NECHAMA GOLDMAN BARASH
Nechama Goldman Barash teaches contemporary Halacha at the Matan Advanced Talmud Institute. She also teaches Talmud at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, as well as courses on sexuality and sanctity in the Jewish tradition. She is the author of Uncovered: Women’s Roles, Mitzvot, and Sexuality in Jewish Law.
Parashat Shelach: Seeing giants, choosing hope
Remembrance Day, Independence Day: Memory of the past and building the dream of the future
Parashat Teruma: Make Me a sanctuary for Me to dwell in
Parashat Vayehi: The blessing of connection
The act of giving blessing creates connection. Hopefully, we do not wait until the end of our lives to create or facilitate this connection with our loved ones as Jacob did.
Parashat Toldot and the Akeidah: Finding faith amid suffering - opinion
The pure righteous do not complain of the dark, but increase the light; They do not complain of evil, but increase justice.
Yom Kippur: Finding hope in times of uncertainty
To embrace, simultaneously, the unknown alongside the knowable has indeed given us the strength and courage to find hope.
Ir Nidahat: When a city is disloyal to God and must be destroyed, its people killed
The ethical message emerging from many of these commentaries suggests that while there are times that it is necessary to shed blood, it is likely to leave a negative imprint on the soul.
The red heifer: A statute with a cause - opinion
As a people bound to our Jewish texts, we question and delve into the unknowable to understand our relationship to God and mitzvot more fundamentally.
Searching for truth: Rabbi Akiva and Turnus Rufus in dialogue
We are sent on our individual journeys from the moment we are born, seeking simultaneous distance and closeness with family, community, and God as we make the choices that shape who we are.
The duality of the Passover Seder
The final Haggadah was a masterpiece of experience that remains a touchstone of Jewish faith, identity, and practice across the world today.
Parashat Ki Tisa: In the aftermath of sin
The same object – gold donated by the nation – can bring the divine presence to rest among us, or it can lead us to the brink of religious annihilation.
Yearning for children lost before their time
All I hear is incredible yearning – for children who have died before their time to be united with their parents; to feel God’s presence; to sense salvation at times of unending darkness
Israel-Hamas War: Moments of darkness, despair give way to light, hope
May we end this week and begin the next with the strength to emit positive energy into the darkness through acts of kindness and love.
