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Parshat Nasso: Blessings of Queer Empowerment
What are our responsibilities to give and receive blessings as and for queer people?
Parshat Nasso: Blessing Queerly
In Torah Queeries, we will explore and create ways to bless people queerly. What blessings can queer people and allies uniquely bestow upon people?
Parshat Vayikra | What’s Cooking Good Looking? God’s Queer Tastes
What does the multiplicity of desirable sacrifices say about God’s preferences? In Torah Queeries, we will delve into ways of interpreting God’s wide range of tastes.
Parshat Vayakhel: The Art and Gift of Being Queer
In this discussion of Parshat Vayakhel (35:1-38:20, 30:11-16), we will explore our unique offerings to the divine. How can we feel that being queer is a blessing? How is being ourselves a gift?
Parshat Lech Lecha: Queer Covenants
God and Abram enter into a covenant (brit); through this covenant, Abram becomes Abraham and receives many blessings. As people in queer relationships and community, what covenant do we create and uphold? What are our blessings to each other, and how do they shape who we become?
Parshat Vayeshev:
The Fabulous Dress and Dreams of Joseph
In our discussion of Parshat Vayeshev (Gen. 37:1-40:23), we will delve into queer interpretations of Joseph's colorful appearance and dreams. What is special about his coat? What makes him a dreamer? Content warning: discussion of family rejection.
Parshat Shemot: The Queer Politics of Passing
Like Moses, queer people can experience tension around the privileges and difficulties of passing as cisgender and/or heterosexual. During Torah Queeries, we will explore how we can navigate this tension for those who pass and/or do not pass.
A Life-Changing One Night Stand: Parshat Vayishlach
This source sheet explores Isaac’s intimate encounter with an unknown figure––one that changes him forever. As queer people, how might our sexual experiences shape our identities? How might the length of a relationship affect our experiences?
Parshat Vayechi: Queering Time and Memory
Jacob asks Joseph to swear that he will bury him in Canaan and not in Mitzrayim (Egypt)––“the narrow place.” Later, Joseph requests the same of his brothers. How might Jacob and Joseph’s burial wishes queer their legacies? How could memory queer time itself?
Parshat Vayera: Birthing Gender Nonconforming Ancestors
In Parshat Vayera (Genesis 18:1-22:24), we become acquainted with the newly renamed Abraham and Sarah. How does this unexpected change bring joy and openness? In this Torah study, we will explore Sarah and Abraham as gender nonconforming ancestors who birth new possibilities.
Parshat Mishpatim You Shall Cease from Labor: Queer Worker Rights
In this discussion of Parshat Mishpatim (Ex. 21:1-24:18), we will explore workers’ rights in the Torah and as queer people today. What can we learn from Shabbat? Where do we see room for growth? Possible trigger warnings: homophobia, transphobia
Parshat Nitzavim-Vayeilech Does the Torah Apologize?
In this discussion of Deuteronomy 29:9-31:30, we will talk about restoring our relationships, ourselves, and the Torah through a queer lens. Content warnings: brief discussion of homophobia and transphobia.
Yom Kippur: Choose Life
In one of the Torah readings for Yom Kippur (Deuteronomy 29:9-14; 30:1-20), the Israelites are presented with choices––blessings, curses, life, death––and told to choose life. For queer people facing bigotry, the choices might not seem so clear. On Yom Kippur, how might we learn from the Israelites’ choices and shape the queer future?
Content warnings: suicide, queerphobia, fasting
Parshat Ki Tisa: Purim is So Close - I Can Almost Smell It
What is the role of scent in the Tanakh? What does it have to do with Purim? How could divine scent be a model for linking us together?
Parshat Bamidbar Queer Family: Who's Counting and Who's Counted?
Parshat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1:4:20) outlines the Israelites’ census and community structure. In this Torah study, we will explore queer family structures and who is included in queer community. Who do we count in our community and family? Who decides?
Parshat Shoftim | Before I Die: Queer Journeys
This parsha describes the laws and roles of leadership, one of which is to encourage people before battle to go home and take care of their affairs in case they die. As queer people approach death, what affairs might we want to address? In what ways do
Parshat Acharei Mot-Kedoshim | Queer Shatnez: With Every Fiber of Our Beings
We will explore the prohibition against mixing linen and wool (shatnez) in relation to the instruction for priests to wear garments made of mixed linen and wool. How are fabrics like queer identity? How do various strands of queer identities mix?