Torat Hayim A Living Torah: The Thoughts of Rabbi Professor Eliezer Berkovits z”l.
In this 6-part lecture series, Rabbi Rahel Berkovits looks at the thoughts of her grandfather, Rabbi Professor Eliezer Berkovits z”l. What is the interplay between Torah and real life situations? How do ancient texts apply to modern times? The philosophy of R. Berkovits will be examined through the lens of his writings on women and Jewish law, conversion and the unity of the Jewish people, the problem of Agunot, a sexual ethic in modern time, and the challenges of Prayer.
In this episode: Challenges facing the Jewish people today in determining a unified model and structure for conversion across the denominational spectrum. For him this issue was an ultimate test case of how the halakhic system should function.
“Ideological differences should not be watered down, but neither should they destroy the respect that we owe each other, nor should they erode our sense of responsibility to work for shalom Yisrael (peace in the household of Israel) to the ultimate limits that our ideological positions permits.” (A Suggested Platform of Unity on Conversion According to Halakha p.14)
Click here for more episodes in this series.
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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
