Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 21, 2014 by Hannah Joy
From my blog: (I know, I know. I haven’t blogged in months. And my year here will be over in less than three weeks. Unreal.) This past Shabbat was the final Pardes shabbaton. Here are some thoughts I shared at the tisch Friday night. Parshat Bechukotai deals with blessings and curses. It opens with the Continue Reading »
Posted on May 15, 2014 by Laura Marder
What do we have to do in order to get the beautiful blessings that are promised to us in this week’s parsha? Blessings that really take care of us – our whole selves, emotionally and physically. Blessings that have blossoming effects on our shared land and bring food and joy to our tables. It seems Continue Reading »
Posted on December 12, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
From Yishai Paquin’s (Year ’12) blog: Yes, it is snowing in Jerusalem! Yes, for my family and friends in the United States, it gets cold enough to snow in Jerusalem. Yes, it is a blessing. And yes, it may not seem like a blessing but it is. Sure it is really cold, which is tough Continue Reading »
Posted on April 1, 2013 by Falynn Schmidt
Originally posted to my blog yesterday, March 31: Today is my mother’s birthday. She would have been 68. What a strange thing to think. Sixty-eight, so young. Such a difficult life, surreal in ways I can’t imagine and in ways I know too well. My mother was an amazing woman, as you’ve either experienced first Continue Reading »
Posted on January 4, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Shira has left us for another adventure, and we miss her… But her insightful writing continues (x-posted here below)! Legacy. A pretty big word around here. Here being Jerusalem, a city that many nations hold dear due to its history and importance in relation to their people, their culture, their religion. As a proud member of Continue Reading »
Posted on September 20, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
parshat ki tavo, in which God reveals His master plan of divine reward and punishment, is a doozy to read. and by doozy, i mean incredibly difficult and theologically challenging. God unleases a litany of curses that will befall the israelites if they fail to obey the covenant. and lest you think “hey, this curse Continue Reading »
Posted on July 8, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This week I have been blown away by the ways in which God (the forces of the Universe/nature, if you prefer) works, sometimes mysteriously and other times very inconspicuously. I’m not one to believe in signs or superstitions but sometimes you can’t ignore experiences that awaken and speak to your emotions and thoughts. Continue Reading »
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Barer
[Cross-posted from my blog] This week’s parsha documents the continuation of the Israelites interactions with the nations surrounding Cana’an, this time focusing almost entirely with the kingdom of Moav. Specifically, the king of Moav, Balaq, fears the Israelites and hires a local sorcerer, Bil’am, to curse them. However, Bil’am is constantly thwarted from doing so, Continue Reading »
Posted on July 7, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
this week’s parsha strangely focus on the story of one non-israelite, balaam the diviner, and his journey of how he came to know and understand God. okay, let’s back up a little bit. there’s a bad guy in this story, balak, head of the amorites, who summons our diviner-friend balaam to curse the jewish Continue Reading »
Posted on June 3, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
well, the good news is, she survived the ritual ordeal of the housewife gone astray. the bad news is, well, where do we go from here? parshat naso describes in detail the disturbing process of how a husband, suspecting his wife of infelidity or overcome by jealousy may bring his wife to trial. and, this Continue Reading »
