Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on October 15, 2014 by Binyamin Cohen
Night Seder Chevrutas Binyamin Cohen and David Wallach join together to reflect on this week’s parshah. א וְזֹאת הַבְּרָכָה, אֲשֶׁר בֵּרַךְ מֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים–אֶת-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: לִפְנֵי, מוֹתוֹ ב וַיֹּאמַר, יְהוָה מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ–הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן, וְאָתָה מֵרִבְבֹת קֹדֶשׁ; מִימִינוֹ, אשדת (אֵשׁ דָּת) לָמוֹ “This is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, Continue Reading »
Posted on October 15, 2014 by David Gutbezahl
When I arrived at Pardes in 2012, I had already been out of college for two years. I have to admit, during those two years between college and Pardes I was pretty lazy. I spent a few hours teaching at religious schools, and a few hours applying for jobs while living with my parents. It Continue Reading »
Posted on October 14, 2014 by Binyamin Cohen
Night Seder Chevrutas Binyamin Cohen and David Wallach join together to reflect on this week’s parshah. Kohelet, the book of Ecclesiastes, which we read on Shabbat Chol HaMoed Sukkot, is a depressing and troubling book. It is written by “Kohelet the son of David, king in Jerusalem” (Ecc. 1:1). Who was this king, and why Continue Reading »
Posted on October 8, 2014 by Steve Strauss
In Pirkei Avot, we learn the world rests upon 3 things: Torah, service of G-d, and acts of loving kindness. Here at Pardes, we do an excellent job in studying Torah. We engage with text for hours on end each day, debating with our chevruta and analyzing each word we read. We diligently criticize and Continue Reading »
Posted on October 7, 2014 by Daniella Adler
In Rambam’s Laws of Sukkot 8:12, he writes,“Even though it is a mitzvah to rejoice on all the festivals, there was an additional celebration in the Temple on the festival of Sukkot, as [Leviticus 23:40] commands: “And you shall rejoice before God, your Lord, for seven days.” אף על פי שכל המועדות מצוה לשמוח בהן, Continue Reading »
Posted on October 6, 2014 by Jonah P.
תנא מיכאל באחת גבריאל בשתים אליהו בארבע ומלאך המות בשמנה ובשעת המגפה באחת It was taught: [the angel] Michael [travels] in one [flight], Gabriel in two, Elijah in four, and the Angel of Death in eight. And in a time of plague, the Angel of Death in one. My hevruta and I came across Continue Reading »
Posted on October 3, 2014 by Suzanne Hutt
I’m not going to lie. The energy here in Jerusalem and at Pardes in the past 10 days has been rather high-stress. On the one hand, I think that it’s warranted, considering that the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are meant to be an intense time of reflection and reparation, a time Continue Reading »
Posted on October 3, 2014 by Meira Cohen
From my speech during the launch of Pardes’ Volunteer Program: Shorashim You’ve made it. For the past few weeks, you’ve struggled with supermarket lines, navigating jerusalem, and just plain figuring out how to cross the street. Now that you are all veteran Israelis, I want to invite you to begin relating to this country on Continue Reading »
Posted on October 2, 2014 by Binyamin Cohen
This year Yom Kippur falls on Shabbat: the two holiest days in the Jewish calendar at the same time. However, the ethos of Yom Kippur and the ethos of Shabbat are contradictory. How do we negotiate these differences, and how do we find compromise between them? Before we answer those questions, we must first address Continue Reading »
Posted on October 2, 2014 by Meira Cohen
אשמנו. בגדנו. גזלנו. We have sinned. We are not worthy. We hang our heads in shame as we mournfully chant the words that we recited last year. And the year before that. The all too familiar words are heavy in our mouths, and our cheeks flush as the memories that surface transport us back to Continue Reading »
