Whether you’ve heard of Mishnah or are curious about what it is, anyone who knows their alef bet and can sound-out Hebrew words (no need to know the meaning of these words!) is welcome to join rabbinical student and CDT Religious School teacher Rivka Nechemya Thrope for an introduction to Mishnah, the earliest of rabbinic texts! In this class, we will briefly summarize what Mishnah is and how it fits into the landscape of Jewish thought, and then we will spend most of our time learning selections from the Mishnah in its original Hebrew. To do this, we will spend about a third of our time together in well-scaffolded one-on-one (chevruta) learning pairs, and the remainder of our time in group learning (shiur) altogether. With an eye towards empowerment within and ownership of tradition, we will decode Mishnaic text and begin to weave its meaning with our own lives and experiences. Questions? Contact Rivka Nechemya at rivchemya@gmail.com.

Rivka Nechemya (he/him and ze/hir) is a third-year rabbinical student at Hebrew College, and entering his third year as a Dorshei Tzedek Religious School educator! Prior to attending rabbinical school, he taught in outdoor and day school environments, and currently teaches adult education at Lehrhaus in Somerville, MA. Rivka Nechemya enjoys writing poetry, sharing photos of his calico cat, Chickpea, and dancing whenever the opportunity presents itself.