Religion has been accused of many evils. One of them being the disproportionate obsession with sin, remorse and shame. Today we know that shame and guilt can have many unhealthy psychological consequences for the individual. How do we square the negative affect of shame with the process of repentance? Is there a difference between the Christian and Jewish perspectives on the penitential aspect of religion? Using a wide variety of sources from the Bible and ancient commentaries to modern psychologists and popular writers such as Erich Fromm, Brene Brown and Sheryl Sandberg we will go on a journey of exploration into how guilt and shame can be used constructively towards the transformation of the self.

Dr. Tanya White is a sought after international lecturer, writer and educator with a focus on Tanach and Contemporary Jewish Thought. She is a Senior lecturer at Matan Women’s Institute for Torah Studies and gives weekly classes in other institutions including Pardes and LSJS. Tanya acts as scholar in residence to diverse communities in the US, Switzerland and the UK. She is a graduate of the Matan Hasharon Scholars program and holds a BSc from LSE in International Relations and an MA in Jewish studies and philosophy from LSJS and SOAS London. She holds a doctorate in Jewish Philosophy from Bar Ilan University, and is the recipient of Schupf Fellowship for outstanding students. She was elected as a “Sacks Scholar” in the inaugural cohort programme of Rabbi Sacks Scholars 2023/24. Tanya is the mother of four daughters and lives with her husband and family on a Moshav in central Israel. A collection of her articles, blogs and published material can be viewed on her blog page: www.tanyawhite.org