SVARA Fellow-Led Batei Midrash

Tuesdays, August 23rd, 30th, September 6th, 13th, and 20th
6:30 PM – 9:00 PM PT

What is teshuvah (relationship repair)? What is atonement? What is Yom Kippur? In this 5-week bet midrash, you’ll learn ancient Jewish texts (Mishnah and Talmud) in their original language, explore Talmud study as a spiritual practice, and co-create a supportive, queer-normative community of study. All you need to begin is your alef-bet (Hebrew alphabet)!

This course is co-sponsored by Base Bay Area & Kehilla Community Synagogue. There is a Bet Midrash Orientation on Tuesday August 23rd from 5:30 – 6:30 PM PT. This is required for people who haven’t yet learned with 700 Benches, SVARA, or another SVARA-style Bet Midrash. Returning students are welcome to join but are not required to attend.

This course is offered in-person at Kehilla (1300 Grand Avenue, Piedmont, CA) and is available at the payment scale below.
Kehilla Members and Basers: $175 for series
Non-members: $200 for series
**The cost reflects the cost for operating the class including all materials, paying teachers and fairies, and snack. No one will be turned away for lack of ability to pay; please pay what you can at registration or $0.

Access needs will be requested from participants during registration.

Sundays, September 4th, 11th, and 18th, 2022
6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET / 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM CT / 3:30 PM – 12:00 PM PT)

Xevruta = Chevruta, which is the practice of studying Torah and Talmud in pairs.

Love, growth, power, nurturance, care, passion, fire. These are elements present and alive in any relationship – whether romantic, platonic, or in a Xevruta – the pair-based partnership at the core of Jewish text study. Xevruta study is a central component of learning Torah and Talmud in the Rabbinic tradition. Our sages teach us that the a pair joined in study for the sake of heaven brings down the presence of the Divine to the Earth. Xevrutas are also a countercultural relationship when contrasted to the stilted concept of “academic study” in the West. They are profoundly intimate partnerships, and being a good one requires many of the same skills as being a good romantic partner – how do you show up for your Xevruta; how do you grow with them; how do you bring your full self; how do you handle conflict; how do you repair when things have been broken? Through the lens of an ancient Xevruta partnership, that doubles as a queer Rabbi-on-Rabbi romance, we’ll answer all of these questions and more, and soak ourselves in study around the relationship at the core of Talmud learning!

How to Be A Xevruta is a 3 session class with no prior Talmud experience required. All you need to know is your alef bet! We will pair you with a xevruta (or you can bring your own!) for the duration of the class. Classes are an hour and a half, with an optional guided hour of xevruta time before the second and third sessions.

This course is online and available at a sliding scale cost of $126 (the true cost), $99, or $72.

Access needs will be requested from participants during registration.

Wednesdays, September 7, 14, 21, 28
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM ET / 5:00 – 6:30 PM CT / 3:00 – 4:30 PM PT

This course is offered online and is available at a sliding scale of $125 – $650. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Location: On Zoom

Welcome to the Elul zman/semester of Contemplative Talmud, facilitated by Rabbi Lauren Tuchman. I believe that learning Talmud is a deeply mindful practice and one of the oldest spiritual technologies the Jewish tradition bequeathed to us as an inheritance. This bet midrash—Jewish learning space—will include mindfulness practice as well as the study of Mishnah. Inspired by my friends at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva, we will be learning the Mishnah in the SVARA method, unpacking each word to reveal its deeper meaning. Not only does this slow, intentional form of learning allow us to go deeper with our sacred texts, it is also a profound example of a concentration practice, which is central to mindfulness practice. Here is a bit about the text we will learn together.

Teshuva Mekhaperet, is drawn from the very last Mishnah in Masechet Yoma. We’ll witness the Rabbis’ invention of teshuva (relational repair) out of a sacrificial system. As we track this journey, we’ll explore their understanding of what kind of person the Jewish tradition wants us to be and what kind of people we want to be.

I can think of no better way to spiritually prepare ourselves for the holiday season.

No prior experience learning Mishnah is assumed, though you must be able to read the alef-bet.
Each session will begin with a short contemplative sit. No experience with mindfulness or meditation is required.
Access needs will be requested from participants during registration.

Wednesdays, September 7th, 14th, and 21st
8:00 PM – 9:30 PM ET / 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM CT / 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM PT

Do you aspire to be a better ally to disabled/chronically ill people? Has the pandemic made you realize that you need to learn more about disability justice? Maybe you’ve been hearing about DJTC’s ongoing “Disability Justice as Spiritual Text” workshop — which is aimed at disabled people — but you identify as an ally, and you were sad to miss the fun?

Now DJTC has something for you. And it’s coming at just the right time, as we move through Elul, a period of individual and communal accountability, in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic that has dramatically underscored our society’s ableism. In this three-session series, we will deepen our understanding of disability justice, and also expand our understanding of “spiritual text,” by seeking the Torah — animating teachings — inherent in the work of a selection of disability justice leaders. Texts will be in English and from a variety of disabled writers and activists.

This gathering is offered on zoom and is available at no cost.

Access needs will be requested from participants during registration.

Sundays 9/11 and 9/18
2:30 PM – 5:00PM ET

In the month of Elul, the last month in the Jewish calendar, we prepare to go into the new year by doing teshuvah: reflecting on areas where we need to do repair and return in our selves and in our relationships with others. The Talmud in Masechet Yoma asks the question: What makes teshuva so great? Learn how our ancestors dealt with the slippery and messy reality of human relationships, and how the complexity of their world invites us to consider the complexity of our own world.

Join us for two afternoons of hardcore, joyful, queer Talmud learning. This is a mixed-level learning space where we will be learning Talmud in the SVARA method, in the original Hebrew and Aramaic. All you need to know is your alef-bet (and if you don’t know it yet or want a refresher, come to our alef-bet class on 9/4).

Where: An outdoor, wheelchair-accessible shelter at Eno River State Park (details will be shared with registrants)

Childcare is available – please register by 9/2 if you would like childcare.

Participants should commit to attending both sessions. The registration fee is $36-$104. We don’t want money to be a barrier to learning; there is a place on this form where you can request a no-questions-asked scholarship to cover the cost of the beit midrash.

Accessibility Notes: We will be outdoors in a large, wheelchair accessible, covered shelter with picnic tables and a fireplace. The shelter is 50 feet down a paved path from parking, and accessible bathrooms are 200 feet away. We will provide a few camp chairs for those who need a chair rather than a picnic bench; you are also welcome to bring your own chair.

This offering is in-person and offered at a sliding scale registration fee of $36-104. No-questions-asked scholarships are also available.