Welcome!

Hi there! Welcome to my blog! My name is Rachel. I’m a graduate student in New York, working on a PhD in Rabbinic literature. (That basically means I study Jewish texts from about 200-700 CE.) Additionally, I teach Talmud in a number of places, which mostly keeps me busy and out of trouble. Other than school and work, I also am a devoted aunt to my two nephews and one niece, an avid baker, and a big fan of Parks and Rec. Also, I own way too many books and way too many pairs of shoes.

Also, in case the title of the blog didn’t make it clear, I have curly hair and glasses. Once, after I had gotten a post-haircut blowout, someone commented to me that I looked amazing with straight hair and no glasses. At the time I was offended—they were basically saying I looked best when I didn’t look like me! However, now, I have some to embrace my mediocre vision and sometimes-frizzy hair as a part of who I am. Perhaps they are unconventional, but they are awesome. And I like to think of myself the same way!

While I’ve written elsewhere about my work and perspectives on a number of Jewish issues, I created this blog for fun, to do something a little bit different. Although this blog won’t be connected to my work, at least directly, it is certainly related to my thoughts on what it means to be an engaged and thoughtful observant Jewish woman in the modern world. So while its main focus will be modest fashion, I hope to also explore deeper issues related to modesty, gender and the intersection of modernity and tradition as they come up. Mostly fun, hopefully, but with occasional serious moments.

To explain a bit about what drove me to start this blog—before I went to graduate school, I spent four years learning Talmud and Jewish law in an institution devoted to providing opportunities for advanced Jewish learning for women. Both when I was there, and now when I am working on my PhD, I have found myself towing a thin line of not wanting to be defined by my gender on one hand, and being forced to acknowledge it on the other. For hundreds of years, Talmud was learned exclusively by men. Even as many communities have opened up opportunities for more rigorous learning for women, I am still aware of the degree to which I am often seen as a female student and teacher of Talmud. It is not unusual for me to be the only woman in the room, or for people to comment on my appearance before they comment on my teaching. So while I don’t usually feel like a trailblazer, I also have to admit that what I do is still not exactly conventional.

So why, you might wonder, would I write a blog about clothing and fashion if I want people to stop paying attention to how I look? This is an excellent question! Here are three answers:

1. Modesty is a core Jewish value, but it often defined solely in terms of clothing, and only applied to women. However, this construction is out of line with Jewish tradition. A survey of the texts points to the degree that modesty is a state of mind, reflective of the ideals of humility, and an acknowledgment of powers greater than ourselves. It applies equally to men and to women. Through this lens, it is possible to reimagine what it means to be modest, creating a space for both respect of the tradition and individual exploration and tradition.

2. As much as we might like to pretend it isn’t so, how we look matters. We all make assumptions based on people’s appearances, for better or for worse. Because of that reality, I think about how I look, because I want to think about the image I am projecting to the world. As an example—I once had a high school student who, every time she saw me, would say to the people around her, “Doesn’t Rachel have the BEST outfits?” I wasn’t especially comfortable with her focus on my appearance, until I realized that it became a starting point for us to engage. The conversations about my clothes evolved into conversations about more important things, allowing me to dig beneath the surface and better understand her as a student and as a person. Sometimes the shallow is a good entry point to reach a deeper level.

3. I like fashion! I think it’s fun to develop a style, and then to subvert those expectations. I like the way what I put on can reflect the mood I’m in that day, or even change that mood. While, in certain ways, I am not a girly girl (you should hear me whine if I have to put on makeup or wear heels), in other ways, I have inherited a love of pretty dresses and funky scarves. Clothing is another way for me to express my values, my taste, and myself—and to have a little bit of fun when I wake up every morning.

So that’s my story. I hope you’ll follow along and share your own thoughts and ideas as well! I’d love to use this platform to start a conversation, and to get to (virtually) get to know you. Hope to see you back here soon!