Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on June 1, 2014 by Sam Stern
From my blog: These past couple of weeks have been full of “reflection time.” Teachers want to meet to discuss how the year went, administration wants you filling out evaluation forms to express your feelings, and every single student seems to have stopped mid-sentence and screamed out, “In 2 weeks, I’ll be in America.” It’s Continue Reading »
Posted on March 31, 2014 by Sam Stern
From my blog: Magic mirror on the wall, who is the fairest one of all? It was 3:30 on a beautiful Friday afternoon when Judy and I started to embark on our big trip to Alon Shvut. The plan was simple: go tremping, make a left, find the green garbage cans, go down the stairs Continue Reading »
Posted on February 13, 2014 by Sam Stern
From my blog: She believed in dreams, all right, but she also believed in doing something about them. When Prince Charming didn’t come along, she went over to the palace and got him. For anyone who hasn’t already heard the play-by-play (or can’t wait to hear it again) of the Beit Din/mikva experience, click HERE Continue Reading »
Posted on February 13, 2014 by Sam Stern
From my blog: Tuesday (Jan 28/27 Shevat): It was a normal Tuesday evening. Finish Pardes classes at 5, frantically run to the bus stop, ride around Jerusalem for about an hour, sit through my lady learning class, talk to Rav D, go home angry. But on this particular night, I left thinking “ma nishtana ha’lila Continue Reading »
Posted on January 29, 2014 by Sam Stern
From my blog: No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it. What Being Jewish Means to Me By Sam Stern I think it’s safe to say that we’ve all written this essay before. It probably talks about receiving Hanukka presents, eating matza balls, playing with your friends at temple, and watching Continue Reading »
Posted on November 10, 2013 by Sam Stern
From my blog: Well, angelfish, the solution to your problem is simple. The only way to get what you want is to become a human yourself. It was 1:53PM Monday afternoon as I stood outside of Pardes dialing the Jewish Agency. When the call ended 4 minutes later, I felt so distant from this country Continue Reading »
Posted on September 28, 2013 by Sam Stern
From my blog: We dance, we kiss, we schmooze, we carry on, we go home happy. What do you say? Come on. The holiday of Sukkot is sometimes referred to as the Festival of In-gathering. In the agricultural world, this time period marks the completion of the harvest and the beginning of the planting/rainy season. Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2013 by Sam Stern
From my blog: This is no ordinary lamp. It once changed the course of a young man’s life. A young man, who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed. A diamond in the rough. Yom Kippur did not bring about the fast that I had expected. During my Friday afternoon prep, I made Continue Reading »
