When I spoke at Community Lunch yesterday, I only had an outline. This is the closest I can remember to what I actually said.
Hi, my name’s Derek. I’m from Pittsburgh. I’m a Fellow here at Pardes, which means I’m in my second year, so if you have any questions about Pardes or Jerusalem, I’ll be happy to try to answer them.
Oh wait, wrong speech.
That’s the speech I wish I was giving—it’s so much easier to say hi to a stranger than to say good-bye to a loved one. And for me, Pardes is very, very much a loved one.
But you know, when I thought to start my speech this way, it occurred to me that when you study a text and when you meet good, smart, Pardes-kinds of people, every meeting is really a new introduction. It never ceases to amaze me how each time you go back to a text or a person or anything holy, it’s like meeting them all over again, because each time they surprise you with new insights, surprises, nuances, innovations.
There’s a great quote from Andrew Lustig Continue reading
This week, Dr. Meesh Hammer-Kossoy discusses Parashat Behar-Bechukotai in “An Economic Vision of Justice.”
At Pardes, alumna Malka Landau (Kollel ’00-’02) facilitated a workshop in which the entire student body practiced skills of deep listening, asking open questions, and mirroring, essential elements in constructive dialogue. After the workshop, students broke into discussion groups where they had the opportunity to 
