How did the monetary guarantee of the ketubah develop? What light can similar contracts from the Ancient Near East and modern pre-marital financial agreements such as the pre-nup shed on the nature of the ketubah, including the question of whether it is binding? Prof. Michael L. Satlow is Professor of Judaic Studies and Religious Studies at Brown U…

CW// sexual assault/r*pe What do Talmudic texts about vaginal bleeding and sexual assault tell us about how the rabbis perceived women’s humanity and subjectivity? Is a true gender-egalitarian halakha even possible? This is the second part of an interview. Listen to part one here. Dr. Rebecca Kamholz holds a PhD in rabbinics from Yale University. H…

CW// underage sex and sexual assault/r*pe What is the rabbis' definition of virginity, and why is it so complicated? What does it tell us about their view of feminine subjectivity and sexuality? Dr. Rebecca Kamholz holds a PhD in rabbinics from Yale University. Her areas of focus are gender theory and legal texts about women in the Babylonian Talmu…

Last year around this time we were finishing up Tractate Pesachim — take another dip into our Peseach archive with this episode compilation featuring ideas from Kadesh to Nirtzah We thank our guests, Dr. Susan Weingarten, Dr. Jon Greenberg, Rabbi Dr. Vanessa Ochs, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier, Dr. Rachel Scheinerman, Dr. Marc Michael Epstein, and Dr. S…

What can levirate marriage teach us about ancient Jewish family structures? Why start Seder Nashim with death? Dvora Weisberg is the Rabbi Aaron D. Panken Professor of Rabbinics, HUC-JIR Rabbinical School Director and Rabbinical Program Director in Los Angeles. She is the author of Levirate Marriage and the Family in Ancient Judaism, which explores…

Who really was Elisha ben Avuyah, and why was he a mistake of rabbinic interpretation? How did he become a blank canvas for the Rabbis’ heretical anxieties? Rabbi Dr. Alon Goshen-Gottstein is the founder and director of the Elijah Interfaith Institute, a nonprofit, international, UNESCO-sponsored interfaith organization. A noted scholar of Jewish s…

How did ancient Jews relate to angels? Are “Biblically accurate angels” really Biblically accurate? Dr. Mika Ahuvia is an associate professor of Classical Judaism in the Henry M. Jackson School of International Studies at the University of Washington, Seattle. Her book On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture invest…

CW//brief mentions of sexual abuse and abusers When, why, and how did the rabbis of the Talmud excommunicate people? How did they craft a narrative of powerlessness to invest themselves with more power? Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy is the Director of the Pardes Year Program at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem. In 2015, Meesh com…

How is climate a Divine language? Why should you get to know a tree? Rabbi Shoshana Meira Friedman is a writer, activist, and song-leader in Boston. She serves as the Director of Professional Development at Hebrew College, and as a rabbinic consultant to Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action. She is a contributing author to Rooted & Rising: Voice…

What does an inclusive Megillah reading sound like? What could the future of layning be? Rabbanit Bracha Jaffe serves as the Associate Rabba at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in Bronx, NY. A 2017 graduate of Yeshivat Maharat, she has taught many people women and girls to leyn and is the voice of the JOFA Megillat Esther and Megillat Rut apps. Sp…

Why is the Sages’ exposition of the Book of Esther so imaginative? How do we avoid blurring the lines between Midrashic homilies and what’s actually written in the text? Dr. Eliezer Segal is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Classics and Religion at the University of Calgary. He is widely published and some of his recent books include From Se…

How did the Sages of the Talmud understand the connection between rain and the Divine? How do talmudic stories impart ethical values? Dr. Jonathan Wyn Schofer is Associate Professor of Religious Studies, with affiliation in the Schustermann Center for Jewish Studies at The University at Texas at Austin. He has published work on the connections betw…

Hadran Alach Mesekhet Rosh Hashanah! Since the modern period and beyond, the communal creative practice of calendar making, which our Tractate has mainly focused on, has mostly left us — but not entirely. Hear from some of the artists and collaborators of The Radical Jewish Calendar Project. Rabbi Ariana Katz is the layout editor for the Radical Je…

What makes the shofar unique among Biblical instruments? How can a commandment to hear teach us to listen? Dr. Jonathan L. Friedmann is a scholar and practitioner of Jewish music. He serves as a pulpit cantor, he composes and arranges music, is a researcher in the area of the history and functions of synagogue song, and teaches at the Academy for J…

Is there mazal for the people of Israel? How did the Sages relate to the stars? Lorelai Kude has been a practicing, professional astrologer for more than 30 years. She received her Master’s Degree in Jewish Studies from Berkeley’s Graduate Theological Union, with a thesis titled: “Yesh Mazal l’Yisrael: Astrology in Jewish Cultural Heritage”, and wr…

What does an ethical Jewish meat company look like on the inside? How can we learn to care about where our food comes from? Naftali Hanau is the CEO and co-founder of Grow & Behold, the Brooklyn-based purveyor of fine kosher-pastured meats raised on family farms with no hormones or antibiotics. A shochet and menaker, Naf has learned with experts ac…

