Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 5, 2015 by Tamar Benus
Miranda Priestly, Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada said: “…that sweater is not just blue, it’s not turquoise. It’s not lapis. It’s actually cerulean.” Last week’s parsha, Parshat Vayeshev, tells the story of Yosef. Famously, Yaakov gives his son Yosef a ketonet pasim (Bereshit 37:3): וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכָּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה Continue Reading »
Posted on December 4, 2015 by David Derin
This week Jews everywhere, around the entire world, will be reading the story of Yosef and the beginnings of the Jewish people’s journey in Egypt. Parshat Va-Yeshev begins with the story of the tension that exists between Joseph and his brothers. This tension escalates when Yaakov gives Yosef a כתנת פסים, typically understood to be Continue Reading »
Posted on November 27, 2015 by Daniella Adler
“וַיָּבֹא֩ יַֽעֲקֹ֨ב שָׁלֵ֜ם” “Yaakov arrived, whole…” (Genesis 33:18) In this week’s parsha, Parshat Vayishlach, we finally encounter our forefather, Yaakov, settling down, laying roots in the Land of Canaan. He finally arrives whole, complete and at peace. Yaakov arrives “שָׁלֵ֜ם” after countless trials and tribulations, after many personal battles of fear and uncertainty throughout his Continue Reading »
Posted on November 20, 2015 by Tamar Benus
The first thing I look up before I decide to travel anywhere is to check to see if: 1)there are kosher restaurants where I want to go 2) if there is a Chabad House Luckily, I have always found what I was looking for. In this week’s Parsha, Parshat Vayetzei, Yaakov is the one traveling, Continue Reading »
Posted on November 13, 2015 by David Wallach
Do you remember a moment that changed your entire life? I’m sure you remember the event, but do you remember the exact moment that everything changed? Our Parsha this week, Toldot, could very well be an episode of a soap opera. It has drama, deception, heartbreak, family – everything needed to pull you in so Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2015 by Daniella Adler
This Dvar Torah is dedicated to the Jews of Tarnogrod, Poland, and my family members: Chaja Malka bat Yakov Leib and Chana, Ita bat Majer Yitzchak and Chaja Malka and Marjem bat Majer Yitzchak and Chaja Malka, who were murdered 73 years ago on Monday, November 2nd, 1942 (כ”ב מרחשון תש”ב). May their memory be Continue Reading »
Posted on October 30, 2015 by David Wallach
I hate Daylight Saving Time! I don’t like changing the clock. I don’t understand why we do it. I spend the next day confused and angry. Is it 1:00? Is it 2:00? It’s just unnecessarily confusing. I wish it never happened! “But David,” you might be saying to yourself, “this parsha doesn’t have anything to Continue Reading »
Posted on October 24, 2015 by Zvi Henderson
Pardesniks come from a variety of professional backgrounds; some from leadership roles in youth movements, some from the Jewish professional world, from finance, business and social work. My professional background is public health, and in particular sexual health and well-being. It’s as wide a field as you can imagine. Before making Aliyah from Scotland and Continue Reading »
Posted on October 23, 2015 by David Derin
This Shabbat, we will be reading לך-לך פרשת (Parshat Lech-Lecha). In reading over the parsha, it did not take long at all for me to find something that I feel is incredibly applicable to all of our lives here at Pardes. The very first verse of this week’s reading speaks to the journey that each Continue Reading »
Posted on October 16, 2015 by Binyamin Cohen
This week’s parsha, Parshat Noach, is a parsha about building. It is flanked by the stories of the Flood and the Tower of Babel, two stories in which something substantial is built by human hands. However, the similarities end there. In one story, there is a boat that is built by a single man. It Continue Reading »
