Shame plays such a defining role in our human experience that its absence is one of the first things mentioned about Adam and Eve in Gan Eden. Reflecting on her own personal journey with shame, Rabbi Abby Sosland walks us through the powerful instances where shame appears in Torah and liturgy. Along the way, Rabbi Sosland makes a compelling case for letting go of feelings of shame in those situations where it doesn’t serve us, opening up space for gratitude, action, and being there for other people.
Rabbi Abby Sosland is the Morah Ruchanit (spiritual advisor) at Schechter Westchester High School, where she teaches Talmud, Bible, philosophy and prayer. She also teaches adults in all sorts of settings, from a Women’s Lunch and Learn group to the Hadassah of Westchester. After receiving rabbinic ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary, Rabbi Sosland was assistant rabbi at Town and Village Synagogue in downtown Manhattan where she continues to co-lead the closing service of Yom Kippur there with Beth Mann. She writes about “shameless Judaism” at www.abbysosland.com.
