Sabbatean Heresy: Shabbetai Tzvi and Permitting the Forbidden
Xava de Cordova
3 weeks - January 8 · 15 ·22
Wednesdays · 7-830pm ET · 4-5:30pm PT
What does someone claiming to be the messiah in 1666 CE have to do with the blossoming of queer, progressive, accessible and radical Judaisms emerging today? Let's find out! Shabbetai Tzvi has been a figure of both adoration and condemnation throughout Jewish history. From their heretical practices like letting women read the Torah and explicitly committing sins as a religious act, to their gender expression and late life conversion to Islam, they divided scholars and his followers alike. But what did they actually believe? How did they impact the Judaism that came after, including ours today? In this class, we'll dive into texts from the Sabbatean movement, historical events and sacred Jewish texts to explore what this beautiful heretic has to offer us in the present, and what we have to offer each other. No Hebrew or prior experience with Sabbatean text required.
Listen to Xava talk about Shabbetai Tzvi on the podcast!
Sliding Scale
This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $126 (the true cost), $99 or $72.
If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.
Financial Aid
If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.
**Please register each student separately. Your registrations will appear in your shopping cart and you may pay for multiple students together at checkout**
Xava de Cordova
3 weeks - January 8 · 15 ·22
Wednesdays · 7-830pm ET · 4-5:30pm PT
What does someone claiming to be the messiah in 1666 CE have to do with the blossoming of queer, progressive, accessible and radical Judaisms emerging today? Let's find out! Shabbetai Tzvi has been a figure of both adoration and condemnation throughout Jewish history. From their heretical practices like letting women read the Torah and explicitly committing sins as a religious act, to their gender expression and late life conversion to Islam, they divided scholars and his followers alike. But what did they actually believe? How did they impact the Judaism that came after, including ours today? In this class, we'll dive into texts from the Sabbatean movement, historical events and sacred Jewish texts to explore what this beautiful heretic has to offer us in the present, and what we have to offer each other. No Hebrew or prior experience with Sabbatean text required.
Listen to Xava talk about Shabbetai Tzvi on the podcast!
Sliding Scale
This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $126 (the true cost), $99 or $72.
If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.
Financial Aid
If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.
**Please register each student separately. Your registrations will appear in your shopping cart and you may pay for multiple students together at checkout**
Xava de Cordova
3 weeks - January 8 · 15 ·22
Wednesdays · 7-830pm ET · 4-5:30pm PT
What does someone claiming to be the messiah in 1666 CE have to do with the blossoming of queer, progressive, accessible and radical Judaisms emerging today? Let's find out! Shabbetai Tzvi has been a figure of both adoration and condemnation throughout Jewish history. From their heretical practices like letting women read the Torah and explicitly committing sins as a religious act, to their gender expression and late life conversion to Islam, they divided scholars and his followers alike. But what did they actually believe? How did they impact the Judaism that came after, including ours today? In this class, we'll dive into texts from the Sabbatean movement, historical events and sacred Jewish texts to explore what this beautiful heretic has to offer us in the present, and what we have to offer each other. No Hebrew or prior experience with Sabbatean text required.
Listen to Xava talk about Shabbetai Tzvi on the podcast!
Sliding Scale
This course is available at a sliding scale cost of $126 (the true cost), $99 or $72.
If you can afford the full price, we hope you will choose that option, which allows us to continue to offer lower rates and scholarships to those who otherwise would not be able to access this learning because of financial barriers.
Financial Aid
If you need financial aid beyond the sliding scale, please fill out this simple form, and we will get right back to you.
**Please register each student separately. Your registrations will appear in your shopping cart and you may pay for multiple students together at checkout**
Meet Xava!
Xava de Cordova is a disabled, Sefardi, Mizraxi trans woman, rabbi, and co-host of the world’s first Queer Talmud podcast, “Xai, how are you?” She is a long-time SVARA-style Talmud learner who got her start as a teacher by creating Beit Midrash Behind Bars, an organization that facilitated Jewish learning opportunities for incarcerated people in Washington State. She is also the co-founder of Shel Maala, an online-first queer yeshiva, which she co-founded with SVARA fellow Binya Kóatz. She lives in Providence, RI, where she does her best to steward the radical tradition she’s been blessed to inherit.
