Vayera 5784: An Imminent and Transcendent Connection

Do we allow our pursuit of spirituality to get in the way of true divine connection?

In this week’s episode of Pardes from Jerusalem, Yiscah Smith and Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield discuss Parshat Vayera through the lens of human and divine connection. When the three strangers arrive at Avraham’s tent, we find Avram in the midst of a deep spiritual moment, yet he immediately shifting to greet the new arrivals. Did Avraham dismiss God and that spiritual moment, or did he bring God with him? If the forefathers and foremothers are meant to be role models, what can learn from Avraham leaving that spiritual moment for the sake of other humans?

At the end of the episode, Yiscah and Zvi also discuss the concept of light vs. darkness, an important topic in light of the current war in Israel.

Credits: Yiscah Smith and Rabbi Zvi Hirschfield – Pardes Faculty

Yiscah Smith

Yiscah Smith is an adjunct faculty member at Pardes, where she teaches Hasidism and spiritual texts. A spiritual activist, educator, mentor, and meditation guide, Yiscah approaches Judaism as a spiritual practice rooted in the encounter with the Divine spark within and beyond oneself. Yiscah holds a Master’s Degree in Jewish Education from The Jewish Theological Seminary.

Yiscah’s passion is encouraging and empowering others to carve their own paths. Her work takes many forms: faculty at Pardes, Applied Jewish Spirituality, and the Institute for Jewish Spirituality; founder and director of Conscious Community Nachlaot in Jerusalem; international lecturer; and author of Planting Seeds of the Divine: Torah Commentaries to Cultivate Your Spiritual Practice. As an avid gardener, Yiscah also enables her passion for growth to find expression in the natural world.

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