Sarah's Separation from Abraham | With Prof. Rabbi Wendy Zierler
Madlik Podcast – Disruptive Torah Thoughts on Judaism
Release Date: 11/12/2025
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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
info_outlineWhat 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 challenge.
- Hear how feminist perspectives and modern poetry revitalize Jewish text study, offering new interpretations for “the life of Sarah”—and 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’s story in Genesis.
[00:02:31] Discussion begins on Sarah’s laughter and how women’s scholarship reframes her response and role in Torah narratives.
[00:03:46] Wendy explains the irony of “Chayei Sarah” focusing on Sarah’s death and how reading the gaps reveals her inner life.
[00:05:36] They examine Abraham and Sarah’s separation after the Akedah and what it reveals about love, obedience, and divine testing.
[00:09:02] Wendy argues the Akedah causes a rupture—between Abraham and Sarah, Abraham and Isaac, and even Abraham and God.
[00:12:40] The hosts explore new feminist midrash: Sarah’s imagined agency, waiting for angels, and representing love over fear.
[00:17:22] Conversation turns to Sarah’s burial choice as an act of leadership that shaped the matriarchal roots of the Jewish story.
[00:19:53] Transition to Wendy’s book Going Out with Knots and how Hebrew poetry became her lens for mourning and feminist study.
[00:21:41] Wendy teaches Leia Goldberg’s reinterpretation of “the three pillars of the world,” highlighting women’s creative renewal of tradition.
[00:26:42] Discussion closes with Yehuda Amichai’s outsider voice, women’s return to Hebrew literature, and modern creativity as living midrash.
Links & Learnings
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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