Reyim Beit Midrash

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In the fall of 2015, we launched a new model in community learning: our community Beit Midrash.​

The Beit Midrash is an ancient house of study, and is marked by its unique learning style called hevruta, or learning partnership.

We are thrilled to bring many prominent scholars to Reyim throughout the year to teach, guide our hevruta text study, and lead us in a community conversation on dynamic questions of Jewish law, ethics, spirituality and history.​

The Beit Midrash meets Sunday mornings at 10:00 AM monthly.

Our 2022-2023 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Michael Satlow, PhD, Brown University: The Kingdom of Judah after the fall of Israel - October 30 & November 13
  • Rabbi Dan Judson, PhD, Hebrew College: A Genuinely Candid Conversation: A Brief History of The Jewish Community’s Approach to Race in the Early 20th Century - November 6
  • Carla Naumburg, PhD: You're Not a Terrible Parent: How to Practice Self-Compassion and Give Yourself a Break - November 20
  • Yuval Evri, PhD, Brandeis University: The Mizrahi return to Arabic Music - December 11
  • Brian Robinette, PhD, Boston College: Spiritual Exercises - January 22
  • Yael Schonbrun, PhD: A New Approach to being a Working Parent - February 5
  • Edith Pick, PhD, Queen Mary University of London: Diversity, Politics and the Jewish Space - March 12

Our 2020-2021 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Adele Reinhartz: Anonymity And Identity In Biblical Narrative - October 25
  • Adriane Leveen: Understanding The Biblical Prophets During Covid-19 - November 1

Our 2019-2020 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Eric Lichtblau: discussion of his book "Return to the Reich: A Holocaust Refugee's Secret Mission to Defeat the Nazis" - October 17
  • Saul Zaritt: Yiddish Afterlives - November 3
  • Shai Asfai: Benjamin Franklin's Influence on Jewish Thought and Practice - November 24
  • Sarah Wolf: What if God Was One of Us? Envisioning God in Rabbinic Literature - December 8
  • Ed Rabin: The Hebrew Bible as a Source of American Political Values - January 12
  • Jacob Meskin: Religious and Mystical Beliefs in Two Contemporary American Jewish “Revival” Movements - January 26
  • Peter Machinist: Understanding the Book of Job - February 2
  • Jon Levenson: Did the Israelites Deserve to Be Taken out of Egypt? An Ancient Theological Debate in Midrashic Form. - March 22
  • Micha’el Rosenberg: Sacred Envy? The Virgin Mary in Rabbinic Literature. - May 3

Our 2018-2019 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Judith Kates: The Magic of Midrash: How the Ancient Rabbinic Playful, Creative Imagination Came to Define Jewish Theology and Thought - October 14
  • Alan Verskin: Grappling with Expressions of Anger in Jewish Liturgy - December 16
  • David Jaffe: A Jewish Approach to Personal and Social Change - January 6
  • Eugene Sheppard: Why the State of Israel Has No Written Constitution - January 20
  • Lori Hope Lefkovitz: The Biblical Story of Joseph in Judaism and Islam - February 3
  • Simon Rabinovitch: The Russian Revolution and the Jews: Moscow or Jerusalem? - March 3
  • Rabbi Daniel Berman: A Comparative Study of Jewish and American Law - March 24

Our 2017-2018 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Rabbi Art Green: Neo-Hasidism – Judaism’s Path to Living Spiritually and Meaningfully in the Contemporary World - November 12
  • Professor Peter Machinist: The Hebrew Bible and Myth - December 10
  • Professor Jeff Shoulson: Not Your Hebrew School Bible – Sex, Lies, and Love in the Torah - January 21
  • Professor Rachel Adelman: Redeeming the King? The Role of David’s Wives in the Making of the Messianic Dynasty - February 04
  • Professor ChaeRan Freeze: Everyday Jewish Life in the Pale of Settlement - April 15

Our 2016-2017 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Rabbi Daniel Berman: Folklore in the Talmud - November 13
  • Professor Yehudah Mirsky: Israel's Religious Politics - January 22
  • Professor Jackie Vayntrub: The Beauty and Wisdom in Proverbs - February 05
  • Professor Peter Machinist: The Bible and Monotheism - March 05
  • Tamar Biala: Dirshuni - Israeli Women Writing Midrash - April 30
  • Professor Eugene Sheppard: Radical Critiques of Judaism - May 21

Our 2015-2016 Beit Midrash Scholars and Topics

  • Celene Ibrahim Lizzio: Moses and his mother: A Quranic View
  • Rabbi Micha’el Rosenberg: Ancient Texts, Contemporary Issues
  • Professor Susannah Heschel: the Life and Legacy of Abraham Joshua Heshel
  • Rabbi Jonah Steinberg: Menschlikeit is Next to Godliness
  • Tamar Biala: Jewish Sacred Texts by Israeli Women
  • Rabbi Daniel Berman: The History and Meaning of Zachor; and Trends in Jewish Mysticism