“One of the stories of Jewish modernity is that faith in — as well as the practice of — Judaism can no longer be taken for granted.”

— Dr. Elliot Malamet

When you’ve been entrusted with the religious education of an Orthodox community’s young people, how do you navigate doubts, criticisms, or differing interpretations arising from modern Jewish thought?

This episode of the Living Jewishly podcast is an instalment of Crossing the Sea, a podcast about mental health and Judaism.

In this episode, Dr. Elliot Malamet speaks with Sara Susswein Tesler, who teaches the Five Books of Moses at an Orthodox girls seminary in Jerusalem. Sara is an enthusiastic student of biblical criticism, a school of thought that, among other things, challenges the idea of divine authorship when it comes to the Bible.

Sara and many other Orthodox educators often find themselves frustrated when trying to reconcile their institutional role and their true responsibilities as they understand them.

“We’re Orthodox cheerleaders, and that’s part of our job description,” Sara explains. “But those things come at the expense of being a real educator, because, by definition, we can’t expose our students to critical thinking in the classroom… teachers are in a strange place.”

This conversation digs into the tensions between personal authenticity, intellectual honesty, and institutional obligations — and the personal and professional consequences of operating within this delicate space.

“I have students who come back to me years later and thank me for widening the theological tent, and creating room for them within the tent to question dogma and still stay within the Orthodox community.”

— Sara Susswein Tesler

This‌ ‌episode discusses:‌ ‌

• The scholarly approach of biblical criticism — and why so many find it challenging
• How institutional pressure may rob Jewish youth of inspirational role models to help them navigate doubt while strengthening their faith
• The “second naïveté” and how we move forward and rebuild after the loss of certain beliefs

 ‌  

Highlights:‌ ‌

00:51  Intro

04:06  Sara Susswein Tesler & biblical criticism

07:02  Institutional pressures

08:21  Why not move to a different institution?

09:25  The mental health toll

10:53  Dialogue between teachers

13:29  Sara’s role & teaching

17:03  The impact

19:23  “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”

21:44  Threat or misguided fear?

24:02  Benefits of biblical criticism

27:50  Weight of narrative

28:32  Discovering biblical criticism

31:35  The second naïveté

36:10  “Truth”

39:18  Switching roles

44:03  Sara’s faith & family

47:55  Outro

Links:‌ ‌ 

Teaching Biblical Scholarship in a Modern Orthodox High School

https://www.thetorah.com/article/teaching-biblical-scholarship-in-a-modern-orthodox-high-school 

To get in contact or learn more about Living Jewishly:  

Visit‌ ‌our ‌website: https://livingjewishly.org  

Follow us on Instagram: @living.jewishly  

Watch us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCO2YEegjapKpQeXG6zh6tzw   

or send us an email at hello@livingjewishly.org. 

Shalom!