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Serach - The Keeper of Israel’s Collective Memory

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Release Date: 07/17/2025

Sacred Numbers Without Superstition show art Sacred Numbers Without Superstition

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

As we close one year and step into another, we’re revisiting a live Madlik Disruptive Torah conversation recorded in December 2022, back when the podcast was broadcast weekly on Clubhouse in front of a live audience. This episode explores the enduring power of numbers in Jewish thought—especially the number 70. From the seventy souls who descend to Egypt, to seventy nations, seventy languages, seventy judges on the Sanhedrin, and the rabbinic idea that Torah itself has shiv’im panim—seventy faces—this conversation asks what numbers can teach us without turning Torah into...

info_outline Hanukkah: The Civil War We Forgot show art Hanukkah: The Civil War We Forgot

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Was Hanukkah really a war of Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to forget? Was Hanukkah really Jews vs. Greeks — or a Jewish civil war we chose to bury under a story about oil? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz revisit the Hanukkah story through the sources. From Maccabees I and the politics of Ptolemy vs. Antiochus, to the lone Talmudic mention of the oil miracle (Shabbat 21b), they show how a messy internal power struggle became a clean miracle narrative. Key Takeaways Hanukah began as a Jewish civil war — not just Jews vs....

info_outline Bottom Up Torah: How Queer Jews Are Changing Orthodoxy show art Bottom Up Torah: How Queer Jews Are Changing Orthodoxy

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Imagine being told you belong to a faith that is fighting to keep you out—and refusing to leave. In this week's Madlik, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz welcome Rabbi Steve Greenberg, the first openly gay Orthodox-ordained rabbi, for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation. Key Takeaways Vulnerability transforms the meaning of Torah. Bottom-up change is reshaping Orthodoxy. The tradition has the capacity — and the precedent — to grow. Timestamps [00:00:12] Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s coming-out context and the question of LGBTQ+ Jews as teachers of Torah. [00:03:11] Steve’s...

info_outline The Jewish Future Israel Wants… But Fears to Admit show art The Jewish Future Israel Wants… But Fears to Admit

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Beneath the surface, Israel is fighting for the soul of its religion — and most of us don’t even see the battle lines. In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Professor Adam S. Ferziger to explore the quiet revolution reshaping Israeli Judaism. Drawing on his new book, Agents of Change, Ferziger reveals how American Modern Orthodoxy—its values, institutions, and worldview—has profoundly influenced Religious Zionism and the broader Israeli religious landscape. From the tension between nationalism and modernity to the emergence of a...

info_outline He’s Christian. He Fights for Israel. He Speaks Talmudic Aramaic. show art He’s Christian. He Fights for Israel. He Speaks Talmudic Aramaic.

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Ready to discover how reviving a lost language can reshape the whole Middle East? Ta Shma (come and hear) Geoffrey Stern and Rabbi Adam Mintz are joined by Shadi Khalloul—IDF paratrooper veteran, founder of the Israeli Christian Aramaic Association, and one of the world’s most passionate advocates for reviving the Aramaic language. Together, they explore Parshat Vayetzei and the hidden “Rosetta Stone” moment in Genesis 31, where Jacob and Laban name the same monument in Hebrew and Aramaic. Key Takeaways Aramaic is the Hidden Backbone of Jewish Life Aramaic Once United the Ancient...

info_outline Trickery or Evolution? Rethinking Jacob’s Stolen Blessing show art Trickery or Evolution? Rethinking Jacob’s Stolen Blessing

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What if one of the Torah’s greatest heroes was actually its most scandalous trickster? In this episode of Madlik Disruptive Torah, Geoffrey Stern and Adam Mintz dive into one of the most provocative moments in the Torah: Jacob’s audacious act of deception to secure his father Isaac’s blessing in Parashat Toldot. Rather than smoothing over the ethical wrinkles, we sit with the discomfort, exploring why the Torah insists on portraying our third patriarch as a trickster—and what we’re meant to learn from a hero whose virtues are tangled with flaws. Key Takeaways The Torah Embraces...

info_outline Sarah's Separation from Abraham | With Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler show art Sarah's Separation from Abraham | With Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

