Kiddushin meets 21st-century Egalitarianism
Talya Weisbard Shalem
In recent years, there has been an explosion of creativity amongst contemporary Jewish couples seeking to contract marriages based on principles of equality, mutual commitment, and deep connection to Jewish ritual. This class will look closely at texts from the Talmudic tractate Kiddushin and the Torah, to learn more about the origins of Jewish marriage, and the range of ways women were seen during the biblical and rabbinic time periods. After wrestling with these classic texts, we will look at several Havurah couples’ specific ceremonial choices, to deepen our understanding of how to create new rituals (including queer ceremonies) while maintaining a solid grounding in tradition.
Notes
Prerequisites: N/A Translation provided? Yes
Categories
- Contemporary Issues
- Intermediate Text
- Spiritual and Religious Life
- Morning Course
Talya grew up attending the NHC with the rest of the Weisbard family, and it is where she decided to become a rabbi based on enjoying spending time with rabbis-on-vacation. She last taught a class on “The Dark Side of Jewish Holidays” at NHC in 2003. For years before that, she served as the sole teen/young adult rep on the NHC board, and taught in kids’ camp. Since then, she has served on the Everett and Hollander committees. She lives in the Boston area with her partner Josh (with whom she created one of the ceremonies which will be explored in class) and their son Noam Yaron, and davens at Havurat Shalom. One of her favorite things to do is to work with couples to fashion their own unique marriage ceremonies.
