Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 13, 2012 by Barer
For this week’s parsha, I wanted to give over a small portion of a class I had the privilege of attending given by Shmuel Klitsner, talking about the strange episode at the Malon (inn), in which Hashem, or some representative, tries to kill Moshe. Shmuel drew a number of fascinating connections between this episode and Continue Reading »
Posted on January 12, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
Originally posted here. For the past 7 years, I’ve lived in the little town of State College, Pennsylvania. One of the primary modes of transportation around the Penn State campus is the CATA bus system. If you’re not familiar with it, allow me to paint a picture: The bus makes two loops around campus: Continue Reading »
Posted on December 19, 2011 by Nikki Fig
By Nikki Fig She’s fun, she’s spunky, and her upbeat attitude can turn any frown upside down. Meet Naomi Zaslow, a 25-year old University of Michigan grad who spent the past 2 years teaching English in South Korea. I sat down to get this well-travelled scholar’s take on fashion and understand how her personal taste Continue Reading »
Posted on November 19, 2011 by Soffer
Posted at Darkeynu just before Shabbat: One of my favorite parts of camp is the Learner’s Minyan every Shabbat morning. In addition to the special community that we build, it also affords us a zman kavua (set time) to really struggle with fundamental questions about prayer. This summer, each week we discussed a different question Continue Reading »
Posted on November 11, 2011 by Soffer
Just posted at Darkeynu: This week, in Parshat Vayeirah, we read one of the most famous, and most troubling, stories in the TaNaKh. G-d calls out to Avraham, commanding him to sacrifice his only son. As if that were not difficult enough, in two separate Midrashim we learn about how eager Avraham was to Continue Reading »
Posted on November 5, 2011 by Derek Kwait
(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) It’s finally hoodie weather here in Jerusalem. It had been getting progressively cooler each day for the past two weeks–at first, it was just cold at night, but this week, for the first time, I needed to wear a hoodie any time I went outside, even in Continue Reading »
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this parsha is one that sits heavy with death. for one thing, early on, we get the description of what to do when one comes in contact with a dead body. and then, as if the Torah was simply giving us the procedure in order to prepare us for what’s to come, we learn of Continue Reading »
Posted on June 30, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This week, I write to you for the last time sitting in my kitchen in Jerusalem. Or at least this particular kitchen in Jerusalem! Two years of blissful study and personal growth are finally coming to a close, as this is my last Shabbat in Jerusalem for some time. I know that I Continue Reading »
Posted on June 24, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog, where you can find a parsha haiku every week] Reading this week’s parsha with Rashi brought up an interesting point for me, one to do with how the early commentators read the text more than with the topic of this week’s parsha specifically (the haiku reflects the theme of the parsha). Continue Reading »
Posted on June 9, 2011 by Pious Antic
Last week, I spoke briefly at Pardes’ closing lunch, and I have adapted what I remember of them, since I never actually got around to typing them up ahead of time, here: Two years ago, when I first arrived at Pardes, I was struck by something our dean, David Bernstein said during one of the Continue Reading »