What happens when women finally enter the conversation that’s 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 — 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—especially the matriarchs—and appreciate the living tradition of midrash as a vehicle for creativity and...

info_outline Nobody Wants This - Argument With God show art Nobody Wants This - Argument With God

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

A Netflix rom-com jokes that Judaism “encourages me to argue.” Turns out, that’s not a joke—it’s what set Abraham apart. A Netflix rom-com gives us a throwaway line that might be the most Jewish thing ever said on screen. When a young rabbi admits that Judaism loves two opposing opinions, his girlfriend lights up: “A religion that encourages me to argue? Love that.” It’s meant as a joke, but this week’s Torah portion proves her right. Sarah laughs at divine promises, Abraham bargains with God over justice, and on Mount Moriah, even silence feels like protest. Judaism...

info_outline Israel More Inclusive? An Immigrant's Perspective show art Israel More Inclusive? An Immigrant's Perspective

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

3,000 years after Abraham heard the call to go forth, a group of 20 somethings booked a one-way ticket to Ben-Gurion. What if the journey of Abraham in the Torah mirrors the modern-day aliyah experience? In this episode we dive into the modern-day "Lech Lecha" story with Noah Efron from The Promised Podcast. From his Young Judea roots to teaching at Bar Ilan University, Noah shares his journey of making aliyah (immigration to Israel) from America in the early 80s, offering a fascinating perspective on what it means to "go forth" in our generation. Key Takeaways The power of community in the...

info_outline The Role of Language in Preventing Global Conflicts show art The Role of Language in Preventing Global Conflicts

Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism

Do They Really Speak with One Voice?” Yigal Carmon on the Arab Street In a world where words can both unite and divide, understanding the true meaning behind them is more crucial than ever. This week's Madlik episode delves deep into the power of language, translation, and cultural understanding with special guest Yigal Carmon, founder of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI). Key Takeaways The Deception of Unity: The illusion of a single voice in the Arab world often masks complex realities and diverse opinions. Translation is Not Enough: Simply bridging the language gap doesn't...

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More Episodes

The only Israelite to go down to Egypt and enter the Promised Land was a woman.

In the years after the Civil War, heritage groups began honoring a rare category of Americans: Real Sons and Real Daughters — children born to aging veterans of that war. Not grandchildren. Not great-grandchildren. Their actual children. Living, breathing links to a fading past.

Today, the same honor is given to the children of Holocaust survivors. These are voices that don’t just remember history — they carry it.

In the Torah, there is one figure who embodies this idea more than any other.

Her name is Serach bat Asher.

According to legend, she enters Egypt with Jacob’s family — and, somehow, centuries later, she helps Moses find Joseph’s bones, enters the Promised Land and even consults with 3rd Century Rabbis of the Talmud. She provides us with a paradigm for a social institution that is undervalued... the Living Legacy. We explore this critical source of cultural history in the Bible, Rabbinic texts, other religions and cultures.

Key Takeaways

  1. The power of intergenerational wisdom
  2. The value of seeking out and listening to living witnesses
  3. That authenticity comes from experience, not just bloodlines

Timestamps

  • [00:00:00] – Introduction to “real daughters” and the historical role of living links to the past
  • [00:02:48] – Rabbi Adam begins discussing the Parsha and the uniqueness of Serach bat Asher
  • [00:05:08] – Reflections on personal connections to historical generations and legacy
  • [00:08:06] – Discussion of adoption, inheritance, and authenticity in Jewish tradition
  • [00:10:03] – Serach reveals the location of Joseph’s bones, showing her enduring memory
  • [00:13:10] – Why Serach, as a woman, may have symbolized enduring legacy and transition
  • [00:16:00] – Midrash: Serach gently reveals to Jacob that Joseph is alive through song
  • [00:19:32] – Serach credited with prophetic knowledge of Joseph's survival
  • [00:23:00] – Serach offers eyewitness testimony at the splitting of the sea
  • [00:29:00] – Broader discussion on real sons/daughters, Holocaust survivors, and living legacy

Links & Learnings

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Safaria Source Sheet: https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/662562

Transcript on episode web page: https://madlik.com/2025/07/16/serach-the-keeper-of-israels-collective-memory/