Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 8, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Rabbi Brent Spodek (Year ’01) reflects upon the Role of Pain: We fear pain. We fear events that twist our hopes, catastrophes that strain our bodies, indignities that weary our spirit. When we suffer, our pain becomes all we can see, so that the best we can do is grind on, endure, make it from Continue Reading »
Posted on April 8, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
X-posted from Eryn’s blog post: Eryn London (Summer ’06 & ’07, Community Education ’10, Year ’10-’11, Hourly ’11-’12) made Aliya from New Jersey three years ago. She is currently studying in the Manhiga Hilchatit Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum, which is a 5 year advanced Halacha learning program. Beyond learning she also runs activities at a Continue Reading »
Posted on April 6, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
R. Joshua Ratner (Pardes Year ’98-’99) is the rabbi of Congregation Kol Ami in Cheshire, CT. Ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary in May 2012, Rabbi Ratner was a Joseph Neubauer Fellow and also earned a Master’s Degree in Midrash and a Certificate in Pastoral Care. He also worked as an attorney for five years Continue Reading »
Posted on April 5, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Whitney Fisch (Year 2008-09) shares a personal challenge of hers, regarding the role of women in Judaism: Whitney Fisch grew up within the Reform movement in Marietta, GA. She started her career in Jewish communal work at the University of Georgia Hillel as the Jewish Student Life Coordinator, which led her to other positions in Continue Reading »
Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Posted by Carrie Bornstein (Year ’06) on the Mayyim Hayyim blog: My five-year old has been asking for a while if she can go swimming where I work. She loves Mayyim Hayyim, which is probably not entirely unrelated to the never-ending supply of animal crackers and pretzels. In the past few months her requests have Continue Reading »
Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Posted by Ben Barer (Fall ’10, Fellows ’12): Having only one seder last year, while in Israel, followed by having two this year, has led me to reflect on why this custom is maintained, and how best to perpetuate it as a meaningful one. Like the other holidays that are celebrated one extra day outside of Continue Reading »
Posted on April 3, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Posted by Daniel Shibley (Yr ’11, Fellows ’12): The Great Outdoors. Most digital cable and dish networks in the United States have an entire channel or two devoted to the outdoors and the numerous related activities, from hunting and fishing, to hiking and camping. Israelis, although I am not able to vouch for the television Continue Reading »
Posted on March 26, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Chaya Kaplan-Lester (Year ’97-’98) shares this beautiful Passover insight: Why are there so many 4’s in the seder? First, dimensionality. You take a point, it has no dimension to it. You add another point and you have a line, the dimension of length. You add a 3rd point and you get length and height. But Continue Reading »
Posted on March 22, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Amber Ikeman (Year ’12) reflects upon how we can relate to Passover if we don’t believe in the story of the Haggadah: I often find myself questioning (shocker!) whether the stories in the Torah actually happened. Don’t you? I mean, it’s a really nice idea to think that thousands of years ago, maybe before humankind Continue Reading »
Posted on March 20, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Kim Phillips (Summer ’06) is a marketing professional, artist, writer and teacher in Nashville, Tennessee. One Shabbat morning, the rabbi entered Torah study and, instead of launching into the text, looked intensely around the circle of people gathered there. “I want to know how you feel about Israel,” she said. “However you feel is fine, Continue Reading »
