SVARA is a traditionally radical yeshiva dedicated to the serious study of Talmud, the record of a Jewish tradition that has always been radical. Our mission is to provide serious Talmud study as a spiritual practice to all who want to learn, in an environment that recognizes as crucial the insights of transgender, intersex, queer, lesbian, bisexual and gay Jews as well as those of other religious backgrounds. We facilitate the creation of interpretive communities of activists, organizers, scholars, students, and others to learn and share the text skills and halachic (Jewish legal) expertise necessary to enrich, push, penetrate, and contribute to the evolving Jewish tradition, and to be pushed, challenged, and enriched by it.