MakomDC- Mendelson Family Scholar Series- Dr. Sarah Wolf
February 7, 2026 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Dr. Sarah Wolf
“The Stories that Shaped the Beit Midrash”
Shabbat Afternoon, February 7th at 1pm
The yeshiva is central to how we think about “serious” Jewish learning. Yet this format for study was not always part of Jewish life. The yeshiva, or rabbinic academy, emerged at a specific time and place, in the Persian Empire at the close of the Talmudic period. And, as we will learn, stories and storytelling were at the heart of its rise. The talk will primarily focus on the connection between stories and study at the time of the Talmud, but we will also explore the lasting cultural legacy of the rabbinic academy and consider the role of stories in forging new paths for Jewish study culture today.
Dr. Sarah Wolf is Assistant Professor of Talmud and Rabbinics at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She teaches, writes, and speaks about emotion, law, gender, community, and the imaginary in rabbinic texts. She lives in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan.