Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 29, 2014 by AdAm Mayer
Here are my parting words from the final community lunch of the year: גּלֵעינַי וְאִַבּיָטה נְִפָלאוֹת, ִמתּוָֹר ֶתָך “Roll open my eyes that I might look at wonders from your Torah.” t’hilim 119:18 (Psalms) And aren’t they wonderful! The principle of בטל ב60 Imagine you are making a kosher meatloaf. If one small piece of non-kosher ground meat falls into your kosher meatloaf, as long as Continue Reading »
Posted on February 12, 2014 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: וְהַ֨לֻּחֹ֔ת מַֽעֲשֵׂ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים הֵ֑מָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּ֗ב מִכְתַּ֤ב אֱלֹהִים֙ ה֔וּא חָר֖וּת עַל־הַלֻּחֹֽת “And the tablets were a work of God; the writing was the writing of God; it was carved on the tablets.” (Exodus 32:16) Moses has smashed the first set of tablets. He has pleaded with God to spare the Jewish people or Continue Reading »
Posted on January 8, 2014 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
Today in Neima’s Chumash class, we were asked to think / write about how we view or relate to God as part of a discussion about revelation. I had to (sadly) admit to myself that I don’t really think about God on a regular basis, I have just internalized the relationship as a part of Continue Reading »
Posted on December 14, 2013 by Dorielle Parker
Discovering the art of Sofrut at Pardes I have always felt enchanted by shape. The coffee mug shaped perfectly for my hand. The shoes fit perfectly for my feet. The canvas built perfectly for paint. Letters curved perfectly for words. Words shaped perfectly for Creation. It is told that every Hebrew letter has a specific Continue Reading »
Posted on May 24, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: The most challenging course I am taking at Pardes is called “Critical Issues in Modern Jewish Thought.” There is no Hebrew involved. There is no Aramaic. I don’t even have to memorize birth and death dates of famous Jewish thinkers. What I do have to do, however, is think for myself. And Continue Reading »
Posted on May 22, 2013 by Jeff Amshalem
From my blog: A nugget from Zeev Wolf of Zhitomir, Or haMeir, Behaalotecha If you see people spreading lies about you, know for sure they are only giving you back your own, and that you have brought this upon yourself because you could not keep your mouth shut.
Posted on May 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Tamara Frankel (PEP ’09-’11) is in her second year of teaching at Chicagoland Jewish High School. It’s one of the first sunny days in Chicago this spring and my students beg me to take them outside for class. We negotiate and decide to review our homework in class, on the board, and then go outside Continue Reading »
Posted on April 22, 2013 by Liviah Landau
April 15th, 2013 It’s Erev Yom HaAtzma’ut and just a few days ago I had my first meeting with Nefesh b’Nefesh, an agency that works for North American Jews intending on immigrating to Israel. My application is in, and a few more papers are needed, but the decision has been made. I am making Aliyah Continue Reading »
Posted on March 19, 2013 by David Bogomolny
“I assume that you’d consider yourself a ḥozer beteshuva, right?” As somebody who was raised by parents who self-identify as traditional, ḥiloni Jews, and chose himself to live a life committed to and guided by halakha, I’ve come to expect some form of this question from people in conversations about Jewish faith and practice. But this term Continue Reading »
Posted on February 16, 2013 by Tadea Klein
I first presented this on the Arava Tiyul,in a slightly different form. Around the middle of the first semester, someone said something like this: “I’m sorry, but I won’t pray in a place that doesn’t accept me all the time.” This person was not sorry at all. And whether or not I agree with their Continue Reading »
