Pardes From Jerusalem

Can self-reflection become a path to holiness? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash explore Parshat Vayakhel–Pekudei through a striking detail of the Mishkan: the women’s mirrors used to create the basin for the priests. Drawing on Midrash and interpretation, they reflect on how mirrors symbolize self-awareness and identity—reminding us that serving God begins with knowing who we are. The conversation asks how self-reflection, relationships, and moral intention can transform ordinary human awareness into sacred service.

What does Jewish tradition teach about the right way to use wealth and power? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Shalhevet Kahana explore Parshat Ki Tisa and the story of Purim through the lens of wealth and power. From the mitzvah of the machatzit hashekel to the lavish excess of Achashverosh’s court, they examine how money in Megillat Esther becomes a moral test—used by some to dominate and by others to build community and responsibility. The conversation asks what Jewish tradition teaches about the ethical use of wealth and influence.

How do we remain faithful to tradition when a sacred text makes us uncomfortable? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Reifman take a thoughtful look at one of the hardest parts of Megillat Esther—the battle scenes at the end of the story. As Purim approaches, they explore different ways to understand these passages: Was the war defensive? A product of its time? Or even intentionally over-the-top? The conversation offers a model for engaging difficult texts with honesty, while still celebrating Purim with depth and joy.

If God wants to dwell among us, what are we building to make that possible? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Raphael Polisuk explore Parshat Trumah and the surprising claim that the Mishkan is not a detour from Sinai, but its fulfillment. They trace how the language of holiness, fire, and divine presence links Mount Sinai to the Tabernacle, reframing the second half of Sefer Shemot as the book’s true destination. The conversation asks what it means to create space for God—not as a metaphor, but through concrete action, beauty, justice, and shared responsibility.

How does Torah teach us to use power without abusing it? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy explore Parshat Mishpatim as the Torah’s first sustained encounter with law—and what it reveals about human power and moral responsibility. They examine why revelation leads directly into detailed civil laws, how Torah assumes human failure, and why justice requires limits on authority, wealth, and even righteous intention. The conversation argues that holiness is built not through ideals alone, but through careful accountability in everyday human relationships.

What responsibility comes with being chosen? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Mike Feuer explore Parshat Yitro and the surprising choice to frame the revelation at Sinai through the presence of Yitro, an outsider. They examine how the Torah presents Jewish chosenness not as exclusivity, but as responsibility—calling Israel to become a mamlechet kohanim, a people devoted to serving God by serving the world. The conversation reflects on how particular covenant and universal mission are meant to work together.

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. ----------- 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

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.

Who carries our collective memory when others forget? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash explore Parshat Vayigash through the remarkable midrashic figure of Serach bat Asher. They trace how Serach becomes a guardian of memory—gently revealing Yosef’s survival to Yaakov, preserving sacred knowledge across generations, and reminding leaders of what must not be forgotten.

Is Yosef testing his brothers—or struggling to reclaim his own identity? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy explore Parshat Miketz through Yosef’s puzzling treatment of his brothers and the deeper questions it raises about anger, revenge, and responsibility. They trace classic interpretations—from Ramban and Abarbanel to the Zohar and Rav Yoel Bin-Nun—to ask what motivates Yosef’s actions. Framed by Hanukkah, the conversation culminates in Yosef’s moment of teshuvah: reclaiming his place in his family and choosing Jewish destiny over forgetting.

How does unresolved grief shape the choices we make—and the people we become? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Lauer explore Parshat Vayeishev through the lens of grief and the ways unresolved pain shapes Yaakov’s choices. They examine how the Torah’s seemingly hopeful opening—vayeishev, “he settled”—quickly gives way to family tension, favoritism, and disaster. Reading Yaakov as a father still mourning Rachel, struggling after Dina’s trauma, and missing the women who once guided him, they show how grief clouds judgment and fractures a fragile family system.

Can confronting ourselves be the key to transformation? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Tal Sessler explore Parshat Vayishlach as a story of identity, fear, and the lifelong struggle to integrate competing parts of the self. They examine Yaakov as the Torah’s first refugee, his preparation to meet Esav through prayer, gifts, and readiness for war, and his mysterious night battle—an internal confrontation that leads to the name Yisrael. Through psychological, philosophical, and modern Jewish lenses, they reflect on what it means to live in tension and still keep growing.

Can we truly change—or do we grow by struggling with who we already are? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Deborah Anstandig explore Parshat Vayetze through Yaakov’s twenty years in the house of Lavan—not as a tale of transformation, but of confronting the self we already are. They trace Yaakov’s persistent tendencies toward maneuvering, adaptation, and struggling with truth, showing how his experiences mirror our own ongoing battles with identity, integrity, and growth. The conversation asks what it means to seek change while accepting our human limitations.

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Raphael Polisuk explore Parshat Toldot through the lens of prayer, blessing, and the extraordinary power of human speech. They discuss Yitzchak’s deeply active model of prayer—la’ator, a language of turning reality—and how the rabbis imagine his tefillah transforming both himself and God. The episode then turns to the drama of the blessings, asking why words matter so profoundly in Torah and how language can create, heal, or harm.

How do we transform loss into legacy? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash explore Parshat Chayei Sarah as a meditation on grief, memory, and legacy. They discuss Avraham’s careful purchase of the burial cave as the first act of rootedness in the Land of Israel, his need for a physical place to mourn, and how burial transforms loss into continuity. Linking Avraham’s mourning for Sarah to today’s national and personal mourning in Israel, they reflect on commemoration, legacy, and the power of creating living memorials that carry love and purpose forward.

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Mike Feuer explore Parshat Vayera through the story of the Akeidah, reframing it not as Avraham’s test, but as Yitzchak’s act of awareness and choice. They discuss agency, sacrifice, and what it means to go beyond one’s limits in service of something greater. Drawing on Midrash and lived experience, they reflect on courage, commitment, and how moments of surrender can unlock the deepest expressions of faith and purpose.

When the world is on fire, who will stop and answer God’s call? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Gila Fine explore Parshat Lech Lecha through the famous midrash of the bira doleket—the burning building that leads Avraham to encounter God. They unpack centuries of interpretation, from Heschel’s vision of divine beauty to Rabbi Sacks’s call to bridge the world as it is and the world as it ought to be. Gila offers a striking literary reading: God is trapped in the flames, calling out for help—and Avraham becomes the one who answers.