These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Tag Archives: Rabbi Akiva

“Water Wears Away Stone”: The (Soft) Power of Torah  — Reflections after a year of learning at Pardes

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Mira Niculescu

At Pardes, we have a great tradition. It’s called “Take Five”: A few months into the program, right before community lunch on Thursday, we all gather in the Beit Midrash to hear a student share five minutes of Torah. I love this practice. For the listeners, it’s a beautiful way to gain insight into other Continue Reading »

shabbat shalom – ekev pardes…

Posted on July 26, 2013 by Michal Kohane

In Pirkei Avot (5:25) we find, “turn her, turn her, everything is in her” – הפוך בה, הפוך בה, הכל בה. We knew this theory before coming to Pardes, but feeling it on an almost daily basis for the last three weeks has been a whole different story. Perhaps there is no better place to Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] A Bridge Between – by Avi Spodek

Posted on April 18, 2013 by Avi Spodek

Over these past few weeks I have been reading Steven R. Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People as part of my coursework in Jewish educational leadership. Covey’s message and delivery are inspiring, and I highly recommend to this book to anyone and everyone. Its main premise is that leaders are most effective when Continue Reading »

Social Justice – Universalism and Humanism

Posted on January 3, 2012 by Eliyahu B.

Here is a dvar tzedek I wrote and gave to my Social Justice class today on our last day of class:   Shalom classmates. I am here before you today to share with you my views on humanism and universalism, two topics which have been prominent in my way of thinking for many years, at Continue Reading »

Social Justice – Emotional Equality

Posted on December 4, 2011 by Eliyahu B.

(Thanks to Falynn for asking me to post this) I gave this dvar tzedek  in my Social Justice class a few months ago. I hope it is meaningful for everyone: A fundamental tenet of social justice, to me, is equality. I believe that equality is a natural human right which should always be found among Continue Reading »