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February 13, 2024

The Periphery of Redemption: The Torah Readings of Rosh HaShanah

Rabba Wendy Amsellem

Rabba Wendy Amsellem

Rabba Wendy Amsellem teaches Talmud and Halakha at Yeshivat Maharat and directs The Beit Midrash Program, a joint project of Maharat and Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. She also teaches regularly at Drisha, Pardes, and the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center.  Rabba Wendy received semikha from Yeshivat Maharat and is an alumna of the Drisha Scholars Circle. She has a BA in History and Literature from Harvard University.

Click here to access podcasts recorded by Wendy Amsellem.

How can we know what God wants of us? In Genesis 16, Sarai, Avram, and Hagar all struggle to understand their roles in God’s covenant. Their interactions and their mistakes lay the groundwork for Genesis 21, the powerful Torah reading of the first day of Rosh HaShanah. We will do a close reading of both of these biblical texts and utilize rabbinic midrashim to explore each character’s motivation and why this story was chosen to be read on the Day of Judgment.