Our sister, may you become a multitude (Genesis 24:60)

YESHIVAT MAHARAT SEMIKHA CEREMONY 2017 .

Sunday, June 18, 2017 . 24 Sivan, 5777 | Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun . New York City

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yeshivat maharat mission

As the first yeshiva to ordain women as Orthodox clergy, we offer an exceptional education in Jewish law and pastoral counseling, preparing our graduates to inspire and lead Jewish communities.

By providing a credentialed pathway for women to serve as spiritual and halakhic guides, we increase the communitys ability to attract the best and brightest into the ranks of its leadership. In addition, by expand-ing the leadership to include women we seek to enliven the community at large, with a wider array of voices, thoughts, and perspectives.

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program

Welcome, Abigail Tambor, Graduation co-chair

Invocation, Maharat Victoria Sutton

Greetings, Ariel Groveman Weiner, Board Chair

Presidents Address, Rabba Sara Hurwitz

Semikha Ceremony

Graduates Responses

Dr. Carmella Abraham

Chava Evans

Goldie Guy

Bracha Jaffe

Eryn London

Charge to the Graduates, Rabbi Jeffrey Fox, Rosh HaYeshiva

Closing Remarks, Rabbi Avi Weiss

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The Shma prayer is central to the Jewish faith, as we accept in our daily recitation. Rabbi Samson Rafael Hirsch writes in his commentary to the Siddur that the prominent and within the Shma spell , witness. Thus, he writes,

The content of is a testimony given by Israel to Israel, and everyone who utters it appoints himself/herself Gods witness to his own person and the world...The is meant to pass on to future generations our own knowledge of God, based upon the sum total of our mental and spiritual perception of His greatness. (Hirsch Siddur, p. 114-115)

I bear witness to the tremendous Torah that has been given over to me across my lifetime that brings me to this moment, this Yom Kadosh, this holy day.

Today as I realize my dream of receiving Semicha, I know that I am charged with teaching my Torah to the next generation, informed by my experiences as a physician, wife, mother, friend, community member, and now a member of the Orthodox clergy.

I thank God for bringing me to this moment, helping me to overcome the many hurdles and obstacles that may have taken me off this path. I continue to pray for Gods constant guidance, success, and strength in all my endeavors.

To my rabbis, rabbas, and teachers at Yeshivat Maharat: I want to express my deep appreciation for

Dr. Carmella Abraham is a physician who earned her bachelors de-gree from Barnard College and her medical degree from Mount Sinai School of Medicine. She developed and co-taught the Womens Health and Niddah curriculum at Yeshivat Maharat utilizing her clinical medi-cal experience. Carmella co-founded and serves as gabait of Shira Chadasha of White Plains and has served as gabait of the Womens Tefillah of the Hebrew Institute of White Plains. She is a Shalom Hart-man Created Equal Seminar Fellow. Carmella will serve as an educa-tor at Hillels of Westchester, engage community adults, and publish teshuvot on medicine and halakha.

dr. carmella abraham

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exemplifying humility with Torah, the importance of listening and being present, and for creating a safe space for women to learn and honestly voice their opinions. The Torahs greatness is revealed everyday in our Beit Midrash by each and every one of you. I am blessed with your Torah.

My parents Lavina, zl and George Abraham taught me a tremendous amount about faith in God, the beauty of our Sephardic Indian Jewish traditions, and the importance of building a Jewish home. Mom, today you are especially missed. I ask for your blessings.

I thank God for bringing Steven Kubersky, my beloved husband, into my life! You have taught me the meaning of covenantal love, unconditional loyalty, and the importance of standing by ones convictions. You are my best friend, soulmate, and guide. I love and cherish you and stand on your shoulders today (and everyday) as I achieve this milestone.

To my children, Rani, Rafi, and Keren, I thank each of you for being my most profound teachers. Your continuous support for my journey (Maharatma Gandhi) means so much to me!

My in-laws, Rachel and Zave Kubersky, have given me unconditional support and love all along this journey.

I am grateful to Rabbi Chaim and Suzie Marder and Rabbi Shmuel and Ahuva Greenberg for building a beautiful, warm community in White Plains that exemplifies inclusion and commitment to spiritual growth and Torah learning.

