Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg

Dvora Weisberg is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Rabbinics at the Los Angeles campus of Hebrew Union College. She received her B.A. from Brandeis University and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Talmud and Rabbinic Literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Before coming to HUC-JIR, Dr. Weisberg taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, the College of William and Mary, and the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Weisberg is the author of "Levirate Marriage and the Family in Ancient Judaism," which explores the ancient rabbis’ understanding of family and familial relationships, and "Tractate Menahot: A Feminist Commentary." Dr. Weisberg is also the chair of the CCAR Responsa Committee.

phone lines connecting people of various distances

What Political System Does the Torah Favor?

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg
I have never thought of the Torah as a political manifesto. That is, I do not see the Torah as advancing a political system comparable to the type of systems that we see in contemporary society. Nor do I think of Judaism as a religious system that mandates a particular
yom kippor on a calendar

Jewish Ways of Marking Time

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg
This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Emor, contains a section that is read in the synagogue not only as we make our way through Leviticus, but on each of the three pilgrimage festivals: Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot. This section offers details of the observance of Shabbat, the three festivals mentioned above
Shavuot

Liberation Is a Journey

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg
Imagine that you have just been liberated from slavery. After centuries of oppression, you and your people escape, fleeing into the unknown in hopes of a better life. Your oppressors follow you, hoping to return you to slavery, or perhaps even kill you. At the moment when you lose all
Shavuot

Explaining the Inexplicable with Silence

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg
On the eighth day after the commencement of the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, Moses summons his brother and nephews to complete the ritual. Aaron is to present various offerings, after which Moses tells him, “Adonai will appear to you” (Lev. 9:4). At the end of the
Shavuot

The Curative Power of Ritual

Rabbi Dvora E. Weisberg
A journey through Tazria-M’tzora in a time of COVID-19 is revelatory. Things that never resonated before, things that seemed incomprehensible – perhaps even reprehensible – suddenly make sense. Leviticus 13 goes into excruciating detail about the diagnosis of and response to various afflictions of the skin. These infestations, whose cause

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