Gaymara
Queer AF Talmud Class
When is Gaymara?
The next Gaymara session begins on January 13th for new students, and January 27th for returning students. We're prepping for Pesach! We're going to dig into the Pesach sacrifice and the power of communal knowledge. Don't worry, no matzah required. Register here.
The classes this time are:
What is Gaymara?
Why do people learn with Gaymara?
“I love getting to fight with the language, the teamwork aspect, the discovery, having a supportive set of people when we come up against messed up or challenging content, and the amazing insights that come from us non-traditional study-ers when we really delve into the original texts. Gay-revolution, one pasuk [verse] at a time!”
“Because the rabbis are a bunch of weirdos and I can relate.”
“I love decoding magical Jewish texts and imagining Jewish futures.”
“I love the insights we create during text study. Love that a discussion transcript is part of our sacred texts.”
“‘Cuz it hurts my brain in a good way.”
Who teaches Gaymara?
I do! I’m Isaac. I’ve been in love with the early rabbis since the first time I heard a midrash and did a MA at Yale in early post-biblical Jewish literature. I firmly believe that the rabbis created the coolest intellectual playground in the Jewish tradition, made all the more awesome by the fact that they wanted us to keep expanding and remodelling it. It’s a playground that should belong to all of us. Come join me.
Location/time
Gaymara meets on Tuesdays, 6:30-9 PM at a downtown location near Westlake. Participants will get the address upon registration. For the next session dates, check the calendar page.
Cost
There is no charge to attend the class. Each student needs their own masechet (volume of the Talmud) to study from. Masechtot can be purchased at the first class on a sliding scale, with a suggested donation of $25. Nobody will be turned away for inability to pay, and that rule is iron-clad. The registration form for each session has a section where you can indicate whether or not you need a copy of the masechet we are using for that session.
FAQ
Gaymara Gang
Moreh Nevukhim (Guide to the Perplexed): Isaac Cowhey
Gayministrator: Nora Sandler
Twitter Tannaim: Meli Sameh and Maia Brown
Snack Queen: Eze Klarnet
Supporting Gaymara
If you would like to support Gaymara financially, you may make a donation through Kadima--be sure to choose "Gaymara" in the drop-down menu. Funds go towards paying for masechtot for students who can’t pay the full price, buying more dictionaries so we can expand the number of students we serve, and of course buying snacks.
Funding for Gaymara was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
The next Gaymara session begins on January 13th for new students, and January 27th for returning students. We're prepping for Pesach! We're going to dig into the Pesach sacrifice and the power of communal knowledge. Don't worry, no matzah required. Register here.
The classes this time are:
- An intro session (6:30-9:00 PM; Jan 13th): this is an overview of what Talmud and Gaymara are all about. Required for new students. Not convinced Talmud is the best thing ever? Register for this class and we'll change your mind.
- A six class session (6:30-9:00 PM; Jan 27th-March 16th, no class 2/10 or 3/9): we'll be jumping right into Talmud, Gaymara-style.
What is Gaymara?
- This is a queer approach to Talmud. That means that you'll learn the original Hebrew/Aramaic text (even if all you know is the aleph-bet!) with a focus on rabbinic interpretation as a tool of radical social innovation. Check out my teacher Benay Lappe talk about why the Talmud is a queer, radical text here.
- Talmud isn’t about the nitty gritty of law, it’s about the question of how we shape our values, how we relate to other people, and how we as Jews engage and transform tradition. The goal of teaching queer people in the original languages is to make that tradition accessible to people who have been denied it for way too long.
- As an added bonus, learning Talmud takes up your entire brain in the best way possible (personally, I don’t do mindfulness or meditation. Talmud is the most effective way I know to calm down and to get my balance back).
Why do people learn with Gaymara?
“I love getting to fight with the language, the teamwork aspect, the discovery, having a supportive set of people when we come up against messed up or challenging content, and the amazing insights that come from us non-traditional study-ers when we really delve into the original texts. Gay-revolution, one pasuk [verse] at a time!”
“Because the rabbis are a bunch of weirdos and I can relate.”
“I love decoding magical Jewish texts and imagining Jewish futures.”
“I love the insights we create during text study. Love that a discussion transcript is part of our sacred texts.”
“‘Cuz it hurts my brain in a good way.”
Who teaches Gaymara?
I do! I’m Isaac. I’ve been in love with the early rabbis since the first time I heard a midrash and did a MA at Yale in early post-biblical Jewish literature. I firmly believe that the rabbis created the coolest intellectual playground in the Jewish tradition, made all the more awesome by the fact that they wanted us to keep expanding and remodelling it. It’s a playground that should belong to all of us. Come join me.
Location/time
Gaymara meets on Tuesdays, 6:30-9 PM at a downtown location near Westlake. Participants will get the address upon registration. For the next session dates, check the calendar page.
Cost
There is no charge to attend the class. Each student needs their own masechet (volume of the Talmud) to study from. Masechtot can be purchased at the first class on a sliding scale, with a suggested donation of $25. Nobody will be turned away for inability to pay, and that rule is iron-clad. The registration form for each session has a section where you can indicate whether or not you need a copy of the masechet we are using for that session.
FAQ
- My Hebrew isn’t very good/I don’t understand Hebrew at all: It is absolutely possible to do this even if you start without any comprehension of Hebrew. You do need to know your aleph bet (including vowels), and you do need to be willing to work hard.
- But this sounds hard: Yes, it is, and that’s the joy--Talmud is both a moral and an intellectual challenge. And it’s entirely worth it and entirely doable. You’ll get all the tools you need to work your way through it with your chevruta (study partner), and you can ask all the questions you want.
- But I’m not queer: This is a queer-centered space, but people who aren’t queer are welcome to join so long as they respect that.
- Haven’t I got better things to do given the current political disaster?: The Talmud offers us a roadmap of how to survive and rebuild in the face of unspeakable destruction. It’s never been more timely. See also: Talmud study as meditative practice.
- I have another question. Great! Email Isaac.
Gaymara Gang
Moreh Nevukhim (Guide to the Perplexed): Isaac Cowhey
Gayministrator: Nora Sandler
Twitter Tannaim: Meli Sameh and Maia Brown
Snack Queen: Eze Klarnet
Supporting Gaymara
If you would like to support Gaymara financially, you may make a donation through Kadima--be sure to choose "Gaymara" in the drop-down menu. Funds go towards paying for masechtot for students who can’t pay the full price, buying more dictionaries so we can expand the number of students we serve, and of course buying snacks.
Funding for Gaymara was made possible, in part, by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.