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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.

Three people stand in a circle to welcome in havdalah. They are smiling and singing together, and a havdalah candle burns towards the center of the image.

Blessed Motion

A few weeks ago, as the sun set and the stars appeared in the darkening sky, I headed out to…
Learners at Queer Talmud Camp can be seen in the distance walking across a large open meadow. The grass is a deep yellow and small hills rise out of a stand of trees in the background.

Svara in Spades

This is quite a moment in time. As we find ourselves living with a judicial system that is reversing, contesting,…
Jhos Singer sits in the bet midrash. There is a volume of Talmud in front of him and he glances towards someone standing outside of the frame. Jhos is wearing a checkered button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows.

The Power of Our Minhag

Last week, the Conservative movement’s halakhic decision-making team, the Committee on Jewish Laws and Standards (CJLS), approved a teshuva, a…