These and Those

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

Archive: April 2019

How Judaism Influenced My Love of Medicine

Posted on April 8, 2019 by Jason Gusdorf

I grew up in St. Louis, Missouri in a reform Jewish household. My seminal Jewish experiences were my Bar Mitzvah and Jewish Summer camp, which I attended for 7 years. OSRUI was formative in my identity and I have a deep love for the institution, the friends I made, and the time I spent there. Continue Reading »

Materialism is Passé – Parshat VaYishlach in Review

Posted on November 23, 2018 by Jason Gusdorf

Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph’s enslavement. Reading the stories of Bereshit often makes me wonder what the Torah is trying to tell me about my older brother. Three paradigmatic stories in their own right, all emphasizing the volatile and jealous nature of the brotherly relationship. Cain murders Abel, all because a jealous God Continue Reading »