How did the Yom Kippur Machzor come to be? What’s the real story of Kol Nidre and U’Netaneh Tokef? David Stern is the Harry Starr Professor of Classical and Modern Jewish and Hebrew Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature and the Director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard University. His fields of specialization are ancient and…

Hadran Alach Mesekhet Sukkah! We shall return to you Tractate Sukkah! Finish off the tractate with us by hearing about a new, collaborative multimedia commentary on the final chapter, created by the Kreuzberg Kollel of Berlin. Rabbi Jeremy Borovitz is the Director of Jewish Learning for Hillel Germany, the co-founder of Base Berlin, and the Rosh Ko…

What is the Torah of music? How can we express our individuality through song while simultaneously singing together? Joey Weisenberg is the Founder and Director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. He is a mandolinist, guitarist, percussionist, and singer who has performed and recorded in a wide variety of musical styles, and has released or produced …

Why are some Jews using different species for the lulav ritual than those prescribed by the Talmud? How can we be more compassionate towards the land and produce the Sukkot festival celebrates, and better allies to the indigenous peoples whose lands we occupy? Gabi Kirk is a PhD candidate in geography with a designated emphasis in feminist theory a…

Is the housing crisis really that complicated? How can we cultivate compassion within ourselves for our neighbors experiencing homelessness and displacement? Aaron Berc is a community organizer at Jewish Community Action, an organization with the mission ​​to bring together Jewish people from diverse traditions and perspectives to promote understan…

How can limitations inspire creativity? In what ways do the laws of sukkah accommodate differences among communities? Professor Noah Resnick currently teaches and practices in the city of Detroit, Michigan. A partner at Laavu, Resnick is also the Associate Dean and Professor at the School of Architecture and Community Development at the University …

CW: eating disorders/disordered eating Should a person suffering from or recovering from an eating disorder fast on Yom Kippur? How can we change our own harmful attitudes towards food and our bodies? Temimah Zucker is a licensed clinical social worker providing sessions to those in New York and New Jersey who struggle with mental health concerns, …

How did the Torah reading ritual evolve from its origins in the Temple service on Yom Kippur to its familiar form as we perform it today? What can Talmud-era synagogue ruins tell us about how ancient Jews performed the ceremony? Rabbi Dr. Ruth Langer is Professor of Jewish Studies in the Theology Department at Boston College, and Interim Director o…

What did sacrifice mean to ancient Jews? Where do the meanings of our rituals that we are taught in school come from? Professor Jonathan Klawans is Professor of Religion at Boston University’s Department of Religion and the Elie Wiesel Center for Judaic Studies. He has published a number of important articles on the topics of ritual sacrifice and p…

What lessons can we take from the Yom Kippur scapegoat to the work of social justice? How can our understanding of justice inform how we practice teshuva? Rabbi Jessica Rosenberg has worked as a national organizer at Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, a movement of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all, and…

Why does Tractate Yoma read like a story? How did the paytanim, the liturgical poets of the post-Talmud period, turn its text into the most transcendent part of the modern Yom Kippur service? Dr. Michael Swartz is Professor of Hebrew and Religious Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at the Melton Center for Jewish Studi…

CW// Violence What can Rabbinic and other Jewish legal sources teach us about conflict resolution? And what can we gain from studying conflict? Rabbi Dr. Howard Kaminsky is an independent researcher. He has served as a research fellow at the Pardes Center for Judaism and Conflict Resolution, and as a mediator for Community Mediation Services in Que…

How did the Rabbis understand the role of the High Priest in the Temple? How do we trace the Levites through generations? Dr. Yonatan Miller is Assistant Professor of Religious Studies and Director of The Center for Religious Understanding at the University of Toledo. He has published articles in Jewish Studies Quarterly and in the Journal of Ancie…

Hadran Alach Mesekhet Shekalim! Take our listener survey HERE Special thanks to our executive producer, Adina Karp Keep up with Interleaved on Facebook and Twitter. Music from https://filmmusic.io "Midnight Tale" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)…

How did the Rabbis of the Talmud legislate giving? How is charity connected to repentance, and even redemption? Dr. Alyssa Gray is the Emily S. and Rabbi Bernard H. Mehlman Chair in Rabbinics and Professor of Codes and Responsa Literature at Hebrew Union College —Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. She is the author of Charity in Rabbinic Jud…

Hadran Alach Mesechet Pesachim! We shall return to you Tractate Pesachim! We thank our guests, Dr. Susan Weingarten, Dr. Jon Greenberg, Rabbi Dr. Vanessa Ochs, Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier, Dr. Rachel Scheinerman, Dr. Marc Michael Epstein, and Dr. Sara Ronis for lending us their voices, ideas, and insights to enhance each step of our, and now your, sed…

Where do demons come from? Why did the Sages try to contain them with strange laws? Dr. Sara Ronis is an associate professor of Theology at St. Mary’s University. She specializes in understanding rabbinic literature using interdisciplinary perspectives. She received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 2015, with a dissertation titled “Do Not Go Out A…

