Radical Presence & the Practice of Rebuke

Join Laynie Soloman, Director of National Learning & Faculty Member at SVARA, for an adventure into the art of rabbinic rebuke, or tochecha.

During the High Holy Day season, we often imagine that the primary reparative work we must do is “teshuva,” making amends with those we have hurt and moving through a process of reconciliation. But how do we let others know they have hurt us, creating space for them to make repair?

Our tradition has a powerful mechanism for helping others get on the teshuva train—a process called tochecha, rebuke, or compassionate critique. We’ll explore a Talmudic text that unpacks and frames this idea in the style of SVARA’s Daily Mishnah Collective. No Hebrew knowledge or previous experience learning Jewish texts necessary. All are welcome, from absolutely beginners to experienced Talmudists!

Laynie Soloman (they/them) is the Director of National Learning and a faculty member at SVARA: A Traditionally Radical Yeshiva. A passionate teacher of Jewish text, thought, and tradition, they believe deeply in the power of Talmud study as a healing and liberatory spiritual practice. Laynie is completing a Dual M.A. in Talmud/Rabbinic Literature & Jewish Education from the Jewish Theological Seminary, holds a B.A. in Religious Studies from Goucher College, and is a Schusterman Fellow. They love facilitating experiences of Jewish learning that uplift the piously irreverent, queer, and subversive spirit of rabbinic text and theology. When not in shul or learning Talmud, you can find Laynie reading about liberation theology, collecting comic books, and singing nigunim.