These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: September 2018

“What would George do?” On Tshuvah and changing the way we think about change

Posted on September 13, 2018 by Mira Niculescu

The other day, my friend Hilorie told me about this wonderful technique she has been using for years in her psychotherapy practice. She tells her patients about this Seinfeld Episode in which George wanted to change things in his life. Remember George? The little fat, balding, glasses wearing and bitterness wreaking single middle-aged man, as Continue Reading »

From fire to peace. Reflections on Tisha B’Av

Posted on July 22, 2018 by Mira Niculescu

Today, Tisha B’ Av, we commemorate the destruction and mourn the burning of the temple. As I open Facebook mechanically, trying to forget the hunger of a fast day, here I see it: a video shared, showing southern Israeli fields burning. Acres and acres of fields and forests and trees burning from fire kites sent Continue Reading »

Charlottesville and Beyond: A Chassidic Response

Posted on September 3, 2017 by Mira Niculescu

Charlottesville was much more than Charlottesville. And what we can get out of it is much more than tears. A couple of weeks ago, I saw with consternation these men –  these women too, blond and bold, walking martially, torches in hand, closed jaws, empty eyes, shouting the chants that too often in history have Continue Reading »

“Water Wears Away Stone”: The (Soft) Power of Torah  — Reflections after a year of learning at Pardes

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Mira Niculescu

At Pardes, we have a great tradition. It’s called “Take Five”: A few months into the program, right before community lunch on Thursday, we all gather in the Beit Midrash to hear a student share five minutes of Torah. I love this practice. For the listeners, it’s a beautiful way to gain insight into other Continue Reading »

The G word. Defining God and other existential questions in a Parshanut class

Posted on January 4, 2017 by Mira Niculescu

So a few weeks ago, in my parshanut class, we had the God discussion. Anyone familiar with the Jewish world, and with the yeshiva world in particular, will know that while we spend our days reading and discussing what He does, how we relate to Him, what it means to be in His image, how Continue Reading »

Cheshvan: The Silence After Love

Posted on November 6, 2016 by Mira Niculescu

The silence after love: stretching space for all to be.  A Kavannah for the month of Cheshvan Last Tuesday morning was the first day of Rosh chodesh Cheshvan 5777. All of us at Pardes, faculty and students, alumni and guests, were invited to a communal morning davening, to welcome in the new month all together. Continue Reading »

Ki Tavo: Of Mountains and (a) Men: The Beautiful Mirrors of Empowerment

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Mira Niculescu

In honor of fellow Pardes student Jonah potasznick for his bar mitzvah parasha. May he continue to be a men talking to other men, no matter where the mountains are! Ki tavo is one of the last parashiot of the last book of the chumash, Devarim. We are getting towards the end of the kernel Continue Reading »

The Nakedness of New: Opening up to true Encounter through Torah Learning

Posted on September 18, 2016 by Mira Niculescu

Last Monday was our first day of class at Pardes. I had just arrived from Paris the night before, and the landing hadn’t been easy. Within a few hours of a plane journey, I had transitioned from an intense network of love and relationships to an empty apartment in a new country where I knew Continue Reading »