About the Class
How do we interpret and draw meaning from a divinely intentional text? This class in Parshanut will explore the approaches of medieval and early modern rabbinic commentators to interpreting Tanakh, asking questions such as: What do we mean when we say “pshat?” Do we assume omnisignificance—total intentionality—in the Torah text? What are our goals when elucidating Torah? And, of course: what’s bothering Rashi? All texts will be provided with translation, but this class is designed for those with some previous experience of Tanakh study. For those who’ve worked on honing their own interpretive skills, this class is an opportunity to see how our own intuitive relationship to meaning-making compares with different genres of “traditional” Jewish exegesis.
Your Teacher
Rabbi Lexie Botzum
Rabbi Lexie Botzum is a teacher, writer, and organizer based in Washington Heights. She has studied with the Yashrut halakha shiur, the Conservative Yeshiva, Yeshivat Hadar, and the Pardes kollel; she received semikha from Rabbi Daniel Landes at Yashrut, where she now teaches Gemara and halakha. She's also taught classes at the Conservative Yeshiva and the Academy for Jewish Religion. Her work has been published in Jewish Currents, +972 Magazine, Vashti Magazine, and My Jewish Learning. Lexie enjoys helping people develop the tools to engage Torah on their own terms, and exploring halakha as an intricate project of world-building.
