5780 — Beshalach: Poets with Mud on Their Shoes: The Song of the Sea and its Aftermath

Introduction

When faced with their miraculous salvation at the sea, the Israelites respond as poets. Yet throughout the surrounding narrative, their reactions to events–a litany of virtually relentless complaints–demonstrates the very opposite of a poetic mindset. In this podcast, Judy Klitsner is in conversation with her colleague Zvi Hirschfield. They explore the tension between a poetic sensibility and its opposite: situations in which (in the words of the poet Rilke) one is “not poet enough to call forth life’s riches”.

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Credits
Judy Klitsner – Faculty Host for Pardes from Jerusalem
Larry Kluger – Creative Consultant
Arlene Harel – Production Coordinator
Adam Titcher – Executive Producer and Director of Digital Media

Judy Klitsner

Judy Klitsner is the Rabbi Joshua S. Bakst Chair in Tanakh and a senior educator in Bible at Pardes. A student of the renowned Bible teacher Nehama Leibowitz, Judy is known for her close textual readings that weave together traditional commentary, modern scholarship and original interpretation. Her book Subversive Sequels in the Bible: How Biblical Stories Mine and Undermine Each Other received a National Jewish Book Award.

Judy has taught generations of students at Pardes, many of whom now use her methods in Jewish educational settings around the world. An internationally sought-after lecturer, she has taught Bible to Jewish, Christian, and Muslim religious leaders. Judy is also the founding board chair of Sacred Spaces, an organization dedicated to preventing and addressing abuse in Jewish institutions.