Rabbi Benay Lappe
Rabbi Benay Lappe has provided her students and the entire Jewish community with the opportunity to see that Judaism is smarter, more radical and sexier than we ever imagined. She has modeled, taught and demonstrated that — particularly to those of us who have not been the receivers of a Judaism that speaks to us or about us — we all have the capacity to engage with our tradition and with ourselves in a way that will make the pages of the Talmud breathe, come alive and sustain both Judaism and us today. She manages to bring students to Jewish learning and step out of the way, so that it is the student who is actively engaging and becoming a learned, empowered and confident bearer of Jewish tradition. Her authenticity, love for the rabbis of the Talmud and devotion to her students’ learning ensure that her lessons bind themselves to our hearts and illuminate our lives.
— Mary Otts and two others
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and the protests on college campuses.
Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.