Kashrut, Shabbat, and even morning and evening rituals can make living a halakhically traditional life daunting, whether you struggle with anxiety and OCD or just find elaborate rule systems restrictive. In this session with Learning Guide Abby Fisher, we will explore anxiety and rabbinic tradition. Is it possible to live a Torah-informed life without exacerbating your anxious thoughts? What did the rabbis of the Talmud think that looked like? What do we think it looks like now? We will dive deep into a short passage of the Babylonian Talmud and one or two medieval commentators (in translation -- no previous text experience necessary) to unearth the questions and fears animating our ancestors.

Abby Fisher (they/them) is an educator and playwright currently studying for Rabbinic Ordination at Hebrew College. Last summer, their original play, which explores queer coming of age in a Torah-centered community premiered off Broadway at New York City's The Tank theater. Their writing has appeared in The Huffington Post, Lilith Magazine, The Jewish Daily Forward, and The Jewish Women's Archive. Abby's approach to text is curiosity-driven, letting questions arise and drive us through the material. In particular, Abby loves to learn aggadic (story-based) passages of Talmud, which showcase how the rabbis made meaning from the mundane. Let's go on a Torah adventure together!