Walking Humbly with God: Towards a Progressive Definition of Tzniut (Modesty)
Marisa Harford
Description
The Jewish concept of tzniut (modesty or humility) is most familiar to us as the basis for guidelines for modest dress, but it also concerns norms about appropriate behavior and boundaries. Tzniut is highly relevant to contemporary society—especially in an age when our culture increasingly represents both women and men in a highly sexualized manner and constantly blurs the boundaries between the public and the private. Are the laws of tzniut inherently oppressive? Is there room to engage authentically with the concept of modesty in a liberal context? We will study traditional and non-traditional texts and work together through them to create our own communal definitions of modesty.
When she is not soaking up the learning at Institute, Marisa Harford is the director of the New Visions - Hunter College Urban Teacher Residency, an alternative certification program for teachers in New York City. She loves grappling with Jewish texts in chevruta, singing, cooking, and writing.
Notes
Prerequisites: No prerequisites; texts will be provided in both Hebrew or Aramaic and English translation.
Categories
- Contemporary Issues
- Text for Everyone
- Afternoon Course