Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on October 3, 2014 by Meira Cohen
From my speech during the launch of Pardes’ Volunteer Program: Shorashim You’ve made it. For the past few weeks, you’ve struggled with supermarket lines, navigating jerusalem, and just plain figuring out how to cross the street. Now that you are all veteran Israelis, I want to invite you to begin relating to this country on Continue Reading »
Posted on June 5, 2014 by Eva Neuhaus
In preparing the people for revelation (Exodus 19), God tells Moshe that God will appear to the people at Sinai, then describes the necessary stipulations: “Go to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow. Let them wash their clothes.” Then another mention of God’s coming to Mt. Sinai, followed by more constraints: “On the Continue Reading »
Posted on May 18, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
My dvar Torah from the Final 2013-14 Shabbaton: In Leviticus 26:42 (ויקרא כו:מב): וְזָכַרְתִּי, אֶת-בְּרִיתִי יַעֲקוֹב; וְאַף אֶת-בְּרִיתִי יִצְחָק וְאַף אֶת-בְּרִיתִי אַבְרָהָם I will remember the brit of Yakov, even the brit of Yitzchak, and even the brit of Avraham. What I want to focus on here is that the text doesn’t just say Avot… it Continue Reading »
Posted on February 28, 2014 by Taylor Winfield
This week I read from the Torah for the first time. I stood up in front of my closest female friends, and sang the words of our people. I had been preparing for weeks, and I expected the moment to come with a high, a relief, a joy. But instead a seed inside of me Continue Reading »
Posted on February 8, 2014 by Nina Gordon-Kirsch
On Sunday morning, I arrive at Pardes to empty hallways and a quiet Beit Midrash. No hassles or traffic jams, I find my locker and take my class materials into Room 5, or rather, the space that has been my womb for sometime now. Fall semester ended just three days prior, and I’m not yet Continue Reading »
Posted on January 30, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
Last week’s Parsha ends with Moshe going up to HaShem on Har Sinai to receive the tables with the teachings and commandments. Our Parsha starts with HaShem telling Moshe to instruct B’nei Yisrael to bring “me” (HaShem) gifts which Moshe will collect. דַּבֵּר אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ-לִי תְּרוּמָה: מֵאֵת כָּל-אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ, תִּקְחוּ אֶת-תְּרוּמָתִי. (שמות Continue Reading »
Posted on January 27, 2014 by Sarah Pollack
From my blog: I traveled to Bethlehem with my Jewish roommate on a program called Encounter. I also wrote about it here and here. While waiting in line to take pictures in front of the tree, we saw a Palestinian friend that we had met earlier in the day. “Aliya! (name has been changed)” I screamed, “Hey!” She came Continue Reading »
Posted on January 23, 2014 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
As I progress in my pregnancy and it becomes so visibly obvious people become more and more free with their questions, and one of the most common ones I get goes something like this: Person: Are you going to have the baby here or go back to America? Me: Here! 🙂 Person: Is your family Continue Reading »
Posted on January 20, 2014 by Laura Marder
The greatest gift a teacher can ask for is to be a student and a teacher at the same time. This past week I, along with the fabulous Turkey Team, taught in the Jewish School in Istanbul. I learned so much in the process of creating the program, working with my colleagues, and interacting with 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 »
