Blog | Yeshivat Maharat

Comfort, Discomfort, and Distress: A Neurodivergent View of the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av

Rabbanit Dr. Liz Shayne

Aug 12

Comfort, Discomfort, and Distress: A Neurodivergent View of the Nine Days and Tisha B’Av

Were I so inclined, I could make the argument that this time of year—the nine days from the beginning of Av and specifically the fast of...

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Apr 18

Perspective

Rabba Sara's perspective on Passover this year.

And You Shall Tell Your Self: Narratives, Neurodivergence, and Passover Neurodivergent Torah for Passover

Rabbanit Dr. Liz Shayne

Apr 18

And You Shall Tell Your Self: Narratives, Neurodivergence, and Passover Neurodivergent Torah for Passover

The Haggadah is the social story of the Jewish people. The Haggadah takes the disparate and often overwhelming experiences of our nation...

אסתר פנים: Seeing Esther's Face Neurodivergent Torah for Purim

Rabbanit Dr. Liz Shayne

Mar 20

אסתר פנים: Seeing Esther's Face Neurodivergent Torah for Purim

The custom of dressing up on Purim is an interesting one. Dressing up as someone else is not a formal minhag in the sense that it is a...

Reflections on the Maharat and Jofa Mission to Israel

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Jan 11

Reflections on the Maharat and Jofa Mission to Israel

I am one of many people who have come to Israel on a Mission. Jofa and Maharat brought over 30 people to give chizuk and support. In...

Reflections from Israel: Despair and Resilience

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Oct 27, 2023

Reflections from Israel: Despair and Resilience

When I woke up on Monday morning, I realized that it was time to do something. For two weeks, like many of us, I walked around in a state...

Rabbanit Dr. Liz Shayne

Sep 18, 2023

Finding Justice in Jonah

Jonah, the prophet whose story we read on Yom Kippur, is a troubling figure for the rabbis. What does one do with a prophet who...

Golden Age of Women’s Gemara Learning or the End of an Era?

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

May 23, 2023

Golden Age of Women’s Gemara Learning or the End of an Era?

On April 5, 2023, Stern College announced they would be shutting down their beginner and intermediate Talmud classes, citing “lack of...

Rabbanit Dr. Liz Shayne

Apr 26, 2023

What is Neurodivergent Torah?

This essay is dedicated to the students of Maharat and YCT. Thank you for asking me what neurodivergent Torah is and accepting that it...

jephson4

Apr 4, 2023

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Vashti and the Systematic Abuse of Power

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Mar 1, 2023

Vashti and the Systematic Abuse of Power

“We shall stand amazed that there was a woman found at the head of the Persian empire that dared to disobey the command even of a drunken...

The Changing Face of the Orthodox Rabbinate

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Jan 31, 2023

The Changing Face of the Orthodox Rabbinate

The American Orthodox Rabbinate is changing.1 I have been part of the rabbinic clergy team at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale–The...

Britney Griner and Yosef: From the Pit, They Shall Emerge

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Jan 31, 2023

Britney Griner and Yosef: From the Pit, They Shall Emerge

In last week's parsha, Yosef’s brothers threw him into a pit. As far as I could see, no Mefarshim comment on how long he was in the pit...

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Jan 31, 2023

Defending Dina

Last year, a woman from the Modern Orthodox community reached out under the pseudonym “Tali,” expressing disappointment that leaders from...

Halakhic Questions from the LGBTQ+ Community

Rabbi Jeff Fox

Jan 24, 2023

Halakhic Questions from the LGBTQ+ Community

"Dear Rabbi, I am finally able to leave my parents’ house, and I am moving in with the woman I have loved for two years. We are both...

Of Angels & Death: Women Wearing Kittels

Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Jan 23, 2023

Of Angels & Death: Women Wearing Kittels

I don’t like to stick out. I don’t enjoy a lot of eyes on me. After I step down from giving a sermon, I want to retreat. I certainly...

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