Rachel Bousfield

Shalom! My name is Rachel and I’m a techie with a love for ancient texts. You’ve stumbled upon my commentary site.

The study of Torah is a profound source of joy in my life. I try to spend at least a few minutes each day reading our scriptures. For the longest while I’d passively read and notice things, but I wouldn’t actually write anything down. I’d often forget what I’d learned, unable to recall a verse’s parallel passages or interesting tidbits when talking to friends. I decided to change this and start documenting what I’d learned.

Now when I read scripture, I can draw from my growing library of notes. I later found that they were invaluable for group Torah study and 1:1 chevruta. People started asking me for a copy, so I made this website!

I think of each page as a living midrash: whenever I learn something new, I add a note. If someone says something interesting, I no longer forget. Like Jonah in the fish and Adam in the garden, I remember HaShem. I hope you’ll enjoy this battle against forgetfulness.

My Notes

My notes draw from an eclectic range of ancient sources, both Jewish and Gentile. These include rabbinical commentaries, classical sources, and even the holy texts of other religions. However, I must stress that Judaism is a complete religion and in no need of fulfillment by other traditions. I am not a Christian, and Jesus is not my Messiah.

I say this plainly because rabbinical authorities have had good reason to be been skeptical of such comparative study. For nearly 2000 years, Jewish sources have been quoted back at us as evidence for Christianity. From the antisemitic writings of the Nicene church fathers to the Barcelona Disputation and Pugio Fidei, evangelists have mined Jewish sources for Christian-sounding passages in an attempt to convert us. The present moment’s manifestation includes well-funded organizations tricking Jews into practicing Evangelical Christianity, or Messianic “Judaism,” as they call it.

The reason I quote external texts is because studying Torah is a joy, and seeing how our scriptures compare and contrast with other traditions delights me. I find placing dissimilar ideas next to each other helps clarify each of them, exposing the inner tracings of the human condition and our multivalent relationship to the divine. I also lead a weekly interfaith Torah study with participants from numerous, non-proselytizing backgrounds. You’ll occasionally see their names credited in my commentary per Avot 6:6.

My notes can be about anything and reflect my biases. You should know that I have a Gnostic bent and am perpetually wrestling with HaShem. I’m also interested in the results of academic scholarship and explore textual criticism. Nevertheless, I find producing these notes to be a devotional act with a profound sense of the sacred. It brings me so much joy and wonder I hope to share with you.

Challah

Challah is my favorite thing ever. I bake it every Friday for my family, friends, and synagogue. I make the kiddush challah for Kabbalat Shabbat and other events at my shul. People kept asking for my recipes, so I’ve added them here!