Episode 20
Sources: Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 4
Course Description: Over the course of these 20 sessions we will learn the entire 4 chapters of Mishnah Rosh Hashanah. The two major topics the tractate deals with are sanctifying the new moon (based on human sight) and the rituals of Shofar and prayer on Rosh Hashanah (linked to human hearing and voice). The Mishnah was created and edited as one coherent work that not only presents a law system but also reveals the theology and philosophy of the early Rabbis. By taking the time to learn one tractate in its entirety Mishnah after Mishnah (without the voices of the Gemara breaking up the flow) one can uncover beautiful literary structures and meta themes that run through the text. We will see that the tractate also discusses important topics which still speak to us today such as the relationship of the individual to the nation as a whole, the limits and scope of Rabbinic authority, and the role of human beings to be partners with God and each other in creating holiness in this world. These sessions are geared for both the beginning and advanced learners with many different layers of the Mishnah being uncovered.
Credits
Host: Rav Rahel Berkovits
Producer: Rabba Shani Gross
Podcast Editor: Evan Feist
Podcast: Download
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
