{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"Sarah's Separation from Abraham | With Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler","description":"What happens when women finally enter the conversation that\u2019s been about them all along? In this episode of Madlik: Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler \u2014 Sigmund Falk Professor of Modern Jewish Literature and Feminist Studies at HUC-JIR, ordained by Yeshivat Maharat, and author of Going Out with Knots: My Two Kaddish Years with Hebrew Poetry. Key Takeaways Expect to rethink assumptions about primary biblical characters\u2014especially the matriarchs\u2014and appreciate the living tradition of midrash as a vehicle for creativity and challenge. Hear how feminist perspectives and modern poetry revitalize Jewish text study, offering new interpretations for \u201cthe life of Sarah\u201d\u2014and the legacies that women shape. Explore the argument that literary and artistic creation in Hebrew is as much a part of Jewish commentary as classic text study. Timestamps [00:00:00] Geoffrey introduces the episode and guest Rabbi Professor Wendy Zierler, setting up a feminist exploration of Sarah\u2019s story in Genesis. [00:02:31] Discussion begins on Sarah\u2019s laughter and how women\u2019s scholarship reframes her response and role in Torah narratives. [00:03:46] Wendy explains the irony of \u201cChayei Sarah\u201d focusing on Sarah\u2019s death and how reading the gaps reveals her inner life. [00:05:36] They examine Abraham and Sarah\u2019s separation after the Akedah and what it reveals about love, obedience, and divine testing. [00:09:02] Wendy argues the Akedah causes a rupture\u2014between Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, and even Abraham and God. [00:12:40] The hosts explore new feminist midrash: Sarah\u2019s imagined agency, waiting for angels, and representing love over fear. [00:17:22] Conversation turns to Sarah\u2019s burial choice as an act of leadership that shaped the matriarchal roots of the Jewish story. [00:19:53] Transition to Wendy\u2019s book Going Out with Knots and how Hebrew poetry became her lens for mourning and feminist study. [00:21:41] Wendy teaches Leia Goldberg\u2019s reinterpretation of \u201cthe three pillars of the world,\u201d highlighting women\u2019s creative renewal of tradition. [00:26:42] Discussion closes with Yehuda Amichai\u2019s outsider voice, women\u2019s return to Hebrew literature, and modern creativity as living midrash. Links & Learnings Sign up for free and get more from our weekly newsletter https:\/\/madlik.com\/ Sefaria Source Sheet:https:\/\/www.sefaria.org\/sheets\/688219 Transcript here: https:\/\/madlik.substack.com\/ Link to Wendy's Book: https:\/\/jps.org\/books\/going-out-with-knots\/ Link to theTorah.com article: https:\/\/www.thetorah.com\/article\/sarah-finally-separates-herself-from-abraham   ","author_name":"Madlik Podcast \u2013 Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism","author_url":"https:\/\/madlik.com\/","html":"