Pardes from Jerusalem

What does it take to truly cross from survival into freedom?

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Yiscah Smith explore Parshat Beshalach through the lens of trauma, freedom, and spiritual courage. They examine why the Israelites are not ready for battle, why song only emerges after the splitting of the sea, and how freedom requires more than escape—it demands inner transformation. Moving between text, Midrash, and lived experience, the conversation invites listeners to see the crossing of the sea as both a national liberation and a personal call to “jump in” to the unknown on the path to becoming truly free.

Does true redemption include repair for those who caused harm?

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Lauer explore Parshat Bo through a troubling command: the Israelites’ request for silver and gold from the Egyptians. They unpack why this moment feels ethically uncomfortable and trace how classical commentators—from Ibn Ezra to the Malbim—reframe it not as exploitation, but as justice, dignity, and even reparative healing. Drawing connections to modern debates about reparations, guilt, and responsibility, the conversation asks how redemption can include moral repair for both the oppressed and the oppressor.

Can redemption begin if we don’t yet believe we deserve it?

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Judy Klitzner explore Parshat Va’era at its lowest point, when redemption seems to move backward and hope feels out of reach. Through close literary reading, they trace how slavery erodes self-worth, distorts memory, and traps both the people and Moshe in a cycle of despair. God’s response reframes redemption not only as freedom from suffering, but as a restoration of identity, covenant, and purpose—challenging the Israelites to see themselves as worthy of redemption before they can fully receive it.

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This week’s episode is generously sponsored by Francine Stein in loving memory of her mother, Mollie Siegel z”l, Malka bat HaRav Yaakov and Chana Sara, who recently passed away on the 8th of Cheshvan. A woman ahead of her time who earned her Master’s degree in the 1940s, Mollie was a devoted listener who found great meaning in this podcast’s Torah lessons, even in her final days. She was dedicated to her family, Klal Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael. May her memory be a blessing.

If redemption begins with seeing, what are we choosing not to see?

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Reifman explore Parshat Shemot as a story shaped by anonymity, forgetting, and the struggle to know—God, others, and ourselves. They trace how the absence of names and divine presence gives way to redemption through acts of moral seeing, from the midwives to Moshe. The conversation asks how awareness, responsibility, and truly seeing others become the first steps toward knowing God and breaking cycles of oppression.

What does Jewish leadership demand in uncertain times?

In this episode, a conversation on Jewish leadership and communal responsibility explores how Torah values shape philanthropy and public life today. Zvi Hirschfield speaks with Pardes alumnus Marc Baker about moral vision, collective obligation, and translating Jewish texts into action, reflecting on how learning, community, and purpose guide Jewish leadership in a complex contemporary moment.