Comparing her own semikha and its backlash with Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz’s similar position, Rabba Sara Hurwitz speaks about the leaps and bounds of progress made by society in the past decade and the compassion yet to come.

The end of Bamidbar drops the Jews on the brink of entering Israel, placing them in the same situation which had last been laid out forty years prior. Rabba Claudia Marbach analyzes the nature of teshuvah process and the call to listen to others as seen through the Jews entering Israel, just as other paths have led to questioning past decisions and working towards a more forgiving future.

Following international backlash and debate, Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz has been given back her research fellowship at London School of Jewish Studies “on the basis of academic merit” which respects the decision mandated by the Chief Rabbi but welcomes her back to the faculty.

A seat at the table is not always a given. Rabbi Phoebe Ana Rabinowitsch addresses the power of Bnot Tzlofchad in pushing for an inheritance, and explains a seemingly bulleted midrash as one with an argumentative rhythm.

In a sharp essay, Rabbi Herzl Hefter dissects the decision of the Chief Rabbi on behalf of the London School of Jewish Studies to remove Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz from her position. Through an evaluation of modernity and conservatism, the decision is broken down and rejected as it is supported in our current world.

As the community begins to come back in larger numbers and to show compassion to one another, Rabbanit Goldie Guy and Rabbi David Wolkenfeld talk about the Three Weeks and the compassion lost in that time period, as well as the importance of being sensitive to COVID-19 baggage. With this compassion in mind, the conversation moves to recent work Rabbanit Goldie has done for the Jewish Women Scholars’ Writing Fellowship with regards to striking the balance in kashrut with family and friends of different levels of halakhic observance.

The new fellowship to explore Jewish women’s writing as part of the beit midrash offers insight into who has a voice in the mesorah.

Rabba Sara Hurwitz sits to speak with the Jim Joseph Foundation about the history of Maharat’s foundation and the future she sees for the yeshiva in the modern Orthodox world, across sects of Judaism and the genders of its members.

The famous story of the donkey’s speech is not the only such narrative; as Talia Weisberg points out, this parallels the story of the snake in the Garden of Eden. However, as she discusses, the stories serve more to foil one another than to play out the same idea, and to remedy one another rather than repeat an old mistake, an idea developed through a collection of commentators and textual allusions.

Following Rabba Dr. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz’s dismissal from London School of Jewish Studies, many have spoken out about the changing reality of the times and the need to welcome women Rabbis with open arms. Miriam Shaviv speaks of the worldwide ordination efforts and the massive loss suffered by those who reject highly educated women Rabbis.