Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 5, 2012 by Abayiss
A cigarette burns away… Morning, another flyby, another explosion, shouting, running, preparing, packing… A cigarette burns away… Food passed around, small talk, waiting, hoping, praying, joking, cards, coffee… A cigarette burns away… High noon, feeling the heat thanks to the equipment, more food, more coffee, more drilling… A cigarette burns away… Ethical & moral debates, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 5, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Fixed prayer is a salient element of halakha (Jewish law). Jews committed to halakha pray 3x every day (morning, afternoon, evening), and for many it is challenging to find meaning in the mandated, daily recitation of standardized liturgy. A couple of years ago, I took a class that explored various spiritual practices in Hasidic and Continue Reading »
Posted on December 4, 2012 by Kayla Higgins
(Cross-posted from Interfaith Youth Core) I had just taken my first bite of lunch when I suddenly saw everyone around me stand up and head for the front door. I hadn’t even heard the siren. I put my sandwich down and joined my fellow classmates filing into the bomb shelter, where we gathered for ten Continue Reading »
Posted on December 4, 2012 by David Bogomolny
I doodled once on the cover of my notebook, but I didn’t take any notes. Every time we met with a speaker, I brought my notebook and pen with me, but I never once wrote down what they were saying. I’m not sure that I couldn’t have; I’m only sure that I didn’t want to. Continue Reading »
Posted on December 3, 2012 by Stuart Matan Lithwick
Hello! Over the past month, I have been a part of the Ayeka class, being run by David Bogomolny at Pardes. It’s funny. When I first arrived at Pardes, I had no idea of the meaning of the word, “Ayeka”. I had no idea of its significance in the Tanach and in everyday life. However, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 3, 2012 by Stuart Matan Lithwick
The following post has been cross-posted from my Studymoon blog. Hello! Shmatan here again, writing from the holy land! I cannot believe that Chanukah has almost arrived! That means that all us Pardesniks have now been here for 3 months! It blows my mind how fast time goes by. Before, we get started, I must Continue Reading »
Posted on December 3, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Posted by Aryeh Ben David (Year ’80) On the Ayeka Blog: (These thoughts were influenced by Parker Palmer’s A Life Unidvided) Holding the space for souls to reveal. Soul evoking soul. If I had to summarize Judaism in a sentence it might be: souls evoking souls. Sympathetic vibrations of our souls. First – I pluck Continue Reading »
Posted on December 2, 2012 by Avi Benson-Goldberg
Before there was an operation that was almost a war that kept me on the edge of my seat as much as it sat in the back of my mind, we went on a tiyyul. Tiyyul is a sort of quintessentially Israeli thing. It’s not a field trip. It’s a journey somewhere, but it’s short, Continue Reading »
Posted on December 2, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Posted on December 2, 2012 by Falynn Schmidt
Originally posted on my blog: Years ago I heard comedian Yisrael Campbell give his shpiel about converting to Judaism. It is hilariously funny in the way that can only come from truths. In one part, the rabbis ask him, “Do you put your lot in with the Jewish people.” “Sure,” he shrugs, realizing that is Continue Reading »
