Rabbi Ovadia Yosef  z"l, former Sephardic Chief Rabbi and great Talmud scholar wrote that if a Jewish legal authority is lenient when they should perhaps be more strict, it’s a problem “between people and God” (for which Yom Kippur atones), but if conversely, the legal decider is strict when they could have been more lenient, it’s a problem “between people" which is much more severe... How did Sephardi communities use Jewish law and why, in many cases, were Sephardic rabbis more lenient in their rulings. Using a responsa by Rabbi Yosef Mesas of Algeria among other sources, we will explore the guiding principles of progressive Sephardic legal rulings and what they can teach us about Jewish communities from the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Tamar Zaken is passionate about creating empowering Jewish learning experiences for people of all backgrounds. She trains outstanding educators and develops participant-centered Jewish learning opportunities throughout the Bay Area. Tamar served for over a decade on the leadership team of Memizrach Shemesh- the Center for Jewish Social Activism in Israel. There, she used Sephardic texts as community organizing tools, and ran a Jewish service learning program for more than 300 youth leaders. In her spare time, Tamar translates Sephardic Rabbinic texts to expose English-speaking audiences to their inspiring message of inclusion and justice.