Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 19, 2013 by Lisa Motenko
I chose to write a dvar torah for this week’s portion of Shemot because it is the week of my birthday and this was also the portion for my bat mitzvah 17 (gasp!) years ago! I have been privileged to study Shemot in depth this semester at Pardes and could describe dozens of fascinating insights, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 16, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
There was something very special about this morning’s davening (praying) that I don’t always feel. But it started way before my friend started to sing pesukei d’zimra (the opening blessings). This morning wasn’t your average morning, yes, we came early for davening at 7am like other days, but it was difficult. After the Jerusalem snow Continue Reading »
Posted on January 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
This week, Rabbi James Jacobson-Maisels discusses Parashat Shemot in “Fear of Sin, Mindfulness, and a Softened Heart.” james shemot Shabbat Shalom!
Posted on January 2, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
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 Continue Reading »
Posted on December 30, 2012 by David Bogomolny
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 Continue Reading »
Posted on January 13, 2012 by Derek Kwait
(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) Last year on Parshat Sh’mot, I gave the following speech at Young People’s Synagogue where I announced my intention to apply to Pardes for the coming year. As it turns out, once I got to Pardes, I spent most of the first semester in Chumash studying Parshat Continue Reading »
Posted on January 13, 2012 by Barer
On the podcast this week, Rabbi Daniel Roth discusses the concept of one nation oppressing another. Shmot 5772 [Don’t forget the handout]
Posted on January 13, 2012 by Barer
For this week’s parsha, I wanted to give over a small portion of a class I had the privilege of attending given by Shmuel Klitsner, talking about the strange episode at the Malon (inn), in which Hashem, or some representative, tries to kill Moshe. Shmuel drew a number of fascinating connections between this episode and Continue Reading »
Posted on December 26, 2010 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, It’s hard to believe how the winter months are passing and in particular, that the ‘holiday season’ is upon us. In Israel, you don’t really feel that it’s almost Christmas — there are no colourfully decorated trees in front yards, no “Jingle Bells” playing in the mall. Being in a dominantly Jewish society Continue Reading »
Posted on December 21, 2010 by Avi Strausberg
we get our first hint “that we’re not in kansas in anymore” (dorothy, wizard of oz), when on our first page of our brand new book shmot, we learn that there’s a new king in town, and this new king does not know nor seem to care at all for joseph. this first parsha שמות, Continue Reading »
