Shows
Women’s Gallery: Showcasing Women in Jewish Leadership(21) Sara Wolkenfeld @ Sefaria: Opening up access to Torah in the digital ageThis podcast is powered by LSJS. Visit lsjs.ac.uk/connect to learn about our Jewish learning journeys & find something that suits you. I learn every day with my chavruta in Israel using Sefaria sources. So I’m delighted to be interviewing Rabbanit Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, the online database and interface for Jewish texts. Sara is passionate about Talmud education and about expanding Jewish textual knowledge and its accessibility for all. She writes and teaches widely about Jewish texts and Jewish law, and her current pr...2025-05-1341 min
Meaningful Work MattersAncient Wisdom in the Age of AI: Lessons from Sara WolkenfeldIn this episode, Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, joins Andrew to explore how ancient Jewish wisdom can guide our relationship with emerging technologies like AI. Drawing from traditional texts and her experience making Jewish wisdom accessible through digital tools, Sara offers insights on maintaining our humanity while embracing technological progress.Key Takeaways:Jewish tradition distinguishes between assigned labor (Avodah, עֲבוֹדָה) and creative labor (Melechah, מְלָאכָה), offering a framework for deciding which tasks to delegate to AI and which to preserve for human hands and mindsInstead of asking if AI can do a task better, we should ask: "...2025-04-0736 min
The Chochmat Nashim Podcast: Women Talk JudaismConnecting the Dots for Freedom, with Dr. Tanya White (Season 8 Episode 9)In our annual pre-Pesach preparation episode, Shoshanna and Anne talk with Dr. Tanya White to bring Torah to the seder table: on slavery, liberty, the heritage of Jewish identity, and God's constant presence, even when the times feel impossible. Listen to Chochmat Nashim's pre-Pesach preparation conversations from the past three years, with Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Rachel Sharansky Danziger, and Dr. Tammy Jacobwitz, respectively. Music: "Misery" by The Whips2025-04-0637 min
AI and FaithScrolls and Screens: AI’s role in Jewish Learning with Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld #26Join this interview with researcher Rabbanit Sarah Wolkenfeld and Joshua Mendel from December 23rd, 2024. Sefaria, a digital library of Jewish texts, sits at the intersection of ancient tradition and groundbreaking technology. As its Chief Learning Officer, Rabbanit Sarah Wolkenfeld is deeply immersed in the conversation of how we can use Artificial Intelligence to bolster and expand our horizons in religious studies. In this interview, she shares her thoughts on millenia old debates with Joshua Mendel, a rabbinical student, about the progress of technology, AI’s role in Jewish learning, how we choose the right medium for our holy books, an...2025-01-1621 min
Daf Yomi for Women - HadranBava Metzia 118 - June 25, 19 SivanToday’s daf is sponsored by Tzippy Wolkenfeld in loving memory of Yakira Leeba bat Avrohom Yosef Yehuda v'Sara Gita. "Tomorrow marks the first yahrzeit of our beautiful granddaughter Yakira Leeba bat Avrohom Yosef Yehuda v'Sara Gita, a glorious little person who inspired tefilla and chesed around the world." If one has an olive press built into a rock and another has a garden above it, if the ceiling of the olive press collapses, the garden owner can plant on the floor of the olive press. How big must the hole in the ceiling be to allow fo...2024-06-2548 min
Turn it and Turn itThe 21st Century Work/Shabbat Balance (4/4) with Rabbanit Leah Sarna and Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"
This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a...2023-11-271h 01Turn it and Turn itThe 21st Century Work/Shabbat Balance (3/4) with Rabbanit Leah Sarna and Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"
This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a...2023-11-271h 04Turn it and Turn itThe 21st Century Work/Shabbat Balance (2/4) with Rabbanit Leah Sarna and Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"
This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a...2023-11-271h 03Turn it and Turn itThe 21st Century Work/Shabbat Balance (1/4) with Rabbanit Leah Sarna and Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Labour & Rest"
This course explores the intersection of work and melakhah (forbidden Shabbat actions) in our non-agrarian, globalized, work-from-anywhere economy. The first three meetings of the course will introduce participants to under-studied areas of Hilchot Shabbat that are highly resonant to work today: what kinds of reading material are allowed on Shabbat? What kinds of list-making or tracking is allowed? In a globalized economy, how do timezones affect the work I can do on Friday or Saturday night? The last class will turn to a...2023-11-271h 06
Turn it and Turn itMultitasking and Mitzvot (3/3) with Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Mitzvot"
Are you always busy, juggling a million different commitments? Do you wonder how to set priorities within all the different opportunities and tasks that come your way? We will explore the Talmudic principle of "oseik b'mitzvah" the exemption from certain mitzvot for one who has a prior commitment to a different mitzvah. Through close readings of the relevant Talmudic passages and their medieval and modern commentaries, we will use this concept to examine how we can set priorities in our own busy lives.
