Judaism has always had a more expansive sense of gender than the purely binary. What do traditional Jewish texts have to say about transgender and gender non-conforming individuals? This session is a serious text study of sources from the Talmud to modern legal rabbinic literature examining ancient models of gender which are still relevant for today. The classroom will be a safe space for students of diverse backgrounds, orientations, and practices.

R. 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. Read more