Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 26, 2012 by David Bogomolny
I committed myself to davening 3x per day with the beginning of the Pardes school year, and I’ve been pretty good about davening consistently since then. My commitment to myself was not simply to daven 3x per day – it was also to create a meaningful davening experience for myself, and I’m happy to say Continue Reading »
Posted on February 6, 2012 by J. Belasco
I find that I would like to explore more intensively the question of where flexibility exists within halacha and what to do with conflict between the halachic system and my other values. This is particularly important for me right now, since I am on the brink of moving out of the bubble of Pardes and Continue Reading »
Posted on January 22, 2012 by Leah Stern
Hi Pardesians and World, On Friday morning at 4:30 AM, I arrived back from Poland with my fellow Pardesians. Though we are happy to be back in Israel and are looking forward to the coming semester, we continue to process and ask questions about our experience in Poland. The first experience I would like to Continue Reading »
Posted on September 23, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, I hope you are all well. For those of you who don’t know, I had a computer “emergency” last week – my laptop fell at school and I had to replace my hard drive. So due to technical difficulties, no dvar Torah last week. My apologies. Trust me, I wish I would have Continue Reading »
Posted on September 22, 2011 by Barer
This week’s parsha is a short one (though on non-leap years it is read in conjunction with the next parsha), that reads more as a concluding statement on all of the activity of last week’s blessings-and-curses-filled parsha than anything else. A number of famous refrains are in this parsha, most notably the idea that the Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this week’s parshat re’eh teaches a bit of the old mixed with some of the new. the old: don’t worship other gods. this is something pretty fundamental to our covenant with God that we’ve covered several times over in other places of the Torah. however, the bit of the new: don’t worship אלוהים אחרים אשר Continue Reading »
Posted on May 29, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
i’m a bit embarrassed to say i’ve noticed an unsettling theme in my dvrei torah. i’m drawn to the characters and the storylines in which the israelities, moshe, aharon, whomever, is called upon to do the work of God and it just seems like its too much for them. it’s too scary, too dangerous, or Continue Reading »
Posted on May 23, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This week’s parsha, Parshat Bechukotai, has prompted me to return to the subject of Israel and explore my relationship and understandings of this place as a reality and an ideal. There is a bizarre word in the parsha, which funnily enough I’ve encountered countless times before reading the parsha this week, as it Continue Reading »
Posted on April 15, 2011 by Joel D.
A great Rabbi once spoke of his relationship with the Jewish people and its Law. Of the People he spoke of love, but of Law he spoke of submission. This I found to be gravely unappetizing. For to speak of submission is to speak of burden, not of loving embrace. To recognize Jewish Law as Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in the beginning of sefer shmot, בני ישראל did not yet know their God. when God recruits moshe to make the initial introduction between He and the people, God first must tell moshe by what name He can be called before moshe is even willing to make this giant leap. sefer shmot is the book Continue Reading »