2023-11-061h 21Turn it and Turn itMultitasking and Mitzvot (2/3) with Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Mitzvot"
Are you always busy, juggling a million different commitments? Do you wonder how to set priorities within all the different opportunities and tasks that come your way? We will explore the Talmudic principle of "oseik b'mitzvah" the exemption from certain mitzvot for one who has a prior commitment to a different mitzvah. Through close readings of the relevant Talmudic passages and their medieval and modern commentaries, we will use this concept to examine how we can set priorities in our own busy lives.
2023-11-061h 23Turn it and Turn itMultitasking and Mitzvot (1/3) with Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldThis season of Turn it & Turn it is on the topic of: "Mitzvot"
Are you always busy, juggling a million different commitments? Do you wonder how to set priorities within all the different opportunities and tasks that come your way? We will explore the Talmudic principle of "oseik b'mitzvah" the exemption from certain mitzvot for one who has a prior commitment to a different mitzvah. Through close readings of the relevant Talmudic passages and their medieval and modern commentaries, we will use this concept to examine how we can set priorities in our own busy lives.
2023-11-061h 16The Chochmat Nashim Podcast: Women Talk JudaismJudaism Is Better When Women Are Read (Season 6 Episode 16)Look at your shelf of Jewish books, and you'll see that you have far fewer books authored by women. Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld joins Anne and Shoshanna to elaborate on Sefaria's new writing circle to foster books of Torah scholarship written by women, some of the challenges - and also profound and practical hopes for the future women writers of Torah. Music: "Misery" by The Whips2023-07-1631 minDaf Yomi for Women - HadranGittin 26 - June 11, 22 SivanThis week's learning is sponsored by Judy and Zev Berman in honor of Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin on the occasion of her celebration of a significant birthday. "We take pride in having given her a shas on the occasion of her birthday over 3 decades ago and see how far Michelle and her family have taken the learning of Torah shebe'al pe. May she celebrate many more years of learning and avoda to klal Yisrael ad meah v'esrim. This week's learning is sponsored by Mark and Semé Dewees-Cooper in loving memory of Mark's father Arvie Cooper, Arieh Leb ben Meyer Ba...2023-06-1148 minDaf Yomi for Women - HadranGittin 22 - June 7, 18 SivanToday's daf is sponsored by the Hadran Women of Long Island as a zechut for a refua shelaima bikarov for Yakira Liba bat Sara Gita, beloved granddaughter of our friend Tzippy Wolkenfeld. May our learning be a zechut for her and all cholei Yisrael. Can a man give a get to his wife written on a perforated pot? Can he write it on the leaves of a plant that are in a perforated pot? What are the laws of kinyan (acquiring) regarding plants in a perforated pot when the plant is owned by a different person than...2023-06-0746 min
Identity/CrisisBible by BotIn the last few months, a new AI called ChatGPT has emerged and is already upending education at all levels. How will ChatGPT impact Jewish education and Jewish learning? Identity/Crisis guest host David Zvi Kalman, Director of New Media and Scholar in Residence speaks with Sara Wolkenfeld, Rabbinic Fellow of the David Hartman Center and Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria about what these technologies mean for Jewish learning, how we think about the sacredness of texts, and where we go from here.You can David Zvi's recent blog post about AI here.2023-01-2739 min
Learning About Learning: Conversations with Scholars of Jewish EducationEpisode 5: Spotlight on Daf YomiRabbi Professor Jane Kanarek (Hebrew College), Rabbi Avi Killip (Hadar), Professor Barry Wimpfheimer (Northwestern), Sara Wolkenfeld (Sefaria), moderated by Professor Jon Levisohn (Brandeis University).For decades following its invention in 1923, Daf Yomi was practiced by experienced, mostly haredi Talmud scholars, and criticized by many as well. Over time, the practice grew in popularity in that community. But in the 21st century, the practice has expanded dramatically, both in terms of the background of the participants and in terms of the very concept of what it means to “do the daf.”In this session, four highly expe...2022-11-291h 06
Matan: One on One Parsha PodcastEpisode 77 - Parshat Ha'azinu: On Poetry and other Torah TechnologiesIn this enlightening conversation with Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld, who serves as the Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, we speak about the ways we absorb Torah and the strengths of oral Torah.2022-10-0230 min
The Chochmat Nashim Podcast: Women Talk JudaismTaking a Seat at the Seder Table (Season 5 Episode 12)Pesach prep can take your time, energy, and attention away from the spiritual aspects of seder. Anne and Shoshanna went looking for "women's Torah" to enrich our seder experiences, and enlist Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld for her insights, experience, and many tips to help our seders be all they can be - without adding much prep time. https://www.sefaria.org/collections/pictures-tell-the-passover-haggadah https://www.amazon.com/Pictures-Tell-Passover-Haggadah-photographs/dp/9657801044/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3QHBBI8T8Y18P&keywords=pictures+tell&qid=1649676680&s=books&sprefix=pictures+tell%2Cstripbooks%2C116&sr=1-1 https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/305570?lang=bi https://www.youtube.com/watch...2022-04-1229 min
Adapting: The Future of Jewish EducationScrolling Through Jewish Texts, Season 2, Episode 20Who owns the Torah? What does it mean for Jewish education now that we have free universal access to the Torah, Talmud, and other Jewish texts? Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria, a free virtual library of Jewish texts, speaks with David Bryfman about her passion for Jewish text, how gender affected her own access to Jewish texts, and what drives her work building a new digital infrastructure for Jewish text. This episode was produced by Dina Nusnbaum and Gabriel Weinstein. The show’s executive producers are David Bryfman, Karen Cummins, and Nessa Liben. This episod...2022-04-0136 min
Uri L'Tzedek: Orthodox Social JusticeShemitah and Shared Ownership – Rabbanit Sara WolkenfeldInspired by the idea of relinquishing land ownership for the Sabbatical year, we will explore the possibilities that arise when we free ourselves from old constraints and are ready to improvise, embrace new models, and share resources with others.2022-02-2857 min
The Straw HatBamidbar 5781: The Definition of AntisemitismThis week, Rabbi Wolkenfeld and Rabbanit Goldie share some Torah relating to our current moment as we begin to reopen and increase our in-person capacity on Shabbat. Rabbi Wolkenfeld also speaks with ASBI Members Joel Braunold and Dr. Sara Hirschhorn about the official definition of antisemitism, if antisemitism needs an official definition, and what that definition should entail.
