This Pardes Life Season 3 Episode 2: Nechama Goldman Barash

Posted by Zvi Hirschfield on November 26, 2017
Topics: This Pardes Life, Feminism

In the second episode of this season’s This Pardes Life, Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash, an Orthodox Jewish feminist who has been studying and teaching Jewish rabbinic and halakhic texts for years, shares her fascinating struggle of holding both a deep love and reverence for Rabbinic texts and Halakha while simultaneously bringing to them a critique born out of a modern, feminist perspective. As she walks us through a text that appears to convey a harsh attitude towards women on the part of the Sages, she demonstrates how close reading and appreciation of irony can yield a reading of the source that makes it meaningful and insightful without apologetics.


This Pardes Life sees Pardes teacher Rabbi Zvi Hirshfield gets up close and personal with fellow teachers and alumni talking about life, texts and Pardes. See www.elmad.pardes.org/thispardeslife for other episodes in this series.

About Zvi Hirschfield

Zvi teaches Talmud, Halakha and Jewish Thought at Pardes. In addition Zvi is a faculty member of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators and has been training and mentoring Jewish Educators for over ten years in Tefilah in educational settings; critical issues in modern Jewish thought; and Israel education. Click here to read more.

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