Pardes from Jerusalem

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 conversat...

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...

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 forgo...

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 mo...

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 fathe...

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...

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...

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 wo...

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...

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...

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...

How do we rebuild a broken world without simply recreating the past? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Leon Morris explore Parshat Noach as a story not just of destruction, but of renewal. They discuss God’s recalibration of expectations after the flood, the new covenant symbolized by the rainbow, and Noah’s struggle to rebuild a broken world. Through Midrash and modern parallels—from pos...

What does the creation story teach us about our partnership with God? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Lauer explore Parshat Bereshit and what the creation story reveals about humanity’s relationship with God. They discuss how rain, prayer, and work symbolize dependence, gratitude, and partnership—and how the Torah calls us to balance effort with humility. Drawing on Midrash and Talmud,...

What does it mean to choose obligation? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash explore the layered meanings of Sukkot—its joy, its duality, and its challenge. They discuss the beauty and symbolism of the sukkah and lulav while grappling with women’s exemption from these mitzvot and what it means to choose obligation.

What does it take for forgiveness to be real? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash explore Parshat Ha’azinu and the themes of Yom Kippur through the lens of sin, forgiveness, and reconciliation. They examine the Talmudic teaching that while Yom Kippur atones for sins between humans and God, it does not cover wrongs between people until forgiveness is sought and gran...

What does it mean to write Torah for ourselves today? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Michael Hattin explore Parshat Vayelech . Join them as they discuss Moshe’s completion of the Torah, the mitzvah for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah, and the once-in-seven-years gathering of Hakhel as a reenactment of Sinai. The conversation explores how Torah is transmitted—through text, learning, an...

How do the tears of our ancestors guide our prayers today? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Shalhevet Cahana prepare for Rosh Hashanah through the lens of Parshat Netzavim and the holiday’s Torah readings. They explore the sound of the shofar as both coronation and weeping, and how the Torah highlights the tears of women—Sarah, Chana, and Rachel—as models of prayer. Against the backdr...

How can gratitude transform even the darkest moments into growth? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Tal Sessler explore Parshat Ki Tavo and its message of gratitude, resilience, and meaning. From the mitzvah of bringing first fruits to Isaiah’s words of consolation, they discuss how Torah helps us face trauma, despair, and anger with hope.

Do our moral obligations change when we go to war? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy explore Parshat Ki Teitzei and its surprising focus on the ethics of war. From the command to remember Amalek to laws about captives, newlyweds, and the holiness of the military camp, they show how the Torah insists that moral and spiritual responsibilities do not disappear in time...

When tragedy strikes, what does true responsibility look like? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Sefi Kraut explore Parshat Shoftim and the strange ritual of the eglah arufah—the ceremony performed when a murder goes unsolved. They discuss how Torah refuses to let society shrug off responsibility, insisting that leaders confront tragedy publicly. Drawing on rabbinic debate, they explore two vis...

What does it mean to see each moment as either a blessing or a curse? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Yiscah Smith explore Parshat Re’eh and Moshe’s call to “see” the blessing and the curse. They discuss how Torah frames life as a series of choices, not only in mitzvot but in how we perceive each moment. Drawing on Hasidic and spiritual practice, Yiscah teaches that every action—whether shopp...

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Michael Hattin explore Parshat Eikev and the deep connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. They discuss Moshe’s cautionary tales, the role of the land as both a blessing and a barometer of the nation’s spiritual life, and the tension between its material abundance and spiritual responsibility. The conversation asks what it means to liv...

What does Torah teach us about the possibility of starting over? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Aviva Wapner explore Parshat Va’etchanan through the unexpected appearance of the cities of refuge. They reflect on Moshe’s personal history as someone who once fled for taking a life, and how designating refuge cities now becomes a powerful act of humility, leadership, and legacy. The episode inv...

What does it mean to truly witness someone else's pain? In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Dr. Daniel Reifman explore the Book of Eicha through the lens of bearing witness to tragedy. As Tisha B’Av approaches, they examine the voice of Jerusalem calling out to be seen, the theological complexity of God as both punisher and consoler, and the modern relevance of survivor testimony—from Eicha...

What defines Jewish belonging—land, Torah, or loyalty? In this episode, Parshat Matot-Masei sparks a rich conversation between Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash about the tribes of Reuven, Gad, and Menashe who ask to settle east of the Jordan River. They explore Moshe’s sharp challenge to their request, the shifting language from “ahuzah” (holding) to “nachalah” (inheritance), an...