Music credit: “Three” from the album Proverbs, by Les Hayden, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
2021-05-131h 02The Straw HatChayei Sara 5781: Shaping the CultureThis week, Rabbi Wolkenfeld and Rabbanit Goldie reflect on the legacy and impact of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, a”h, in the wake of his passing. They also examine a question that has recently arisen of how we define a city through the lens of Halakha versus the lens of urban planning and discuss some of the compelling questions that will be explored in upcoming learning opportunities at ASBI.
Music credit: “Three” from the album Proverbs, by Les Hayden, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
2020-11-1134 min
The Koren PodcastTorah and Technology with Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld and Rabbi David Fohrman The impact technology has had on Torah is huge. We sat down with two people at the forefront of using tech and the internet to teach Torah to millions of people around the world. Whether creating an opensource platform to give access to the full range of Jewish texts in Hebrew and English to allow people to share their own learning, or creating an outlet for ideas that, previously, had no means of reaching people on the scale they deserved.Rabbanit Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld is the Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria.org, an online database, a...2020-08-171h 21The Koren PodcastTorah and Technology with Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld and Rabbi David FohrmanThe impact technology has had on Torah is huge. We sat down with two people at the forefront of using tech and the internet to teach Torah to millions of people around the world. Whether creating an opensource platform to give access to the full range of Jewish texts in Hebrew and English to allow people to share their own learning, or creating an outlet for ideas that, previously, had no means of reaching people on the scale they deserved.Rabbanit Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld is the Chief Learning Officer at Sefaria.org, an online...2020-08-171h 21The Straw HatVayeshev 5780: The Daf Yomi EpisodeThis week, Rabbanit Sarna and Rabbi Wolkenfeld welcome special guest Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld to discuss the upcoming holiday of Hanukkah. Next, they shift focus towards Daf Yomi in advance of the renewal of the 7.5-year cycle on January 5. They also interview Caroline Musin Berkowitz, one of ASBI’s regular Daf Yomi learners.
Music credit: “Three” from the album Proverbs, by Les Hayden, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
2019-12-1858 minThe Straw HatChayei Sara 5780: Announcing ASBI’s New SiddurThis week, Rabbanit Sarna and Rabbi Wolkenfeld have a parsha-themed discussion about tefilat mincha (and share why you should come to Mincha/Ma’ariv at ASBI!), followed by an exciting announcement that our shul has decided upon which Siddur we will be purchasing. Learn why they're so thrilled about the decision and hear from Rabbi Aaron Katchen, ASBI’s Koren Publishers sales representative.
Music credit: “Three” from the album Proverbs, by Les Hayden, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
2019-11-2039 minThe Straw HatKedoshim 5779: The Mikvah EpisodeThis week, Rabbanit Sarna and Rabbi Wolkenfeld interview Rabbanit Sara Wolkenfeld, Director of the Adam R. Straus Memorial Mikvah, to learn what is special about ASBI’s Mikvah and what it takes to keep it up and running. They’ll also use one of Professor Nechama Leibowitz’s gilyonot—parsha sheets—to explore one of the themes of Parshat Kedoshim: respect for the elderly.
Music credit: “Three” from the album Proverbs, by Les Hayden, used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.
2019-05-0852 min
In the Podsha: A Weekly Parsha ConversationParshat Vayishlach with Sara WolkenfeldIn the Podsha is back! Thanks for being patient, I had to take a break to work on an actuarial exam and the holidays.
This week I chat with Sara Wolkenfeld about all the good thing Sefaria.org is doing, Yaakov's name change's odd formulation, and Esav's and Yaakov's intentions while meeting again.
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Sara Tillinger Wolkenfeld is the Director of Education at Sefaria.org. She has taught Talmud and Jewish Law at the Drisha Institute, and served as JLIC educator and Director of Education at the Center for Jewish...2018-11-2131 min