What’s the deal with the Birds’ Head Haggadah? How were illuminated Haggadot from the Middle Ages created, and why does everyone make such a big fuss about them? Dr. Marc Michael Epstein is Professor of Religion and Visual Culture at Vassar College. He is the author of, among other books, The Medieval Haggadah: Art, Narrative, and Religious Imagina…

CW// Firsthand description of animal sacrifice Why is so much of Tractate Pesachim devoted to discussing the Korban Pesach, a ritual that most of the Sages never participated in? What does the modern Samaritan ritual look and feel like? Dr. Rachel Scheinerman is an associate editor at My Jewish Learning where she edits the Daily Dose of Talmud news…

What makes a korban, a Jewish ritual sacrifice, a korban? What does desire have to do with atonement? Rabbi Dr. Shlomo Zuckier is a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University and lecturer at the Bernard Revel Graduate School. He recently completed his PhD from Yale where he focused on sacrifice. Previously a member of Yeshiva University’s Kollel Elyo…

Where do our customs come from? Why were the rabbis so worried about preserving local custom? Rabbi Vanessa Ochs is a Professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Virginia where she teaches courses in Judaism, anthropology of religion, and spiritual writing. In her research, she investigates new Jewish ritual, Jewish femini…

When did horseradish become synonymous with maror? How does a botanical background enhance torah learning? Dr. Jon Greenberg is an educational consultant and teacher of science at the Heschel School in New York. He received his bachelor’s degree with honors in biology from Brown University, his Master’s and Doctorate in agronomy from Cornell Univer…

An episode on Chanukah for the first chapter of a tractate all about Passover? Well, Chanukah doesn’t have its own tractate, and you deserve something fun before you spend 4 months learning everything about the official holiday of Jewish anxiety. So, how was Chanukah celebrated in America before Adam Sandler and Full Court Miracle? Why was the word…

With all of the technicalities and logistics involved in building and maintaining community Eruvin, it can be easy to overlook the humans who—expecting nothing in return—devote their time and energy to ensure everyone in their community can experience Shabbat as they’re meant to: together. We dedicate this episode to these tireless and generous Jew…

The Eruv is first and foremost a tool for community-building, but it’s easy to overlook the dividing line it creates between communities. How we can make our Eruvin less like fortresses and more like open-sided tents? What can the Talmud teach us about how to relate to people who do not belong to our communities? Hannah Lebovits is an Assistant Pro…

How on Earth does one curate a wildly popular museum exhibit about Eruv, one of the most technical topics in Jewish law? How is a museum exhibit like a page of Talmud? Zachary Paul Levine curated the exhibition “It’s a Thin Line: The Eruv and Jewish Community in New York and Beyond” for the Yeshiva University Museum in Manhattan, New York. He has p…

Who was Beruriah, the only woman whose halakhic opinion is recorded in the Talmud? What does her Torah mean for women Torah scholars today? Avigayil Halpern is entering her second year of study for rabbinic ordination at the Hadar Institute's Advanced Kollel while living in Washington Heights, New York. She holds a BA in Judaic Studies from Yale Un…

In what ways is the Talmud like a building? How can a bunch of poles and wires—the Eruv—create a spiritual community? Dr. Mitchell Schwarzer is a historian of architecture who writes and teaches about urban and suburban built environments. He is Professor of Architectural History and Chair of the Department of Visual Studies at California College o…

Hadran Alach Mesechet Shabbat! At times this tractate felt like an arduous journey so in celebration of its completion we asked you, our listeners, about your journeys. Specifically, journeys like the one mentioned in the first mishnah in the last chapter of this tractate — journeys where you didn’t make it home for Shabbat. Thanks again to Avi Rob…

CW: death/dying. What was it like to die during the time of the Talmud? Did the Sages really believe that the body of the deceased has a life of its own? Dr. David Kraemer is a Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary, where he has also served as director of its library for nearly fifteen years. His scholarship of the Ta…

Why is the Talmud’s primary discussion of Brit Milah found in the 19th chapter of Shabbat, of all places? How should we understand this ancient ritual in light of modern medicine, values, and conceptions of gender? Rabbi Eliezer Lawrence is a teacher and certified Mohel. An alumnus of Yeshiva Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, he holds an MA in Bibl…

Can a single thread really change a whole fabric? How does a loom actually work? Anita Rabinoff Goldman is a textile artist who specializes in quilts based in Boston, Massachusetts. A graduate of the University at Albany, with a degree in Art and Art History, she is the past owner of Pomegranate Judaica, a fiber arts business selling her handmade t…

How has safrut, the sacred craft of Jewish calligraphy, changed since the days of the Talmud? Why does it have such a rarefied air about it today? Jen Taylor Friedman is a soferet, a Jewish scribe, scholar, and educator. She is believed to be the first modern day soferet to complete a Torah scroll, and has over ten years’ experience in scroll creat…

What does the Talmud think about prosthetic limbs? What would it think if it were written in 2020? Tziona Zellis is a certified occupational therapist assistant and tutor in Brooklyn, NY. Following a car accident and more than 20 surgeries, Tziona’s right leg was amputated and she began wearing a prosthesis in 2019. She also works as a motivational…