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.
This week: Conditional Marriage and Divorce – Solutions for Agunot. Well before the Orthodox world was ready to think about the plight of the Agunah Berkovits proposed suggestions for dealing with a woman who cannot get a divorce. In this session we will examine what motivated him to address this important issue and some of the ideas he presented.
“The practice of our time in the application of the marriage and divorce laws of the Torah often leads to grievous human suffering and causes a great deal of Hillul Hashem. It is ethically indefensible; but Halakha is not responsible for it.” (Not in Heaven: The Nature and Function of Halakha p.106)
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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
