The seminar will examine the ways in which Jewish ritual practice can be reconceived through performance theory. We will trace the shaping of rituals by halakhic texts, and the meanings imbued in ritual by these texts. By focusing on the components of ritual – body, movement, space, and material objects – we will explore how various ritual performances reinterpret Jewish halakha. Alongside this, we will discuss theatrical pieces which undermine and disrupt "normative" halakhic performance. This, while being aware to the resurgence of religion in contemporary culture, in an era often referred to as “post-secular”.

The course will include practical research in groups, which will examine how the performance of rituals enables their understanding, interpretation, and deconstruction. This research could serve as a performative starting point for the final written paper.