These and Those

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

Archive: April 2013

[Alumni Guest Post] Thank You, God, For Life and Babies

Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Posted by Carrie Bornstein (Year ’06) on the Mayyim Hayyim blog: My five-year old has been asking for a while if she can go swimming where I work. She loves Mayyim Hayyim, which is probably not entirely unrelated to the never-ending supply of animal crackers and pretzels. In the past few months her requests have Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] The Purpose of Two Seders

Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Posted by Ben Barer (Fall ’10, Fellows ’12): Having only one seder last year, while in Israel, followed by having two this year, has led me to reflect on why this custom is maintained, and how best to perpetuate it as a meaningful one. Like the other holidays that are celebrated one extra day outside of Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Walking the Land

Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Posted by Daniel Shibley (Yr ’11, Fellows ’12): The Great Outdoors. Most digital cable and dish networks in the United States have an entire channel or two devoted to the outdoors and the numerous related activities, from hunting and fishing, to hiking and camping. Israelis, although I am not able to vouch for the television Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Passover: What’s it all 4?

Posted on March 26, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Chaya Kaplan-Lester (Year ’97-’98) shares this beautiful Passover insight: Why are there so many 4’s in the seder? First, dimensionality. You take a point, it has no dimension to it. You add another point and you have a line, the dimension of length. You add a 3rd point and you get length and height. But Continue Reading »

Haggada Tidbits 2013 with Tovah Leah Nachmani and R. Alex Israel

Posted on March 25, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

D’var Torah: Parashat Tzav (Rishon)

Posted on March 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Alum Daniel Shibley (Yr. ’11, Fellows ’12) writes about his official beginning of being drafted into the Israel Defense Forces in the context of Parshat Tzav: With great power comes great responsibility. Now that the Tabernacle has been completed and we have received the instructions on how to make the appropriate offerings, the next piece Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] The REAL Passover Story by Amber Ikeman

Posted on March 22, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Amber Ikeman (Year ’12) reflects upon how we can relate to Passover if we don’t believe in the story of the Haggadah: I often find myself questioning (shocker!) whether the stories in the Torah actually happened. Don’t you? I mean, it’s a really nice idea to think that thousands of years ago, maybe before humankind Continue Reading »

[Unexpected Encounters: The Jewish Holidays and the Other] Pesach

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

Pardes is pleased to present the first episode of our new podcast series by Rabbi Daniel Landes, Unexpected Encounters: The Jewish Holidays and the Other. This episode is on Pesach. Pardes thanks the Alexander Soros Foundation, the sponsor for the series. UE Pesach Click here for the accompanying handout. Chag kasher v’sameach!

[Pardes from Jerusalem Podcast] Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol 5773: Family Unity and Elijah’s Role

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

This week, Rabbi Daniel Roth discusses Parashat Tzav and Shabbat HaGadol in “Family Unity and Elijah’s Role.” Tzav ’73 Shabbat shalom!

[Alumni Guest Post] Derekh Eretz by Kim Phillips

Posted on March 20, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Kim Phillips (Summer ’06) is a marketing professional, artist, writer and teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. One Shabbat morning, the rabbi entered Torah study and, instead of launching into the text, looked intensely around the circle of people gathered there. “I want to know how you feel about Israel,” she said. “However you feel is fine, Continue Reading »