Centuries ago, the destruction of the Temple, habayit (the house), brought with it tremendous violence, loss, and suffering. In this session, we’ll turn to new midrashim written post-October 7th by Dr. Nurit Hirschfeld-Skupinsky, a professor of midrash in Israel.

In these midrashim, she understands the destruction of one kind of bayit, the Temple, as a kind of destruction of another kind of bayit, the house and families whose lives were shattered on and after October 7th. Based on traditional midrashim from Eicha Rabbah (lamentations) and the Talmud, Hirschfeld-Skupinsky's midrashim tells stories of the devastation and loss wrought on Israeli families with a particular focus on the stories of women.