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Hot Off the Shtender

Hot Off the Shtender is a weekly blog that explores texts and reflections from the bet midrash. Lovingly referred to as “HOTS,” this is a SVARA resource you won’t want to miss.

A close-up of two people seated in the bet midrash with their hands pointing at a Jastrow dictionary on top of a table filled with colorful learning materials.

Bless This Mess

I have been teaching in SVARA’s Mishnah Collective for the past few years. Every month, we inform our coordinator of…
Two SVARA-niks learning in the bet midrash. They are both seated at a table full of learning materials and they are looking toward eachother.

Joy on Purim

In her recent Rosh Chodesh piece for the month of Adar II, my friend and colleague Rav Avigayil Halpern beautifully…
Two SVARA-niks are studying Talmud in the bet midrash. They are seated next to one another wearing N-95 face masks, looking down toward the daf in front of them.

Purim Under Duress

With Purim coming in less than a month, I find myself returning to the idea that the whole world gets…
A screenshot of our final conversation during the Unrecognizable Future. A black slide can be seen on the left side of the screen which reads, "Seeding What's Next: Welcome, y'all! We'll be starting shortly." On the right side is a still image of our host Maggid Marques Hollie, smiling and looking off to the side of the camera.

Seeding What’s Next

For the last month, we’ve been captivated by the speakers who shared their time and their torah during The Unrecognizable…
A screenshot of the panelists who joined us on Sunday's installment of the Unrecognizable Jewish Future, including Rabbi Mónica Gomery, Rabbi Elliot Kukla, and Dr. Koach Baruch Frazier. Also on screen are the event host Marques Hollie as well as our ASL captioner Deborah Gorra Barash.

Creating New Precedents

This week brought another unforgettable installment of The Unrecognizable Jewish Future, a four-part conversation series designed to explore the evolving role…
A screenshot of the panelists who joined us for the first installment of the Conversation Series, including Rabbi Benay Lappe, Rabbi Jill Hammer, Joy Ladin, and Shahanna McKinney-Baldon. Also present are host Marques Hollie and ASL Interpreter Debra Gorra Barash. Everyone is smiling and there is a joyful energy present.

Reading Ourselves Into History

This week we welcomed the very first installment of The Unrecognizable Jewish Future, a four-part conversation series designed to explore…