Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel at SFW

We were pleased and honored this week welcome Rabbi Dr. Ephraim Kanarfogel to Sha’alvim for Women. Rabbi Kanarfogel discussed the position of the Torah towards asceticism. Does the Torah view abstinence from physical pleasures in a positive or negative light? If one does engage in worldly pleasure, are there legal and/or ethical limits? Rabbi Kanarfogel explored these and other challenging issues using classical and modern Torah sources focusing primarily on the opinions of the Rambam and Ramban.

Please click here to hear the shiur.

Rabbi Kanarfogel has found time in his very busy schedule to share words of Torah to the girls from SFW for the past many years and, we thank him from the bottom of our hearts for finding time again this year.

In addition to being the Rebecca Ivry Dean of Jewish Studies at Stern College for Wo, Rabbi Kanarfogel is a world renown scholar on Medievel Jewish History, manuscripts, and the Ba’alei Tosfot. Rabbi Kanarfogel was, for almost 20 years, the Rabbi of Congregation Congregation Beth Aaron, in Teaneck, NJ and, over the years, he has authored or edited five books and published more than 50 articles and reviews.