Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 18, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
Shabbat at Etz Hayim in Ortakoy – Shabbat came with a lot of logistical coordinations, it was hard to arrive Thursday and then jump into Shabbat as foreigners, but the Etz Hayim community welcomed us and Rabbi Cooper with open arms. We had a wonderful Kabbalat Shabbat mixed with traditional sephardi tunes and then Eli Witkin led Continue Reading »
Posted on January 18, 2014 by Sydni Adler
Every Thursday afternoon, Misha volunteers for the Domari Gypsy Society, a non-profit organization that operates out of the Shu’fat neighborhood in East Jerusalem. Domari Gypsies have been living in the Middle East for centuries, and the Jerusalem Domari Gypsy community has been present for over a hundred years. Although Domari Gypsies speak Arabic and practice Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2014 by David Bogomolny
Tonight, in Berlin, I am sharing this dvar Torah with my fellow Pardesniks and other Germany Close Up participants – Shabbat Shalom, Everyone! In reviewing Parshat Yitro, I find myself drawn to the four psukim (verses) of the 3rd Aliyah – much happens in these lines – a story in and of itself! The Book of Exodus Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
I presented this on our ’14 trip to Turkey: The first commandment Bnei Israel was given as a people was: שמות יב:ב הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם, רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים: רִאשׁוֹן הוּא לָכֶם, לְחָדְשֵׁי הַשָּׁנָה. Exodus 12:2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2014 by Sarah Pollack
From my blog: Deuteronomy 20: 19. When you besiege a city for many days to wage war against it to capture it, you shall not destroy its trees by wielding an ax against them, for you may eat from them, but you shall not cut them down. Is the tree of the field a man, Continue Reading »
Posted on January 10, 2014 by Andrea Wiese
Tonight, I am sharing this dvar with the communityof Istanbul tonight on Shabbat: When I think about Turkey, and specifically visiting Turkey, I think about hospitality. I have lived in a lot of places and countries, but no place in the world receives guests like Turks. Some may argue that it’s because of Islam: Muhammad Continue Reading »
Posted on January 9, 2014 by Max Einsohn
Two years ago I had the pleasure of learning Talmud in my hometown of Dallas, Texas (yes there are Jews in Texas) in the stale social hall of my childhood congregation Temple Emanu-El. Led by Rabbi David Stern, our weekly 7:30 am Talmud class met, eager to engage with this mystifying Jewish source. The pages Continue Reading »
Posted on January 9, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman
David Gutbezahl (Year ’13) reflects upon the year thathe spent at Pardes: Within every Jew there is planted a seedling. This seedling, the desire to learn Torah, has the ability to grow into one of the most beautiful trees in the world, the Tree of Knowledge. While it is true that trees can grow strong Continue Reading »
Posted on January 8, 2014 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
Today in Neima’s Chumash class, we were asked to think / write about how we view or relate to God as part of a discussion about revelation. I had to (sadly) admit to myself that I don’t really think about God on a regular basis, I have just internalized the relationship as a part of Continue Reading »
Posted on January 8, 2014 by Benjamin Friedman
