Responsa is the process by which Jewish law has continued to develop since the Talmud and other rabbinic texts were codified. An individual or community would write to a rabbi with a question that the Torah/Talmud/etc. just didn’t anticipate or adequately answer, and the rabbi would write back his answer, drawing on what he understood to be relevant ancient texts and Jewish values. (Not entirely unlike Dear Abby or The Ethicist.) The process continues to this day, though in the Reform community we have a committee of rabbis who receive questions and discuss/debate answers. The answers are not, of course, binding – but they give us a wonderful chance to see how productive debate happens in Judaism; gain exposure to core Jewish values that remain relevant no matter the day and age; and consider how we make our own decisions, as individuals and a congregational community, about all sorts of ritual and ethical questions today.

Feel free to bring lunch. Join us for as many sessions as you’re able!