Our ancestors knew what they were doing. When the Rabbis compiled the Mishna, they weren’t just writing a book - they were creating a vehicle for diasporic survival and cultural transmission across all space and time. They were honing Judaism down to its DNA, putting it in a seed, and letting it loose in the wind. The teaching they chose to start this compendium, the first Mishna of Brachot (“blessings”) is an archetype of the work as a whole, and contains the radical drops that presage the revolutionary ocean to come.

Shel Maala’s Co-Rosh Yeshiva Binya Kóatz, in her first Talmud class in over a year, will be guiding us through the original text, rabbinic commentary and historical context to uncover the deeper meaning(s) of the first mishna, and the possibilities it contains. Five weeks, SVARA style, slow, deep, raunchy, gay and fun. If you like to study Talmud, this is it. If you haven’t studied with us before, this is a great opportunity to try us out. All the Shel Maala goodness you can expect, over a few lines of well-combed text.

Open to learners of all levels, all you need to know is your alef bet. If you want help learning that or the Svara-style method of learning we’ll be using, we’ve got resources for you! This class will be live captioned and fairied by Rosh Yeshiva Xava de Cordova.

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Five Sundays

January 21 -> February 18

2-4pm ET/11am-1pm PT

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Accessibility notes:

- Live captioning

- 10 minute break

- Recordings available

- Slides & materials sent out before class

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This is a text study class, where most text will be learned in the SVARA method of Talmud. Previous knowledge of this method is not necessary, as we will provide pre-class introductory materials for this method for those who need it.

Knowing your alef-bet (Hebrew alphabet) is a prerequisite. If you would like to learn your alef-bet for this class, we can help you do so.

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Learning will be a mix of full group and xevruta/pair study. You will be matched with a xevruta after registration.

Three of our classes will require an hour of xevruta prep beforehand. These classes are: 1/28, 2/4, and 2/11.

This hour of prep can happen during the week between classes, or during a guided hour right before class. The guided hour will be held the hour immediately before class, from 1-2pm ET/10-11am PT. It will include a 10 minute break before class starts. You and your xevruta will decide which option works best for y'all.

More info and instruction will be sent after registration.

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T his class is $36/class ($180 total), NOTAFLOF. Full sliding scale will be shown at checkout.

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I f you have any questions please email: shelmaalayeshiva@gmail.com

NOTE: For this class, there is an option to audit. This would mean that you would not get paired with a xevruta, but could come to classes/watch recordings. This is optimal for people who cannot make several of the class times, but still want access to the learning/materials. You will see the option as a separate “audit” ticket at check out.

Reach out to us at the email above, if you have any further questions