The following article is from the 5783/2022 Edition of Havruta Magazine.
By Manya Ronay
Rachel Goldberg (Year ’20–’21, Fellows ’21–’23) and Chana Borow (PEP ’20–’22) might not seem like the typical havruta (learning pair). Rachel is a Reiki Master and rabbinical student at Aleph: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. Chana started rabbinical school at Yeshivat Maharat to become her family’s 12th generation Orthodox rabbi—and the first woman.
Still, Rachel and Chana have much in common. From their love of learning to their nuanced perspectives on halakha (Jewish law), they prove that commonalities do exist across denominations.
“I didn’t expect us to see Torah in a similar way,” Chana said. “We both play the peace-maker role in our communities, but from different sides of the spectrum.”
Chana tries to help Modern Orthodox Jews understand that less-observant Jews are still valid members of the community. “They deserve an equal amount of space in the Jewish community and in the Beit Midrash,” she said.
Meanwhile, Rachel encourages people in her community to enter the Beit Midrash. She thinks learning is essential to develop a solid foundation of Jewish knowledge and make educated halakhic decisions. “I want to make sure my practice is informed,” Rachel said. “I don’t want to just make things up—I want to have deep roots to pull from.”
Through their exploration of rabbinic texts, they both realized that Jewish law is more flexible than many people think. “All you have to do to understand this flexibility is open up any daf of gemara (page of Talmud) ever written,” Chana said. “We’re the only tradition I know of that preserves minority opinions. I realized very quickly that halakha was never meant to be black and white.”
Rachel and Chana believe that halakha became rigid after centuries of persecution and wandering. Strict rules kept the community intact and provided distraction from external turmoil, they explain. “Rabbinic Judaism was established as a survival tool,” Rachel said. “The mind is a place to retreat when it’s very painful in the heart and the body.” In fact, Rachel is developing a new body of work called Trauma Informed Torah to help people live holistic Jewish lives by reconnecting to their bodies, hearts and souls.
“I don’t want to dishonor the generations that came before me, but I want to acknowledge that they came from a wounded place,” Rachel said. “Can I compassionately bring healing and redemption in my own Torah?”
A PARDES PARADISE
This past year, at least 14 women attending or soon entering rabbinical school studied at Pardes. Their schools spanned denominations and regions, yet each found a home at Pardes. “Pardes is like Gan Eden—it’s really paradise,” said Sarah Klein (PEEP ’20–’22), a student at the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in Los Angeles. “All the educators are incredible. The community is so open and warm.”
Others echoed the sentiment, including Phoebe Ana Rabinowitsch (Year ’16, Part Time ’21–’22), a recent Yeshivat Maharat graduate. “I experienced the Pardes Beit Midrash as the most encouraging, supportive and non-judgemental learning environment,” Phoebe said. “The student population represents all different expressions of Judaism and shows there is not one correct way to be a part of Am Yisrael.”
Audrey Honig (Summer ’20, Year ’21–’22), a rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College, also loved the diversity that has long been a hallmark of Pardes. “I got to spend all day improving my text skills and building friendships with people who grew up quite differently than I did,” she said.
THE RIGHT TO BE A RABBI
Some of these students grew up with no female role models in their synagogues, whereas others eren’t aware communities existed without female rabbis. All acknowledge the importance of gender diversity in the rabbinate.
“Women’s voices have been left out of Torah scholarship for the vast majority of Judaism,” Chana said. “The more voices we bring into the Beit Midrash, the more inclusive, understanding, and relevant Torah can become.”
Sarah has wanted to be a rabbi since her Bat Mitzvah when a rabbi helped her navigate a complex family situation. She plans to bring her unique liveliness and spirit to the pulpit, noting that these qualities are often missing in synagogues. “I think the rabbinate really needs more love, warmth and welcoming,” Sarah said.
To Audrey, it feels obvious that women should be rabbis because we’d miss important insights learning Torah just from men. “My Jewish and feminist identities feel so tied up with each other. I couldn’t imagine being a rabbi without being a feminist,” she said.
Sarah, Audrey, and Chana each won a prestigious fellowship from the Nachshon Project, which provides $30,000 a year during their rabbinic training. Notably, each of the three represent a different denomination: Chana is Orthodox, Sarah is Conservative, and Audrey is Reform.
Fifty years ago, the first American female rabbi, Sally Preisand, was ordained. Chana’s maternal grandfather was on the board of Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati whenthey admitted her.
Nearly forty years later, one of the first Orthodox female rabbis, Sara Hurwitz, was ordained. Rabba Hurwitz went on to found Yeshivat Maharat, where Chana is now training.
“I feel very lucky to have been born during this time,” Chana said. “I never had a female role model like me growing up. Now, I get to be one of them.” 
Manya Ronay is a freelance writer in Jerusalem and an alum of part-time learning opportunities at Pardes.
Read more articles from the 5783/2022 Edition of Havruta Magazine here.
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