An outlander arrives in J-town.
Not my first time and G!d-willing, not my last.
In a newish role: student, not teacher!
The book is open.
Disequilibrium: distance from home and life partner,
Jitters, does anyone understand who I am?
Do I understand who I am
In this novel circumstance?
Jewish Dating Tips #1: If we call ourselves single, we make ourselves lonely—A single is a person shipwrecked on an island. Adam HaRishon, the first man was single. Nobody else has been single since. When you feel alone and single, make your life more meaningful. Start appreciating those around you. Use the most precious gift an unmarried person has – your free time – to help others.
Black yarmulke? Check. White shirt? Check. Black pants? Check. Black Shabbos shoes? Check. Tzitzit out? Check. Sense of self?….As I walk down my street, telling a lie with each footstep, I feel the stares and the subtle resentment of each passerby as they rightfully judge me as something I’m not. I never thought of t-shirts, jean shorts, colorful knitted kippas, and tiztizit, as a statement of who I am before, but in this moment, I long to be me again. Or at least to get to my “date”’s house sooner where they get it.
When I arrive, she’s in the bathroom putting the finishing touches on her costume. From the back, I can already see the difference. The vivacious girl known for wearing clothing so loud that if it actually covered more of her body, everyone within a 10-yard radius would be in danger of becoming blind and deaf, has transformed herself into Frumma Blahstein for our “date.”
“Call me Shua,” I say, arms behind my back and avoiding her gaze as though making eye-contact were signing a ketuba kesuba.
“I’m Nomi,” she says, doing the same (I guess). “Laura, take our picture! Derek, let’s make this as awkward as possible!”
“It’s Shua, and that won’t be hard,” I say. We settle on a position on either side of a plant and look anywhere but at each other. “This is going to be so much fun!” we say, almost in unison.
Presented at Night Seder on April 22:
Dustin and Melissa Gutierrez studying at Pardes Night Seder
Melissa and I decided it would be an interesting experience and test of our marriage to learn together, so for the past few months we’ve been having what we fondly call “Mishna Mondays” here at Pardes night seder. We started at the beginning with Brachot, which as you can imagine covers all sort of blessings – beginning with the shema, ending with blessings over food, and covering everything else in between. We finished about a month ago, just after the start of Adar, so it only made sense to have a bit of fun with Continue reading
From my blog:
ד׳ באייר תשע״ג
April 14, 2013
יום ראשון Yom Rishon, the first day (of the week) meaning Sunday…
[I’ve decided to try to write seemingly mundane highlights for blog posts from now on since it has been so difficult for me to actually invest time in the extremely detailed descriptions I initially wrote many moons ago.]
I begin my day with the sunshine and birds’ sweet songs streaming into my bedroom from the window which opens onto my balcony.
On my walk to school two high school boys pass me, apparently reviewing for an exam, and I overhear one say to the other, ”רש”י אומר” which means “Rashi says” … Rashi is a French medieval commentator of Jewish text who is seen as the father of all commentators.
Starting last week, balconies and cars began to display Israeli flags in anticipation of the holidays observed this week and next, יום הזכרון, Yom HaZikaron, Memorial Day, יום העצמאות, Yom HaAtzmaut, Independence Day, and יום ירושלים, Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day. This morning I noticed even more flags waving in the wind from balconies, in front of schools and businesses… Continue reading
I discovered the following text during an Ayeka session, and found it very challenging… then, in spiritual havruta, I fought with myself to think about this with an open mind, and I’d like to share my subsequent thoughts further below.
אור ישראל, הרבי מסאלאנט |
Ohr Yisrael, Rav Yisrael of Salant |
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מהו מהות של יראת שמים?
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“What is the essence of the fear/awe of Heaven?” |
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הנה ידוע כי יש שתי בחינות ביראת ה’. וחכמי היראה והמוסר יכנו אותם בשם: יראת העונש ויראת הרוממות.
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It is known that there are two aspects of fearing God. The experts in this field call them: 1) Fear of Punishment, and 2) Awe of Reverence. Continue reading |
From my blog:
It’s been a long, dry spell in this blog, its onset corresponding somewhat ironically with the start of Jerusalem’s rainy season. The rainy season began with a clap of thunder and a few minutes of soft rain. I heard the thunder and didn’t quite believe it. Ran out to the merpeset (balcony) and felt the rain on my face! Everywhere around me, on other balconies, at open windows, and in the street, people stopped, marveled, and smiled! Here’s the rain, a necessary arrival after Israel’s dry, hot summer.
The new rain closely followed the start of the fall semester at Pardes Institute, where I am studying. Since then, Continue reading
By Mira B. Shore [Summer '09 and '10, Year '12]
It has been 7 months since I was in the Pardes Beit Midrash. 7 months since I walked the streets of Jerusalem, honoring my ancestors and being part of the Jewish story. 7 months since I actively and constantly questioned my religion, my spirituality, and my relationship with Hashem. 7 months since I watched the sun set over modern Jerusalem, personally fulfilling Biblical prophesies of our presence here forever. Walking down Rechov Rivka and in through the small and hidden front door of Pardes, I have never felt more like I am coming home.
Though the entrance code has changed and there are new faces, it feels like I never left. Exiting the familiar elevator and stepping into the narrow hall that is Pardes, I felt my heart swell and tears build up behind my eyes. I was welcomed with enthusiastic hugs and knowing glances from faculty, staff and students alike and I knew this was home.
After spending an academic year studying and living here (Sept 2011-May 2012), while it was difficult to leave, I was ready. I have since moved to NYC, Upper West Side, into a Jewish communal apartment and started graduate school at Columbia Teachers College to get my masters in Mental Health Counseling… finally pursuing my dream job of being a therapist. But gradually, as time went on, I could feel something was missing. I knew I missed Israel, Jerusalem and Pardes, but I also knew I’d be visiting in December-January with my family so I was not too worried.
