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.

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