Although the topic of women and reclining is not on the top of anyone’s list when thinking about women in Judaism, it actually cuts directly to the most important and the core questions of women’s social status. Do the Rabbis consider a married woman to be free and liberated? Are there exceptional women? Has women’s status changed over time and how does that change affect her participation in ritual? Through this interesting case study Rahel Berkovits will examine some of the important issues facing us in the modern day.
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Rahel Berkovits is a senior faculty member at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, where she has been teaching Mishnah, Talmud and halakha for over twenty years. Rahel lectures widely in both Israel and abroad especially on topics concerning women and Jewish law and a Jewish sexual ethic. She is the Halakhic Editor and a writer for Hilkhot Nashim the Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance’s Halakhic Source-guide Series, recently published by Koren Publishing. Rahel is a founding member of Congregation Shirah Hadasha, a halakhic partnership Synagogue, and serves on their halakha committee. In June 2015, Rahel received Rabbinic Ordination from Rabbis Herzl Hefter and Daniel Sperber. Click here to read more. You can find books written by Rahel by clicking here
