Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on January 24, 2024 by Michael Emerson
This week will be the 12th yahrzeit of my mother Rose Goldberg, Bryna Rayzel bat Avraham. She was active in local Jewish organizations including Bnai Brith, the Riverdale Jewish Community Council and UJA, cochairing Super Sunday for many years. But more than anything else, she dedicated her life to her children and her grandchildren. Parshat Continue Reading »
Posted on November 23, 2018 by Jason Gusdorf
Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Joseph’s enslavement. Reading the stories of Bereshit often makes me wonder what the Torah is trying to tell me about my older brother. Three paradigmatic stories in their own right, all emphasizing the volatile and jealous nature of the brotherly relationship. Cain murders Abel, all because a jealous God Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2018 by Simon Montagu
Dvar Torah in memory of Gwen Montagu I’d like to thank Pardes for giving me the opportunity to give a Dvar Torah in memory of my mother Gwen Montagu, נעמי בת שרה, whose Yahrtzeit is this Thursday, the 9th of Shevat. As my second semester studying here begins, I want to share some of my Continue Reading »
Posted on November 15, 2016 by Adam Josephs
Gen. 18:16 The men set out from there and looked down toward Sodom, Avraham walking with them to see them off. וַיָקמו מִשָם הָאֲנָשִים, וַיַשְקפו עַל-פְנֵי סְדם; וְאַבְרהָם–הֹלְֵ עִמָם, לְשַלְחָם. and Gen. 21:14 Early next morning Avraham took some bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He placed them over her Continue Reading »
Posted on October 5, 2016 by Ori Bieder
On the morning of Rosh Hashanah, Rivka went into the bedroom to wake her son and tell him it was time to get ready to go to the synagogue, to which he replied in a dull voice, ‘I’m not going.’ ‘Why not?’ Rivka demanded. ‘l’ll give you two good reasons Mother,’ he said. ‘One, they Continue Reading »
Posted on July 20, 2016 by Dave Benger
I’ve found that every student at Pardes has a unique backstory, and layer upon layer of reasons for what brought them to this place at this time, each story more intriguing than the last. For me, this summer at Pardes could not have come at a better time. This past year brought some radical transformation Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2016 by Melinda Jones
Every Friday is a rush in my family. Everyone runs backwards and forwards getting ready for Shabbat. In order to have a peaceful and relaxing Shabbat, it seems we need to have lots of stress and much too much shouting. So nothing makes the point of having a day of rest better than that moment when we light candles Continue Reading »
Posted on January 4, 2016 by Savannah Shepherd
Over the past year, I have been trying to write myself into the story of the Jews, looking for the proper label to define myself by. I’ve been searching for the Judaism that feels right and just, and allows me to connect with G-d and my community; I chose this life, after all, and I Continue Reading »
Posted on December 25, 2015 by Tamar Benus
During this time of year, I always start to crave Chinese food, I have a list of holiday movies that I watch annually, and I start to reflect on my past year. I also strategically color coordinate my Chanukah candles, sing every single Chanukah song for the whole month and begin think about my Purim Continue Reading »
Posted on December 18, 2015 by Binyamin Cohen
I don’t deserve this. We don’t deserve this. I’ve changed, we all have. We don’t deserve this, Yehuda thinks to himself, as he approaches the strange man on the strange throne before him. Strange, yet oddly familiar. This man on the seat of power, robed like an Egyptian vizier, but with eyes that make Yehuda Continue Reading »