These and Those

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

Tag Archives: symbolism / analogy / metaphor

At a Crossroad, Where do You Turn?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

From my blog: I find it fascinating how quickly our lives can change, often times without us even realizing it. On top of that, how quickly we can change the lives of others, of future generations, surely without them realizing it. It’s a rainy day outside, so you take the bus to work instead of Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Guns and Rainbows

Posted on December 15, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Alum Daniel Shibley (Year ’11, Fellows ’12) blogs about his IDF experiences: Early last week, we made our first trip to the shooting range. Winter, which had been largely absent until that point, decided to arrive. The winds picked up, spraying sand and dust onto and into everything. I had no idea that dust could Continue Reading »

Vessels of Creation in Room 2

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 »

A Bat Mitzvah Blessing

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Nataliya Naydorf

This is the dvar Torah that I gave at my bat mitzvah on Monday: (enjoy!) In this week’s parsha, Yakov, nearing his final days, travels to Egypt to visit Yosef, his favorite son whom he thought was dead. Upon meeting Yosef, he finds that Yosef has two sons of his own, Ephraim and Menashe, born Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Hanukkah Light Revealed by Laurie Franklin

Posted on November 21, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Laurie Franklin (Year ’13) sent us these words of wisdom for Thanksgivukkah: Laurie Franklin is the spiritual leader and rabbinic intern at Har Shalom. She can be reached at laurief AT har-shalom DOT org. More than candles While we celebrate the once-in-a-lifetime convergence of the first day of Hanukkah and our beloved American Thanksgiving on Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Striving to Taste Bread

Posted on November 16, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Eryn London (Summer ’06 & ’07, Community Education ’10, Year ’10-’11, Hourly ’11-’12) made Aliya from New Jersey three years ago. She is currently studying in the Manhiga Hilchatit Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum, which is a 5 year advanced Halacha learning program. Beyond learning she also runs activities at a nursing home, teaches theatre, and Continue Reading »

Just a bunch of stones

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Sam Stern

From my blog: Well, angelfish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself. It was 1:53PM Monday afternoon as I stood outside of Pardes dialing the Jewish Agency. When the call ended 4 minutes later, I felt so distant from this country Continue Reading »

What Sarah thinks Judaism Has to Say About….

Posted on October 7, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

From my blog: RELATIONSHIPS. Relationships with just anyone and relationships with Hashem. I’m hoping that if I sit down at the end of the day to try and process all of my thoughts and create a semi-coherent train of thought, it will help me to sort the things that I’ve learned and retain the information better. Continue Reading »

Be the String: A D’var Torah on Parshat Noach

Posted on October 7, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

(From the Pardes Opening Shabbaton): When I was a junior in college, I had to take a semester off from school. The reason? Stomach problems. I felt sick all of the time, I was gradually losing weight, and had lost all hope that the symptoms would ever abate. For an over-achiever like me, the decision Continue Reading »

Blogging Between Classes

Posted on October 2, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

From my blog: Post College learning is incomparable to undergrad. It’s not even a question. If I were to sum up my undergrad formalized learning experience in one word, honestly, I would use coasting. I kind of floated through my classes, tried just hard enough to make it by, and instead focused my efforts on Continue Reading »