These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Archive: April 2013

[PCJE Dvar Torah] ‘Sacrificing Our Time’ by Aliza Geller

Posted on April 26, 2013 by Aliza Geller

Devar Torah Workshop, Parashat Emor Over the past couple of weeks, students in their first year of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators have been participating in a Devar Torah workshop with DLK (Rabbi David Levin-Kruss). This is the Devar Torah I wrote to be presented at the workshop yesterday, for Parashat Emor. Please keep Continue Reading »

[Pardes from Jerusalem Podcast] Emor 5773: Laws for the Priests

Posted on April 25, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

This week, Rav Meir Schweiger discusses Parashat Emor in “Laws for the Priests.” emor ’73 Shabbat shalom!

A Heavy Responsibility

Posted on April 25, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: This is my fourth summer working for NFTY in Israel. The past three summers I have been in charge of my group and logistics, but this summer I am also going to be the tour guide. I have been in a course for the past few months going around Israel to learn Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Living In and Through Tragedy

Posted on April 24, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

From Ben Barer’s (Fellows 2011-12) blog: This post also appeared on State of Formation. It has been a tough week to be in Boston.  It is almost as hard to add anything to all that has been written about the tragedy, confusion, and sadness that the week brought, to Boston and to the world as it Continue Reading »

Pressure, Poetry, Potpourri

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Naomi Bilmes

From my blog: I really need to write a blog post right now, but I must first overcome many obstacles. The above statement has two parts. I should know what they’re called because I was an English major, but thankfully, I managed to receive my degree without taking a single grammar class. So, there might Continue Reading »

Mishna Brachot in Poetry

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez

Presented at Night Seder on April 22: We decided it would be an interesting experience and test of our marriage to learn together, so for the past few months we’ve been having what we fondly call “Mishna Mondays” here at Pardes night seder. We started at the beginning with Brachot, which as you can imagine Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] How is Kaddish related to mourning?

Posted on April 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Chanan Kessler (Year 1985-86) shares the following reflection with us in his mother’s memory. Chanan is a NYC school teacher, and lives in The Bronx. During the year that I recited the Kaddish after the death of my beloved mother, Hinda Yael bat Yosef v’Chaya, may her memory always be with us, I asked myself Continue Reading »

A Question for a King’s Mother

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Tadea Klein

What did you see when you went willingly before the King, Batsheva? Did you see a melekh in his glory, A broad-shouldered warrior with a light in his eyes and a song in his mouth Or a sorrowing, grief-stricken brother, body covered in scars and empty in his heart, Rage covered only half-way by desire? Continue Reading »

Jews in funny hats and leather straps.

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Avi Benson-Goldberg

From my blog: The thing is, the apparatus of “traditional prayer” are sort of kinky. The thing is, we’re ten men tying ourselves up in leather straps too early in the morning. And we’re enshrouded in these huge sheets, and some people cover their heads and faces and it’s very anonymous even when I know Continue Reading »

As the ghosts fade away

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Abayiss

This is a followup to my Erev Yom HaZikaron post Thank you, my friends, for coming out, for keeping my glass full, for helping me through the day. Thank you for standing by me, for holding me up, for comforting me. I missed you, my smiling angels, forever young and beautiful. I missed your smiles and Continue Reading »