To my family, close friends, and chevrutot Shai and Jordan: thanks for your tremendous support and faith in me over the years. To the late John Lightstone (zl), I know you are so proud of me today.

To the wonderful community of friends, my second family, in White Plains: thanks for nurturing my growth over the last 20 years and allowing me to lead. I have learned from each of you.

And finally, to my rabbis and teachers from SAR Elementary School and Ramaz High School, I want to express my tremendous gratitude for instilling a deep and lasting love of Torah learning that continues to find expression so many years later, and ultimately brought me to this day.

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Chava Evans received a B.A. in Religion from Brown University where she also received the James Manning Medal for Excellence in Religious Studies and was named a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholar. Chava trained as a painter and holds an M.F.A. from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. She worked in childrens illustration, educa-tional publishing and arts consulting for ten years. She was a Rabbinic Intern at Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Congregational Intern at Bnai Israel - The Downtown Synagogue in Baltimore, and a Programming and Education Intern at Pearlstone Center. Chava will combine her Yeshivat Maharat degree with her interest in curriculum development and pedagogy as a community scholar in the Greater Washington, DC area.

chava evans

As I ready myself for the task ahead, I search for the right words with which to ask God for the strength to attend to the challenges of being a kli kodesh, a member of the clergy. I think about a favorite psalm of mine, in which the Psalmist, King David cries out to God:

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God, create for me a pure heart [lev tahor], a correct spirit [ruach nachon] renewed within me. (Psalms 51:12)

What is a lev tahor? Usually, lev tahor is translated as a pure heart. But pure connotes a heart which is always unsullied, and always perfect. But David is not asking for an unsullied heart, which is precisely why his prayer resonates with me.

David seeks teshuvah. He is acutely aware of his imperfections. Yet, the same heart that fails yearns to be better able to serve his creator. Tumah and tahara are not ritual versions of good and bad; they do not represent ethical opposites. Nor do tumah and tahara connote innate, immovable qualities of a heart, or a person, or any object. Rather, they are a pair of natural, temporary, and interdependent states. Remember: an object can only become tahor if it can also become tameh.

When David asks for a lev tahor he is not asking for a perfect heart. Rather, he prays for a radical act of Divine grace to transform his heart, if only temporarily, so that he may grow close to and serve His Creator. May God grant those who wish to serve Him such a heart.

What is ruach nachon? Torah, always. To the extent that our leadership will be true, it will be grounded in

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Torah. The source of our legitimacy as religious leaders is as scholars of Torah. Torah is our ruach nachon. Unless we continue and deepen our study of Torah, unless we teach, our effectiveness is crippled. Torah is, and must always be, our ruach nachon.

If Torah is our ruach nachon, what is our ruach chadash? What uniquely new or renewing spirit might I hope to contribute? The chiddush that matters most to me, as a woman entering the rabbinate, is the opportunity to apply Torah and an attentive ear to the oft-neglected pastoral concerns of female congregants. By attend-ing to those who may not have had rabbinic allies and confidantes, my colleagues and I will discover new applications for our Torah wisdom. Herein lies one aspect of the ruach chadash, the new spirit of female clergy.

I pray that my colleagues and I should be infused with a renewing, correct spirit. May God grant us strength and the gift of a lev tahor. And may we be able to apply our knowledge where it is most needed, with vigor and with urgency.

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I want to thank Mark for sharing this journey with me. To Gilah Channah, Hadar Chasiya and Micah Lev for being patient with Mommy. To the faculty of Yeshivat Maharat: Rabba Sara, Rabbi Fox, Wendy Amsellem, Dr. Altmann and Dr. Leib Smokler. And a special thank you to all the women who have been my chevrutot over the years. O havruta, o mituta (BT Taanit 23a).

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Goldie Guy studied at Migdal Oz, earned a BA in Religion from Bar-nard College, studied at Drisha Institute, and completed the two-year Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Studies (GPATS) at Stern College. She is passionate about the integration of the analytical and spiritual modes of talmud torah, and about sharing with others the relevance and vibrancy of the Jewish tradition. A NY UJA Graduate Fellow, Goldie interned at Columbia/Barnard Hillel, teaches older adults in Riverdale, and was a gemara instructor at Yeshivat Maharat this year. She will continue to share her passion for teaching as Talmud faculty at SAR High School in the fall.

goldie guy

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