header
header

Shavuot 5785: Joining the Covenant

What does it really mean to join the Jewish people?

In this episode, Zvi Hirschfield and Rabbi Brent Spodek explore the themes of Shavuot through the lens of Megillat Ruth and Jewish conversion. They examine what it means to join the Jewish people—not just through ritual or belief, but through commitment to community, chesed, and a life of purpose.

Featuring
Rabbi Brent Spodek – Pardes North American Faculty
Zvi Hirschfield – Pardes Faculty and Host of Pardes from Jerusalem

Brent Spodek

Rabbi Brent Chaim Spodek is a Faculty Associate Fellow for Pardes North America. He received rabbinic ordination and a master’s degree in Philosophy from the Jewish Theological Seminary, where he was the first recipient of the Neubauer Fellowship. Prior to entering the rabbinate, he attended Wesleyan University and worked as a journalist in Durham, North Carolina.

Brent has served as the rabbi of Beacon Hebrew Alliance since 2010, and previously held positions at American Jewish World Service and Congregation B’nai Jeshurun. A Senior Rabbinic Fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, Brent has been recognized by the Jewish Forward as one of the most inspiring rabbis in America, and by Newsweek as “a rabbi to watch.” He lives in Beacon with his wife and two children.