Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 22, 2014 by Sarah Marx
In the last week, hovering on the edge of Rosh Hashanah, I’ve heard and sung songs that shook me to my core. In the coming weeks, I’ll be faced with many more – liturgy for the High Holidays, its passion and fear barely contained by the melodies’ majesty, or zemirot sung around the Shabbat table. Continue Reading »
Posted on September 11, 2014 by Binyamin Cohen
Night Seder Chevrutas Binyamin Cohen and David Wallach join together to reflect on this week’s parshah, Ki Tavo. דְּבָרִים כו:ב, ה ב “וְלָקַחְתָּ מֵרֵאשִׁית כָּל-פְּרִי הָאֲדָמָה, אֲשֶׁר תָּבִיא מֵאַרְצְךָ אֲשֶׁר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ נֹתֵן לָךְ–וְשַׂמְתָּ בַטֶּנֶא; וְהָלַכְתָּ, אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם, אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, לְשַׁכֵּן שְׁמוֹ שָׁם… ה וְעָנִיתָ וְאָמַרְתָּ לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי, וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה, Continue Reading »
Posted on September 10, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
The month of Elul is a wake-up call. As the month before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it is a chance to do some very serious soul searching and think about what/who/how I want to be in the coming year. We have been discussing this idea in each of my classes – what does Continue Reading »
Posted on October 9, 2013 by Hannah Joy
From my blog: Some more of my observations, now that I’ve been here for about a month and a half: Only in Israel… Would the entire country (including the airport) shut down on Yom Kippur, and the streets be empty of cars, but full of people dressed in white walking to synagogue, and bikers enjoying Continue Reading »
Posted on September 29, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Daniel Shibley (Year ’11, Fellows ’12) reflects: Whether you are in the diaspora or Israel, all of the holidays in this season have come to a close. Although we may joke about them finally being over and the relief therein, every year at this point, I experience a quasi-withdrawl syndrome. The following is an attempt Continue Reading »
Posted on September 28, 2013 by Sam Stern
From my blog: We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on. The holiday of Sukkot is sometimes referred to as the Festival of In-gathering. In the agricultural world, this time period marks the completion of the harvest and the beginning of the planting/rainy season. Continue Reading »
Posted on September 24, 2013 by Jeff Amshalem
Here’s a teaching of R. Aharon of Karlin (1802-1872) based on teachings his grandfather, Aharon the Great of Karlin (1736-1772), one of the earliest Hasidic rebbes, gave at Simhat Torah. Before we start, it’s worth taking a look at the midrash that will be the lynchpin of the teaching, from Bereishit Rabbah 8:1. Said Rabbi Jeremiah ben Continue Reading »
Posted on September 18, 2013 by Laura Marder
What if you always knew exactly how long you have something or someone to enjoy? You knew that these were the precious few days or years and then they/ it would be gone. Would that change your relationship or feelings towards them/it? Would you follow the wise words of Rav Tim McGraw and “live like Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
From my blog: I walked out of Shul on Friday night, after Kol Nidre, feeling a little bit guilty. I beat my chest, I proclaimed the words, but I didn’t feel truly connected to sins that seemed so grand. I rattled off ashamnu, bagadnu, dibarnu dofi…., but my heart wasn’t in it. I guess I fell Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2013 by Sam Stern
From my blog: This is no ordinary lamp. It once changed the course of a young man’s life. A young man, who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed. A diamond in the rough. Yom Kippur did not bring about the fast that I had expected. During my Friday afternoon prep, I made Continue Reading »
