Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 15, 2016 by Seth Korelitz
Although we sometimes forget it, the Torah is not just a great religious text, it’s also a great literary text. For instance, the Torah often uses doubling — particularly of words or events — as a narrative technique. We’ll see probably the clearest example of this in the coming weeks, in the story of Joseph. Continue Reading »
Posted on December 8, 2016 by Elana Rothenberg
As part of a diverse community at Pardes, and an even greater multifaceted community within Israel at large, I am constantly intrigued at the different ways others, whom I might otherwise consider so similar to myself, view and interact with the world. At Pardes, coming together as one community each day to learn and exist Continue Reading »
Posted on November 15, 2016 by Adam Josephs
Gen. 18:16 The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Avraham walking with them to see them off. וַיָקמו מִשָם הָאֲנָשִים, וַיַשְקפו עַל-פְנֵי סְדם; וְאַבְרהָם–הֹלְֵ עִמָם, לְשַלְחָם. and Gen. 21:14 Early next morning Avraham took some bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He placed them over her Continue Reading »
Posted on December 25, 2015 by Tamar Benus
During this time of year, I always start to crave Chinese food, I have a list of holiday movies that I watch annually, and I start to reflect on my past year. I also strategically color coordinate my Chanukah candles, sing every single Chanukah song for the whole month and begin think about my Purim Continue Reading »
Posted on October 16, 2015 by Binyamin Cohen
This week’s parsha, Parshat Noach, is a parsha about building. It is flanked by the stories of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, two stories in which something substantial is built by human hands. However, the similarities end there. In one story, there is a boat that is built by a single man. It Continue Reading »
Posted on March 23, 2015 by Geo Poor
My favorite service of the whole year is Hallel, a special service we add to certain holidays and to the seder. Hallel has a strange structure. It starts out by saying we are commanded to praise God. Why would be commanded to praise? Does praise really even count if it is not done by choice? Continue Reading »
Posted on February 6, 2015 by Daniella Adler
In this week’s parsha, פרשת יתרו, God tells Moshe ואתם תהיו–לי ממלכת כהנים וגוי קדוש, “and you will be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). What does this statement mean?
Posted on January 9, 2015 by Elana Shilling
As I write this D’var Torah, it is nearly noon on Wednesday January 7th. A storm is coming… Pardes and the rest of Jerusalem educational institutions are closed. The roads in and out of Jerusalem have been closed in anticipation of motorists getting stuck. Emergency vehicles are on standby as are 150 snowplows.
Posted on December 5, 2014 by Tamar Benus
When I was ready to enter nursery, my parents brought me into a school. First they were interviewed, and then I was. One of the first questions I was asked was, “do you have any brothers or sisters?” At the time, I had one younger brother. Rather than a yes or no to answer this Continue Reading »
Posted on November 28, 2014 by Geo Poor
ויחלום והנה סלם מצב ארצה וראשו מגיע השמימה והנה מלאכי אלהים עלים וירדים בו In Parshat Vayetze, Jacob has a dream about a ladder, some angels, and God. The common interpretation is that the angels are traveling up and down the ladder, but the Hebrew is actually rather vague. When it says “bo,” the direct Continue Reading »