Winter Break finally came and my family trip was beginning. My younger brother, Doron (18), is on his gap year program with Habonim Dror, living and volunteering in Israel. His being here gave my family and I an opportunity to travel and while we were coming to Israel eventually, we first had a week of touring Istanbul, Turkey. It was our first time there and it was very interesting, beautiful and inspiring. However, walking down the narrow streets, bargaining at outdoor markets and seeing some of the familiar walls built by Sulieman I, made me long for Israel in a different, deeper way. Continue reading
This week we are starting the sefer (book) of Shemot (Exodus), which literally means ‘names’. The weekly parasha is also called Shemot. I mention this because the first name that comes to my mind when I read this parasha is 
‘Isra Yaghoubi’ (Year ’08-’09, Fellows ’09-’10). She was my first Chumash havruta, and she left me with many clever Torah insights and lots of fond memories. This dvar Torah is l’zchutah (for her merit).
The section of Parshat Shemot that I’d like to focus on is at the beginning of Perek Bet (Chapter two) of Sefer Shemot:
| א. וַיֵּלֶךְ אִישׁ, מִבֵּית לֵוִי; וַיִּקַּח, אֶת-בַּת-לֵוִי | 1. And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. |
| ב. וַתַּהַר הָאִשָּׁה, וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן; וַתֵּרֶא אֹתוֹ כִּי-טוֹב הוּא, וַתִּצְפְּנֵהוּ שְׁלֹשָׁה יְרָחִים | 2. And the woman conceived, and bore a son; and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. |
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Originally posted on http://pomegranatesandpapercranes.blogspot.co.il/:
During orientation for the program I am in at Pardes (part of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators), we were challenged to 
set goals for ourselves for the year. I was a bit apprehensive about doing this at first, and put it off until now for the following reasons. The first month at Pardes was a rush of orientation, meeting new people, and holidays, with only a little bit of time left to get used to the rhythm of learning at Pardes. I wanted to see what I was in for in my classes, before I set goals for myself. This second month has been entirely focused on getting used to the rhythm of learning at Pardes, which was a bit overwhelming at times.
On Friday afternoon, I set my goals while walking from the Nahalat Shiv’a area back to my Apartment (about 40 minutes). I want to tell you my goals, especially everyone learning at Pardes, because I see an opportunity for all of us to support each other in reaching our goals for the year.
There are a couple of categories that I needed to establish before I could articulate my goals. They broke down into the categories of academic, professional and personal.
There is definitely overlap. For example, Hebrew and leading services are both professional and personal.
I will finish what is assigned for Chavruta (work you do with a partner) each day.
I will memorize the list of verbs that appear in the Tanach x amount of times, and finally master those of the concepts in Biblical grammar that I am still foggy about.
I will get beyond my stumbling blocks when it comes to reading Hebrew out loud. I knew coming into Pardes that reading out loud in Hebrew is an area in which I need improvement. Besides working with a tutor for half an hour a week, I am going to spend about an hour in the Beit Midrash (the big room where we do our learning) after school working on this, three times a week. So if you see me reading out loud to myself, now you’ll know why.
I will continue to hone my skills as an educator. This will be achieved through working with a mentor and participating in peer teaching. For this I have to thank the PCJE team for working with us to make it happen, peer teaching was not originally part of the program.
I will finally make a decision about what grade(s) I want to work with.
I will speak Hebrew for a minimum of one hour a week (hopefully more!).
The relatively immediate goal is that I will lead pesukey De’Zimra (preliminary morning blessings) at community davening and in the egalitarian service at Pardes. This ties in to my “reading Hebrew out loud” goal. I started with reading these blessings out loud, there are some seriously tongue twisting words involved.
Next is that I will learn to lead Shacharit (literally the morning service)
Parallel to these is that, I will read torah by the end of the year. This I am learning to do in a class.
All are things that want to take on for myself, and are necessary for a Jewish educator.
The following are goals of well being. These are also what are going to make it possible to achieve my academic and professional goals:
I will walk for at least one hour a day, if anyone wants to join me, they are more than welcome. More than anything I am struggling with sitting in the Beit Midrash and class all day long. Exercise is not only good for you physically, it also releases endorphins which relieves stress.
I will go to The Open Studio (Avigayle Adler’s studio) at least once a month, again, if anyone wants to join me, they are more than welcome. I miss being artistic, and this also is a stress reliever.
Even though this is not a Devar Torah, I want to give everyone a blessing, me to, why not, that we are all able to achieve the goals that we set for ourselves and if the opportunity presents itself, to help others achieve their goals as well.
In discussion with my chevrutah, we posited that the snake character of the narrative was rather puzzling. Why would a snake be in conversation with human beings? Moreover, why would a snake have such a pivotal role in גן עדן setting off a series of events and changing the course of humankind?
We came to the startling conclusion that in this story the snake is a metaphor for sexual energy between אדם and חוה. Only such an energy would result in their becoming aware of their nakedness and more significantly manifest in their being “like God”— having the power to create life.
My pictorial representation includes male (green) and female (red) energies with the נחש, sexual energy (blue), between the two. As I was creating this, a space appeared in the midst of these energies. I realized that by including a space for God (and how lovely that the space was heart-shaped) the union was complete. All of the characters of גן עדן were accounted for and present.
I chose to contain this representation in the shape of a רמון (pomegranate) for several reasons. Primarily, it is a symbol of fertility which is a central element of the narrative. Furthermore, pomegranates are in season in Israel at this time of year and are eaten often during ראש השנה, the holiday which commemorates the creation of the world. Finally, some scholars believe that the fruit from the tree in גן עדן was actually a pomegranate.