October 10, 2021
A Bavli Story about a Sukkah, a Savta, and Misogyny
Ms. Meira Wolkenfeld
Meira Wolkenfeld is a doctoral candidate at the Bernard Revel Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Yeshiva University. Her dissertation examines the role of the sense of smell in the world of the Babylonian Talmud. She has taught at Nyack College and Drisha’s Dr. Beth Samuels High School Program. She is also studying at Yeshivat Maharat.
In this class we will analyze a Talmudic story in which a woman accuses the exilarch of sitting in a stolen sukkah. The story follows a legal discussion about performing the mitzvot of Sukkot using stolen items. Looking at the literary and cultural context, we will examine the interpersonal interactions in the story and the ways the story nuances and personifies the themes of the surrounding discussion.