Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 18, 2012 by Laura Marder
In our busy daily lives we are programmed as adults to subdue some of our pure emotions in order to be socially acceptable. Sometimes if not addressed through meditation, prayer, alone time etc ..our pure self can be pushed so far below the surface that even we forget who it is we really are. On Continue Reading »
Posted on September 18, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Sam (Year ’11-’12) & friends put out their second episode! Rock Shabbat Week 2 ~ Washington DC and New York from Rock Shabbat on Vimeo.
Posted on September 16, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
When we arrive at Nitzavim, we know we are coming to the end of the Five Books of Moses. Only a few parshiot remain: Vayelech, Ha’azinu and V’zot Habrachah. Each of these is like the tone of a closing bell that announces the end of our wanderings b’midbar and the beginning of a new journey Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2012 by Abayiss
Shabbat Shalom everyone, I hope you are all enjoying our first Shabbaton, communal weekend, so far, resting from the past week, and gathering energy for the next one. This week’s Torah Portion opens with the words “אתם ניצבים היום כולכם”, “Ye are standing this day, all of you” (דברים כ”ט, ט’, Deut. 29:9). All of Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2012 by Derek Kwait
My friend Simcha and I wrote this story together while bunkmates at the Ivy League Torah Study Experience in the summer of 2010. I shared it at the Tisch during the Shabbaton this weekend, and now thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy. The Legend of the Bird Shem Tov by Yehosh Mohsh & Simcha Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2012 by Shanee Michaelson
“Atem Nitzavim Hayom Kulchem.” You stand this day, all of you. All of us are standing together today in Jerusalem. From small towns, larger cities, from North America and from Europe. Having grown up in different Jewish denominations, or unaffiliated, whether Ashkenazic or Sephardic, Reform or Orthodox,We have come here together, to this unique country Continue Reading »
Posted on September 16, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
At the Shabbaton, Rav Elisha held a session on using part of birkot hashachar (the morning blessings) to reflect our true, ideal selves. We looked at the wording in ״הי נשמה שנתת בי טהורה היא״ and “מודה אני״ and reflected on what it meant to be recreated fresh every morning. Then, we created abstract paintings of Continue Reading »
Posted on September 15, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
Since we’re in the season of teshuva, I wanted to share some a very wise and inspiring Rabbi (Michael Hattin) once wrote, “teshuva is…a gradual awakening of the mind and soul to God’s call, a measured but steady process of self-evaluation and reflection, a plodding and sometimes faltering series of steps that includes dead ends, Continue Reading »
Posted on September 15, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
I’m sure there are many Americans who don’t want to come to Pardes to study because they don’t want to miss the football season. Well, no worries, there is football in Israel. http://vimeo.com/49323951 Israeli Football League from Grace Barcenas on Vimeo. I referee for this league. You can see me at one minute and 45 Continue Reading »
Posted on September 14, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Over the summer, I worked for an amazing summer program called Genesis at Brandeis University. One of the programs that we developed for our participants was called ‘iDentity’, and each of the six community educators modeled this project for the community, each sharing something of ourselves in different media. The question we all had to Continue Reading »
