These and Those

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

Tag Archives: creative writing

The Patriarch’s Plea, or: Abraham’s Moment of Doubt and Pain

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Benjamin Friedman

Performed on the Negev tiyulduring the Talent Show: I sat in fire with my faith I smashed the idols of my race I left the land of father’s rules To wander far and play the fool Against great doubts I had to fight All to be keep your vision bright To keep you fixed within Continue Reading »

A Song of Gratitude and Request

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Ahava Zarembski

This is a song of gratitude and request As I flow into the next phase of life May I integrate all of the various pieces of myself May I share it with others may I share it with myself May I stand in fullness in all of the fragments That once shattered into being And Continue Reading »

[Guest Post] Jewish Studies, a Poem by Abraham Leibson

Posted on October 17, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Early in 2013 my wife Sharon and I visited Israel for the first time. We rented an apartment in Jerusalem (Rehavia), and used it as a base to explore as much as we could in one month. I had prepared a long list of objectives and almost all of the objectives were achieved. One of Continue Reading »

The Copyist

Posted on September 22, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

 From my blog: The Copyist   People tell me that I am brave. People tell me that what I do is scarier than a job interview or public speaking. It’s more frightening than singing karaoke in front of 15 Julliard students. It’s more terror-inducing than a claustrophobic getting into an elevator with a 360-pound football player Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] On Yom Kippur, the shul is full.

Posted on September 11, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

On Yom Kippur, the shul is full. The normally sparse rows are packed, white plastic pool chairs spill out and crowd the aisles. Why do people come. The people that never come, why do they come now, on this day. As a child, I wasn’t even sure why I came. No holiday made me question Continue Reading »

Just – Can’t – Say it…Right

Posted on September 10, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

From my blog: Sometimes my Mind Thinks in Poetry Sometimes my mind thinks in poetry, but it’s a halting poem because I’m feeling and I’m feeling and I can’t put the right words to the feelings.

[Alumni Guest Post] Pardes Summer Program 2013

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Talia Kern

Here is the poem I read at the closing lunch for the ’13 summer program: We started Pardes on the eighth of July Little did we know, that time would fly At our opening circle, there are so many names “Come hear about the classes,” Alex exclaims. Nechama, Tzvi, Yaffa, Reuven, who should we choose? Continue Reading »

A Poem: “Moshe”

Posted on July 28, 2013 by Eli Steier

Perfect standards for Perfect people Do not take us out of the wilderness And our people have known wilderness All too well Perfect standards for Imperfect people Are just enough to Take us Home

[Alumni Guest Post] Sefer Shmuel: The Poem

Posted on June 6, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

By RRC student Kate Cook (hourly ’12-’13), for the siyum of Michael Hattin’s Sefer Shmuel class. In our reading of Shmuel we got the p’shat of Characters, plot or a literary theme. Intertextuality we’ve had quite a lot of But not the centrality of the kelim. For instance the spear: Plishtim cornered the market With Continue Reading »

Community Lunch Siyum Farewell

Posted on May 31, 2013 by Hannah Perlis

Here is my poem from community lunch: Hello Pardes, I am here today, to tell you a little poem that I will now say… “To be a teacher”, I once heard, is a great endeavor, was the word… Summer’s off and shortened days, these are the stereotypes that some often raise. But, oh there’s so Continue Reading »