Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 4, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s parsha, all the holidays are described in order (starting with Pesach). Immediately afterwards, the text details the rituals associated with the objects within the קודש, the Holy on the Mishkan and later the Temple. Mussaf Rashi, a compilation of scattered commentary attributed to Rashi, notes that this is a hint to the Continue Reading »
Posted on May 3, 2012 by Barer
Last week, I attended MASA’s Yom HaZikaron ceremony (טקס) with some other Pardesniks. It had been six years since I had commemorated Israel’s two Memorial Days — for fallen soldiers and victims of terror since the founding of Israel and Holocaust Remembrance Day — in Israel, when I was a participant on March of the Continue Reading »
Posted on April 30, 2012 by Barer
“Why do you wear a Kippah?” “What could you possibly get out of davenning [prayer]? “Why grow an itchy beard for a month?” These questions, and others like them, have all been asked of me, specifically in light of the fact that I do not believe in God. They are all valid questions, and have Continue Reading »
Posted on April 27, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s podcast, Michael Hattin discusses the prohibition of shatnez – wearing garments of mixed materials. Acharei Mot-Kedoshim 5772
Posted on April 27, 2012 by Barer
This week’s double parsha contains many portions central to Jewish life today, and they are widely discussed, both this week and year-round. I want to focus, instead, of an issue of form I noticed. Early in the week’s reading, there are a number of laws laid out – e.g. laws related to human and non-human animal Continue Reading »
Posted on April 20, 2012 by Barer
In this week’s podcast, we travel back to 2006 to hear Rav Meir speak about ritual impurity and the host of laws described in the doube-parsha in connection to it. Tazria-Metzora 5766
Posted on April 20, 2012 by Barer
This week’s double parsha is some of the densest and hardest-to-apply material in the Torah, in dealing with seemingly endless details of various bodily ailments and skin maladies. In trying to find a window into some of the meaning that these chapters might hold for us today, I think it might be helpful to consider Continue Reading »
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Barer
This testimonial was written by Pardes alumnus Daniel Schwartz (Year ’10-’11): Jeff’s reaction to Orthodox Paradox? Noah Feldman had been too easy on the yeshivas of his youth. I can’t help but look back on the bulk of my yeshiva education with bitterness. My teachers smoothed over all the tensions that animate contemporary Judaism, petrifying Continue Reading »
Posted on April 19, 2012 by Barer
Andrew Lustig’s latest poem, performed in Pardes in honor of Yom HaShoah
Posted on April 11, 2012 by Barer
[cross-posted from my blog] Celebrating Pesach in Israel, for only the second time in my life, has definitely been a unique and enjoyable experience. From the relative lack of restrictions on access to delicious food — since so many of the restaurants in the city stay open with completely kosher-for-Pesach menus — to enjoying a Continue Reading »