room 2
Bruriah is one of the few women named in the Talmud. More interestingly, she is one of the only learned women mentioned. We will examine the stories told about her, and use them as a lens into Rabbinic views of the feminine ideal.
Live from Limmud NY:
It's a Friday Night Tisch
- Friday 10:40PM–11:55PM Safari Backspace
Tisch (Yiddish for Table): the Hassidic custom of gathering around a table to share songs, words and drinks - all of the kind that warm up the inside. Come join host Mishael Zion as some of Limmud NY's top presenters share their thoughts, stories and free-associations on the word Hineni, "I am here". Prepare yourself to experience the best of Shabbat and Limmud NY all wrapped up in one joyous and uplifting session. Note: Alcohol will be available at the Tisch (only for participants who are 21 years of age and older).
Holy Houses
Creating Sacred Space
Advanced, Torah & Text
- Saturday 1:00PM–2:15PM Embassy Room 1
Can a building made of stone and bricks have inherent holiness? What endows a building with holiness? This session will look at the laws surrounding the sanctity of the Beit Midrash (study hall), and attempt to understand how a physical structure can be seen as holy.
The class is geared towards participants who have a stronger Jewish text background.
Do Beautiful People Have More Friends?
Beauty and Ugliness in Judaism
Torah & Text
- Sunday 11:30AM–12:45PM Empire Room 3 North
Do looks matter? How do looks play a role in the world and in Jewish life? This class will look at the concept of beauty and ugliness, and try to shed some light on Judaism's perspective on beauty.
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