Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 7, 2015 by Sarah Pollack
As we culminate the book of Genesis, I looked back to see what we had learned. How the stories fit together. What the commonality between the past 50 chapters held. In the women’s commentary to the Torah, Tamara Cohn Eshkanezi writes that Genesis is accounting for the human condition with it’s possibilities and perils.
Posted on January 6, 2015 by Rivka Epstein
Rivka Epstein, married to Pardes instructor Rabbi Michael Hattin, wrote the following piece on the occasion of their son, Elchanan’s, first jump with the IDF. I gave birth today. But my belly was steel and my arms, wings. I flew above the sands, precariously positioned myself, and ejected a life. Gracefully, he dropped, gravity his Continue Reading »
Posted on December 25, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
“5…4…3…2…1…Do you believe in miracles??!” That’s one of the most blood-pumping, invigorating moments in one of my very favorite movies, Miracle, about the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. The miracle in the movie is that the inexperienced, comparatively young U.S. team could beat the seemingly invincible Soviet team. When we talk about miracles, we often Continue Reading »
Posted on December 23, 2014 by Bracha Berkson
I remember the first Chanukah I ever celebrated. It was 2003 and I had been thinking about converting for a little over a year. I was already in the process of meeting with a Rabbi and was beginning to participate in Jewish holidays. I was also living at the time with my non-Jewish boyfriend. November Continue Reading »
Posted on December 21, 2014 by Joshua Fleet
Before the miracle, there was a test. Everybody knows Hanukkah is about miracles — how that little flask of holy gold was uncovered, how it burned for eight days, just enough time to pick and press more olives into oil. But before finding that small sealed jar of purity, before reentering the once-glorious Temple, before Continue Reading »
Posted on December 19, 2014 by Jonah P.
Humans are fundamentally tropical animals. When we ventured out from the equator where our species originated, we survived only by bringing the tropics with us. In our schools, cars, and homes we crank up the thermostat well into the 70s (that’s 20s Celsius for the non-Americans.) We must indulge in humidifiers, moisturizers, and lip balm Continue Reading »
Posted on December 18, 2014 by David Derin
This week all around the around Jewish communities will be reading Parshat Mikkets. The reading begins with a recounting of Pharaoh’s dreams. The Egyptian monarch dreams of seven healthy cows rising from the shores of the Nile, only to be eaten by seven sickly cows. Pharaoh then dreams of seven ears of grain growing on Continue Reading »
Posted on December 12, 2014 by David Wallach
Night Seder Chevrutas Binyamin Cohen and David Wallach join together to reflect on this week’s parshah. בראשית ל”ז:י”ט-כ’ וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל-אָחִיו הִנֵּה בַּעַל הַחֲלֹמוֹת הַלָּזֶה בָּא. וְעַתָּה לְכוּ וְנַהַרְגֵהוּ וְנַשְׁלִכֵהוּ בְּאַחַד הַבֹּרוֹת וְאָמַרְנוּ חַיָּה רָעָה אֲכָלָתְהוּ וְנִרְאֶה מַה-יִּהְיוּ חֲלֹמֹתָיו. They said to one another, “here comes the dreamer! Let’s kill him and throw him into Continue Reading »
Posted on December 10, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
I. The first time I stood in front of the Kotel, almost exactly a year ago, I was so overcome with emotion and awe that I felt completely at a loss for words. I couldn’t think of a single thing to pray for. I sensed that I was supposed to pray, that of all places, Continue Reading »
