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We are excited to welcome Rabbinical Student Shoshana Levine to Congregation Shaarei Kodesh as part of the JTS Student Ambassador initiative, which brings emerging rabbinical students into communities across the country for inspiring Shabbatot of learning, tefillah, and connection. These visits deepen the relationship between congregations and the Jewish Theological Seminary while giving communities the opportunity to experience the Torah and leadership of the next generation.
Shoshana Levine is a second-year student at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), where she also serves as a Resident Director and Jewish Life Director for graduate students. She is passionate about building inclusive and vibrant Jewish communities on campus and beyond.
This past year, Shoshana was a fellow in the third cohort of the Flesh Family Sinai Temple Israel Center Rabbinical School Fellowship, participating in monthly cross-denominational cohort gatherings alongside students from seminaries across the country.
Originally from Los Angeles, Shoshana is an alumna of Sinai Akiba Academy and Milken Community High School, where her love for Jewish learning and community first took root. She went on to attend the University of Arizona, graduating summa cum laude and earning dual bachelor's degrees in Judaic Studies and Sports & Society.
Before beginning her studies at JTS, Shoshana worked as the PJ Library and Young Adult Programming Manager at the Jewish Federation of Orange County and was an active resident of the Orange County Moishe House for two years.
Shoshana is honored to be a part of the JTS Ambassadors Program this year and looks forward to sharing her Torah with Shaarei Kodesh this Shabbat!
📖 Shoshana’s Teaching and Learning Schedule This Shabbat
Kabbalat Shabbat - In Someone Else’s Name: The Importance of Citation and Attribution
Join us for a spirited Kabbalat Shabbat led by Rabbinical Student Shoshana Levine. In her D’var Torah, Shoshana explores a teaching from Pirkei Avot about sharing wisdom b’shem om’ro, in the name of the one who taught it. Through moments in Megillat Esther, we will reflect on how naming our teachers is not only meaningful but can change the lives of those around us.
An Oneg and informal Q & A will follow services.
Shabbat Morning D’var Torah- Dressing for Success: How Our Clothing Shapes Our Identity and Movement in the World - During our Shabbat morning service, Shoshana will explore the importance of clothing in our lives and in the Torah, focusing on the priestly garments and what they reveal about holiness, leadership, and the ways outward appearance can shape inward intention.
Lunch and Learn Following Services - Exclusion of a Name: Moshe’s Simultaneous Presence and Absence in Tetzaveh - Moshe’s name is mysteriously absent in this parsha, yet he remains uniquely central to God’s instructions for appointing and dressing the Priests. In this Lunch and Learn, Shoshana will guide us through close reading and discussion, exploring how the Torah communicates meaning through subtle and precise language.
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