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 large group of SVARA-niks are standing in a wood-paneled bet midrash. Many of them have their hands up.

Toward a Co-Created Liberatory Jewish Future

June 18, 2021

by Ayana Morse

“When we honor our commitment to each other then our communities will flourish with rain at its proper time, grain,…

Someone holds a metal paperweight in their left hand. Text on the paperweight reads, "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

CRASH HOTS

And Then They’ll Just Call It Judaism

June 11, 2021

by Benay Lappe

Many years ago, my brother Murray gave me a beautiful pewter paperweight with the words “What would you attempt to…

On the left, there are two standing SVARA-niks, and on the right, two seated. Rabbi Monica, standing center, is handing a Talmud to one of the seated learners.

Blessing This Moment

June 4, 2021

by Julie Batz

One of the most powerful moments in a SVARA Bet Midrash happens at the first session of class, just as…

The bet midrash is full of SVARA learners sitting at tables indoors.

A Letter to Our Students

May 28, 2021

by Benay Lappe

A Note from Team SVARA: The past few weeks have been fraught and tumultuous–in the world, and in the Jewish…

A large group of SVARA-niks are sitting at tables in the bet midrash. They are all facing away from the camera, in the direction of their teacher, who stands at a lectern in the background. In the foreground, two SVARA-niks at the end of the table hold hands over the table.

The Rest of the Blessing

May 21, 2021

by Mónica Gomery

Last week, Elaina bookended her Hot Off the Shtender with the blessing for the study of Torah, la’asok b’divrei Torah,…

A group of SVARA-niks sit at a table in the bet midrash. In the center, two of them are holding hands across the table, looking at one another and smiling.

Nurturing Our Dedications Into Being

May 14, 2021

by Elaina Marshalek

בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלהֵינוּ מֶלֶך הָעולָם אֲשֶׁר קִדְּשָנוּ בְּמִצְותָיו וְצִוָּנוּ לַעֲסוק בְּדִבְרֵי תורָה Blessed are you G!d, our G!d, Melekh…

Jhos stands between two seated learners. Jhos is pointing at something in the learner's texts.

Finding Our Truths

May 7, 2021

by Jhos Singer

(I am dedicating this learning to my teachers, friends, and supporters: Rabbi Benay Lappe, and Bonnie Kahn Martin—may their legacies…

A large gathering of SVARA-niks at Queer Talmud Camp. Folks are sitting and standing for a group photo. They have their arms raised over their hands in celebration.

CRASH HOTS

A Third Torah from Sinai: Revising Our Myth for a New Jewish Era

April 30, 2021

by Benay Lappe

At the beginning of his book A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking shares the well-known story of the old…

A large group of SVARA-niks are sitting at tables in a bet midrash. In the center, one SVARA-nik, wearing a grey shirt, has their hands on their head and a smile on their face.

Making Sh*t Up: On Learning as a Radical Act

April 23, 2021

by Bronwen Mullin

If you had told me growing up that to study Talmud was a radical act, I would have told you,…

Four SVARA-niks sit at a table, in front of a large group of windows. They are all engrossed in their Talmuds.

Dedicating Our Learning to a New Malkhut

April 16, 2021

by Laynie Soloman

Our sages teach us that we should say 100 different blessings each day (1). This invitation reminds us to drop…

Two SVARA-niks are sitting on chairs outside, on a lawn, in front of a building. They are leaning over their Talmuds and learning together.

Our Learning Lives Inside Us

April 9, 2021

by Ayana Morse

A few months ago, I woke myself up from a nap sobbing. I don’t recall whether I was dreaming, or…

A group of SVARA-niks are standing in a room. In the foreground, Binya is holding a silver cup. Their face is turned towards the cup, though their eyes are closed. They are wearing a floral tank top and a white-and-purple shawl.

The Trans Halakha Project: Moving Us Toward the Next Unrecognizable Future

April 2, 2021

by Becky Silverstein

In 2014, a few weeks before I was ordained a rabbi, SVARA’s President & Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Benay Lappe, gave…