SVARA-niks on SVARA
“I’ve been shamed into learning,
Dark and light, tender and campy, wrestling and revealing, there is no Jewish space that moves in all the ways for me like SVARA.
The accessibility and inclusion of the SVARA learning space was a highlight for me. Heading into the class, I had doubts and anxieties about Zoom learning. Would I feel like I was truly engaging with the text, my chevruta, and the class? The accessibility of the class truly blew me away.
It’s hard to choose my favorite part of learning with SVARA! To learn as a spiritual experience was deeply healing for me.
It’s hard to describe how empowering it feels when you’re in the middle of a SVARA session, wrestling over a line of Talmud with your (chevruta) study partner, time fades away, you merge with the text, and suddenly you’ve got it!
At SVARA you understand what the rabbis are saying! Jewish tradition is not some distant, inaccessible secret anymore- it’s in your hands, you’re in the driver’s seat, you get to build it!
I have delighted in being a part of a community that prioritizes a beginner’s mind.
I was almost brought to tears when the package of materials arrived at my doorstep; the pace of shiur and having time in chevruta were truly all highlights of my experience.
Mishnah Collective helped me sustain an ongoing (almost) daily Jewish practice! SVARA, in a bigger picture, helped connect me to two chevrutot (Jewish learning partners) who ground me in so many ways. There is magic in SVARA (yes even online).
Having the materials, including the text from the Talmud, in my hands during the class ultimately resulted in focus, engagement, and presence in ways I have never before experienced in a Zoom space.
