Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
The Jewish People’s Historical, Spiritual & Emotional Connection to Hebron
Posted on November 26, 2019 by David Berman
Posted on November 19, 2019 by Lara Rodin
Written by Lara Rodin, PEP ’18-’20. This was previously published on her blog VaYehi Torah. Dear Family and Friends, Our day began with a reminder: that questions have a question mark on the end of them. When taking a diverse group like Pardes to Chevron to hear from perhaps an even more diverse array of narratives, Continue Reading »
Posted on October 7, 2019 by Eitan Marcum
“We had a shabbaton, this weekend, and as part of that, we sat around a big table drinking, snacking, and sharing stories and zmirot (a certain type of Jewish song) after dinner on Friday until the wee hours of the morning (this tradition is called a Tisch, it’s german/yiddish for table). I shared this very Continue Reading »
Posted on October 7, 2019 by Sefi Kraut
Mahloket Matters: How Traditional Texts Can Inform Modern Civil Discourse Reflections on teaching at Pardes, Summer 2019 We often think of disagreements as an unfortunate aspect of life. Yet in the tradition of the Mishna, Talmud, and Biblical commentators, mahloket l’shem shamayim (constructive disagreement) is a vital tool to generate critical thinking and personal growth. In fact, Jews Continue Reading »
Posted on September 24, 2019 by Grant Besner
It’s hard to believe that it’s already been three weeks since Orientation and the 2019-2020 year kicked off. Though the days are often long, starting every morning promptly at 8:30 with Chumash or Mishna and sometimes stretching until 9pm with Jewish Meditation, the weeks surely are short. Already, this passage of time is a reminder Continue Reading »
Posted on August 25, 2019 by Larry Brooks
This blog piece was written by Larry Brooks, alumnus of the Summer 2019 Pardes Executive Learning Seminar. Pluralistic, genuine, immersive, non-denominational, spiritual and academic? For years I’d heard others describe Pardes this way. Still, I began the 2019 ELS summer program with a healthy dose of New York skepticism. Would the teachers be truly engaging? Continue Reading »
Posted on August 1, 2019 by Rabbi Irv Elson
This blog piece was written by Rabbi Irv Elson, alumnus of the Pardes 2018 and 2019 Summer Programs. Many years ago, (did I say MANY”?) when I first arrived in New York to attend college, I was faced with the task of opening a bank account at a local bank. The choices were many. In Continue Reading »
Posted on July 30, 2019 by Tamy Jacobs
Imagine sitting in the shade on a Saturday morning. There’s a bit of a breeze. We just finished davvening (praying) and had a snack. It’s our final Pardes Shabbaton. We are in Tavor Alon at a retreat center. Everyone is relaxed and happy. We’ve broken into small groups to reflect back on the past year. Continue Reading »
Posted on July 30, 2019 by Devra C. Aarons
This blog piece was written by Devra Aarons, alumna of the Summer 2019 Pardes Executive Learning Seminar. I have vivid childhood memories of sitting in my family’s synagogue on Shabbat, just listening to everyone’s voices coming together during the prayers. Somehow the tune to “Vishamru” always felt big – like a symphony and a call Continue Reading »
Posted on July 15, 2019 by Carole Daman
This blog piece was written by Carole Daman (Year ’73-’74, Spirituality Retreat ’13, ’14, ’15, ’17, ’18, WLS ’08, ’09, ELS ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16 ’17, ’18, ’19) Every year for the past eight years coming to Jerusalem to learn at the summer Pardes Executive Learning Seminar has been a major highlight and focus Continue Reading »
Posted on June 10, 2019 by Charles (Chuck) Freedman, Ph.D. and Aviva Freedman, Ph.D.
This reflection was written by Charles (Chuck) Freedman, Ph.D. and Aviva Freedman, Ph.D. Pardes Community Education Participants We have been attending the Pardes Omer program every year since we made Aliyah almost 5 years ago. This year it lasted 5 weeks (between Pesach and Shavuot as the name indicates) and was, as usual, very rewarding Continue Reading »
