These and Those

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

[Faces of Pardes] Six Word Memoirs

Posted on February 18, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman

Tags: , , , ,

Last week, we ushered in the Faces of Pardes week to highlight and celebrate our students’ unique stories and the diversity that exists within the Pardes community. The main activity tying together our students’ experiences to their Pardes experience was a project inspired by the Six Word Memoir movement (see here for the original incarnation: http://www.sixwordmemoirs.com/). We wrote our own six word memoirs based on four themes: my Pardes Story, Havruta, Israel and Text Study. This activity really took off as students poured into the hallway outside the Pardes beit midrash to share their creative memoirs on the four themes. Below is a list of the memoirs. What’s your favorite?

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LEARNING!

  • 1601538_10152206831973826_644172680_nDad: “קדשתי my daughter which one”
  • Having a love affair with Torah
  • Learn Torah Learn Torah Learn Torah
  • Every one finds inspiration in Torah study
  • Stay on topic? Go beyond scope
  • Woke up to Torah happy all day
  • Women אסור from tefillin isn’t פשט
  • Rosenzweig, Kuk, Kaplan, Buber, Levinas, Greenberg
  • Finding beauty in the great mundane
  • Ahnai’s oven: Over-taught but nevertheless true
  • Should be in שיעור go learn
  • Shma yisrael hashem elokeynu hashem echad
  • Engaged serious students what a blessing
  • These and these are heavenly words
  • Turn your heart towards Jerusalem – pray
  • Leah Rosenthal is my Gemara heroine
  • Shmuel: let’s get ready to ralbag!
  • Learning Judaism straight from the source
  • Off the charts crazy about Torah
  • Pshat and remez, drasch, even, sod
  • Read two daf in the morning
  • Shall a sprinkler בן sprinkler sprinkle?
  • It all leads to mixed dancing
  • Magic pretend baraita: תניא נמי הכי
  • הכי גרסינן when Rashi plays pretend
  • Premarital sex leads to mixed dancing
  • They were saying tehillim all night
  • Text and I are friends foreva
  • Enemy’s ass burdened, you must help
  • Gossip from peddlers, lice from rags
  • Learn Torah: the rest is הבל
  • This is another pro ביאה moment

YOUR STORY / PARDES

  • 1911976_10152211418463826_1652816885_nAncient modern kodesh chol meet here
  • Rabbinical preparation at Jewish Hogwartz
  • I like who I am here
  • Herring women and whiskey mmmm Pardes
  • I lift weights to do hagbah
  • Came for the year, still here
  • Secular queer from America turns frum
  • L’chaim at 8:00am, tipsy in Gemara
  • Lost, then found: the Beit midrash
  • Rejected religious Ukraine Torah Talmud Halakha
  • We’re here, we’re queer, we’re machmir
  • Fork in the road: Learn Torah
  • “G-d, merciful fetus!” Only at Pardes
  • Sex drugs Torah rock and roll
  • Came saw and conquered Talmud (kinda)
  • Pardes is a kindergarten for adults
  • My Judaism is a never-ending journey
  • Ok just so you should know
  • Identity threads braided together at Pardes
  • Every day I’m learning to love
  • Daniel Roth the man the legend
  • Meeting and learning with Rahel Rabbenu
  • Possess Judaism on your own terms
  • Came for a year, never left!
  • Growing into someone who’s more me
  • Bonitas non est pessimis esse meliorem
  • Don’t be afraid to think bigger
  • Building my zichut but continuing tiflut
  • Wouldn’t leave, they let me teach!!
  • Never stop loving life… Torah… Pardes!
  • Not seminary not secular just happy
  • Pardes: making me a better me
  • Leah Levi Yaffa Meir Zvi Rahel
  • Question everything? why? I’m at Pardes
  • Coming to work what a joy
  • Torah never forget; nights never remember
  • zvi is the greatest rabbi ever
  • With heart and mind, live Torah
  • Eat. Learn. Volunteer. Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
  • American Jew finds Torah. Smiles ensue.
  • Jerusalem, Torah, hiking, friends. Do it.
  • Labels for soup, Pardes for all

JERUSALEM / ISRAEL

  • 1779270_10152211418673826_1444657290_nIsrael 2014: Not your grandfather’s zionism
  • Know your salatim matbucha isn’t masabacha
  • The land of milk and honey
  • Israel: difficult stubborn abrupt and wonderful
  • A balagan but it love it
  • I eat my charif straight up
  • Jerusalem – where cats roam the streets
  • India didn’t have any Masa scholarships
  • Occupy beit midrash not west bank
  • In Israel Andrea’s milk is chunky
  • Alone on North American island?
  • Go to the kotel become famous
  • Israel: the easiest place to be Jewish
  • ארץ ישראל שלי יפה וגם פורחת!
  • Big family who loves and hates
  • Thank god Avi BG made aliyah
  • Never thought I’d live here now
  • ישראל ביתי אין לי ארץ אחרת
  • Favorite part definitely the hefker table
  • Next year in Jerusalem I hope
  • I live in Jewish Disney Land
  • So complex my head is spinning
  • Land flowing with milk and honey
  • Halacha is Zionism Shas my Kotel
  • Sex drugs zionism rock and roll
  • Pardes educators program pays my rent
  • Jerusalem is just outside, Go explore
  • Best friends with the shuk guys!
  • Quoting stats won’t give you answers
  • I love my sexy Israeli boyfriend
  • The teachers becomes the student yeah!

HAVRUTA / DIVERSITY

  • 400636_10152207933968826_1195702548_nYou had me at “Ta Shma…”
  • We argue often: hopefully לשם שמים
  • Sharing Torah secrets & life secrets
  • Learning and laughing challenging and changing
  • I prefer persimmons to my chevruta
  • Beit midrash soldiers reading relics daily
  • My chevruta and I share much
  • Falling in love with text together
  • Join the club marry your chevruta
  • Slavery coffee tea British accents galore
  • Britain breeds best bloody chevruta ever
  • Sometimes Talmud wins, sometimes we win!
  • Gives energy when my focus falters
  • 3 way is the best way
  • Rav Shmuel R. Yochanan R. Lakish Eli Eli
  • My chevrurta is my other half!
  • She didn’t want to date me
  • My chevruta saves me every day!
  • Am I not my chevruta’s keeper?
  • אל’ך ה’ אקרא ואל ה’ אתחנן
  • I want to be God’s chevruta
  • Because it takes TWO to Torah
  • My chevruta knows my deepest secrets
  • The best chevrutas bring you soup
  • Need each other just as much
  • Listening, laughing, and learning – nothing better
  • Chevruta highfives are the best thing
  • You bring out my best self
  • We laugh, we learn, we live
  • Six words aren’t enough for her
  • I’m not alone anymore thank god
  • You ain’t got nobody like Grandma
  • I love me a Gingie chevruta