Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on November 30, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
While this week’s parsha, VaYishlach, includes some of our tradition’s high-points (Jacob struggles with an angel and prevails! Jacob’s name is changed to Israel and he is blessed with land and progeny!) as well as some of its low-points (the rape of Dinah; Reuben sleeping with his father’s handmaid, Bilhah), my favorite verse in VaYishlach Continue Reading »
Posted on November 30, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
This week, Isaac Landes discusses Parashat VaYishlach in “Jacob’s Blessings.” Click here to listen. Shabbat shalom!
Posted on November 26, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
This dvar Torah was written by James Jacobson-Maisels (Pardes Kollel ’01-’03). Today, we know and love James as one of our amazing Pardes faculty, teaching classes such as ‘Self, Soul & Text’, and running our Pardes Spirituality Retreats! One of the great mitzvot, modeled in our recent parshiot by Avraham Avinu, is hakhnasat orchim, the Continue Reading »
Posted on November 22, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
ויצא If Leah were alive today, this is what I think she would tell us. “‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’1 Rahel and I are twins2 born five minutes apart. I am the older sister, and like any set of twins, we had our good days and we had Continue Reading »
Posted on November 19, 2012 by David Bogomolny
I shared the following vort at night seder tonight: Parshat Vayeitzei opens and closes with Ya’akov erecting a מצבה (monument) made of a single אבן (rock). These scenes beautifully bookend a significant period of Ya’akov’s life, during which he builds his family of twelve children (Binyamin hasn’t been born yet) with his two wives and their two Continue Reading »
Posted on November 16, 2012 by Aliza Geller
When I was asked to write a Dvar Torah for Parshat Toldot, two memories came to mind: The first, was from when I was in forth grade, at Solomon Schechter of Bergen County, in New Milford, New Jersey. For certain Parshiot, we were assigned to do a project, Parshat Toldot was mine. I made my Continue Reading »
Posted on November 9, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart
This week’s Torah portion, Chayei Sarah, is chock-full of fascinating narrative. We’ve got the death (and life?) of Sarah, the purchase of the burial plot in Hevron, Rebekah by the well in what is the first shidduch (matchmaker) arrangement in the Torah, and of course, the burial of Abraham by his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. With all Continue Reading »
Posted on November 1, 2012 by AdAm Mayer
Every Shabbat when I sit down to eat dinner I start by singing Shalom Alechem, a song of welcoming angels. The four verses of this song begin as follows: “Shalom” – a greeting, “Boachem” – bringing in, “Barchuni” – asking blessing, and “Tzetchem” – leaving. I would like to suggest that this song can inform Continue Reading »
Posted on October 25, 2012 by Jeff Amshalem
The Hasidic master R. Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl, also known by the title of his book Meor Einayim, has this to say on our parsha, Lech lecha: Rashi comments that God tells Avram that the command to go forth is “for your own good.” This is difficult to understand, since God calls Avram “my lover” because he served Continue Reading »
Posted on October 23, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Sarah Mulhern (Year Program ’09, Fellows ’10) shares her dvar Torah for Parashat Lech Lecha with These&Those. This commentary is provided by special arrangement with American Jewish World Service. To learn more, visit www.ajws.org. Lech Lecha One of the things I find most inspiring about studying Torah is that the biblical characters are human. They Continue Reading »
