Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on July 5, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
3. The stairs connecting the upper plaza to the shrine’s entrance resemble those in a mikveh excavated at Qumran. Ritual life in Jerusalem is like nothing I have experienced elsewhere. The mikveh on the front of this card is only one part of life here that is enveloped in symbolic acts. The food in Jerusalem Continue Reading »
Posted on July 4, 2011 by Barer
[Re-posted from here…a few days late, I know] In this week’s parsha, one of the most famous of all of the happenings of the Israelites’ forty years in the desert occurs when Moshe hits the rock to produce water. In the absence of his sister Miriam, who has just died, the source of water – Continue Reading »
Posted on July 3, 2011 by The Director of Digital Media
Alum Avigail Hurvitz-Prinz’s testimonial has been published in the San Diego Jewish World! You read it here first 🙂
Posted on July 2, 2011 by David Bogomolny
Over the course of many consecutive summers as a camper at JCA Shalom in Malibu, Louis learned about Judaism “without realizing” it. He first attended camp as a fifth grader, and returned year after year until the summer after his first year of college (as a camp counselor). “I did USY for six years, and went to Hebrew school through 10th grade, but Continue Reading »
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this parsha is one that sits heavy with death. for one thing, early on, we get the description of what to do when one comes in contact with a dead body. and then, as if the Torah was simply giving us the procedure in order to prepare us for what’s to come, we learn of Continue Reading »
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This week, I write to you for the last time sitting in my kitchen in Jerusalem. Or at least this particular kitchen in Jerusalem! Two years of blissful study and personal growth are finally coming to a close, as this is my last Shabbat in Jerusalem for some time. I know that I Continue Reading »
Posted on June 29, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
2. The fountain on the Shrine’s dome – a symbol of purity and life. Without question, the living standard is lower here. “Ahhh,” you say, “who sets the standards and what, or whom – do those standards serve?” A very good question! I could say the standard by which Israel would be ranked lower serves the interest of Continue Reading »
Posted on June 26, 2011 by Daniel Weinreb
1: General view of the Shrine of the Book – the white dome representing the Sons of Light, the black wall representing the Sons of Dark. One of the interesting aspects of Israel has been, and continues to be, the ineducable element of tragedy and conflict here, meaning the Shoah and the tension of ongoing Continue Reading »
Posted on June 24, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog, where you can find a parsha haiku every week] Reading this week’s parsha with Rashi brought up an interesting point for me, one to do with how the early commentators read the text more than with the topic of this week’s parsha specifically (the haiku reflects the theme of the parsha). Continue Reading »
Posted on June 23, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, The scene: the Pardes bet midrash. The time: Thursday afternoon, an hour or so after class dismissal. The players: a bunch of students and big pile of books. Oddly I find myself at home in this lonely place. The books and the buzz of learning, although minimal as it is “off season” Continue Reading »
