“Esther sent to the Rabbis: Kitvuni ledorot — Record me for all generations.”
(Megilla 7a)
The Kitvuni Fellowship was created by Matan to promote the publication of high-level Torah scholarship by women. The initiative provides female Torah scholars with the support necessary to facilitate their ability to complete a book in a field of Torah scholarship.
Dr. Shifra Assulin will be writing on Shir HaShirim in the Zohar. Shifra has a Ph.D. in Jewish Thought and is a teaching fellow at Shalem College. She is highly regarded in the field of Kabbala study and is doing extremely innovative work.
“Tell me, my love” – peshat, remez, derash and sod in the Zohar’s Commentary on Shir ha-Shirim Zohar Shir ha-Shirim: Annotated Edition and Commentary The Zohar, the quintessential book of Jewish mysticism, is inaccessible to most people: the Aramaic, the diagrams, the symbols, and the mystical content project unapproachability. This book offers a reading of the Zohar’s commentary on the Song of Songs: first, a translated and annotated version of the text, including basic interpretation and references, on the one hand. Next, the book will offer comprehensive reflections comprising thematic introductions, an in-depth review of content, literary analysis, comparative discussions, and an examination of the existential and practical ramifications of the text. This edition will provide the reader with access to the Zohar, enabling a personal reading of the text, and offering a broad array of commentary and analysis.
Dr. Sharon Galper Grossman will be writing on Halakha and preventive medicine. Sharon is a Harvard-educated oncologist and a graduate of Matan’s Morot L’Halakha program and other Matan Beit Midrash programs.
Jewish Perspectives on Staying Healthy This book will address the ways that halacha approaches disease prevention in general, with specific attention to current topics and cutting-edge interventions, tracing the development and evolution of the halachic perspective from its earliest sources to contemporary decisors.”
Yael Leibowitz will be writing on the Book of Ezra. Yael is an innovative and dynamic educator who teaches Tanakh at Matan and other prominent Torah institutions.
Ezra: Retrograde Revolution This book will explore the revolutionary strategies employed by the Jewish leaders of the Early Second Temple Period, as they grappled with the unprecedented challenge of reconstituting a lost world in an utterly new one.
Dr. Adina Sternberg will be writing an interdisciplinary book on the holidays and the Mikdash, from the perspective of both Tanakh and the Mishna. Adina has a Ph.D. in Talmud, is studying in Hilkhata, Matan’s advanced Halakha program, and teaches in Matan and other prominent women’s Torah institutions.
ימי מועד ואוהל מועד This interdisciplinary book examines the foundational concepts of the Jewish holidays, through their analysis from biblical law to the prism of the prophets; from the details of halakhah to the literary design of the Mishnah; and from Talmudic sugyas to Rishonim.
Dr. Merav Suissa will be writing a guide to literary-philosophical study of the Talmud. Merav has a Ph.D. in Talmud and is the head of Midreshet Siach Hasadeh.
The Secret Talmud: Halakhah and its Significance in Talmudic Sugyas This book will outline a literary approach to the study of the Babylonian Talmud, based on the view that the Talmud as a literary work, and its content is expressed not only in the explicit debates presented in the sugyas, but also in their design and redaction. This approach will be demonstrated through a literary analysis of various opening sugyas and halakhic sugyas in the Talmud. Through an examination of the foundational concepts at the base of the sugya, the book will endeavor to understand the ideological significance of Talmudic themes.
Dr. Miriam Weitman will be writing on the Book of Chronicles. Miriam has a Ph.D. in Contemporary Judaism. She is a Matan graduate and has worked for the Ministry of Education training teachers nationally.
Readings in the Book of Chronicles Chronicles is one of the most inexplicable books in Tanakh. Many of its chapters seem to be a repetition of other biblical texts, and others (primarily the genealogical lists) seem technical and incomprehensible. This book intends to offer a key to deciphering the inaccessible book of Chronicles, by integrating interpretive discussions with textual analysis, providing a broader perspective on the essence, individuality, content, and values embedded in the text. Instead of a chronological reading, this book addresses foundational themes in Chronicles, and is intended for those who study and love Tanakh, and have an appreciation for literature and culture.
