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May 21, 2023

613 Mitzvot in Rhyme: The Tradition of Azharot

Victoria Sutton
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Victoria Sutton

Rabbanit Victoria Sutton is on the Judaic studies faculty at the Heschel School and has taught in the Drisha High School Summer Program. Prior to that, she served as the Director of Education and Community Engagement at Congregation Beth Israel, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Berkeley. She was ordained through Yeshivat Maharat in 2014. A graduate of Barnard College, with a BA in Biological Sciences, she also holds a Grand Diploma in Pastry Arts from the French Culinary Institute. Victoria sat on the board of Jewish Family and Community Services East Bay and was involved with community organizations in New York City focusing on homelessness, literacy, sexual assault and domestic violence.

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Dating back to the time of the Geonim, scholars and poets composed Azharot, poetic enumerations of the mitzvot. They were traditionally read in communities on Shavuot, a custom that continues today in some Sephardic communities. We will explore this fascinating liturgical phenomenon and their mixed reception throughout the ages. Focusing on the Azharot of Solomon ibn Gabirol, we will survey this masterful poem’s structure and methodology and learn a traditional melody for these Azharot.

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