Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on December 3, 2013 by Laura Marder
I shared this dvar Torah at the recent PCJE Hanuka party: Why 8? This question is asked in Megillah Taanit. The Rabbi’s ask, “Why 8 days?” They explore the fact that 7 would be more normative. Moses inaugurates the Mishkan, that’s 7 days. Shlomo dedicated the Temple, that’s 7 days. So why is Hanukkah 8 Continue Reading »
Posted on December 1, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Daniel Shibley (Year ’11, Fellows ’12, Kollel ’14) reflects upon his Hanuka with the IDF: Jewish tradition, in a number of places, wrestles with which element of Hannukah to emphasize. Was it the military victory of a small guerrilla force over a much larger and battle-hardened enemy, or the miracle of one small jug of Continue Reading »
Posted on December 1, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Dvar Torah by R. Peter Stein (Kollel ’09-’11): Life is full of transitions. Sometimes these transitions are clear and separate between distinct seasons of our life. Yesterday I was single. Today I’m married. Yesterday I had no child. Today I’m a parent. Yesterday I was in school. Today I have my degree. But often times, Continue Reading »
Posted on November 29, 2013 by Jeff Amshalem
From my blog: A short teaching from R. Uziel Meizlish, Tiferes Uziel, Parshat Miketz ויהי מקץ שנתים ימים ופרעה חולם והנה עומד על היאור וגו’. פרעה אמר בסיפור חלומו שעומד על שפת היאור. וקשה הא בחלום עצמו כתיב שעומד על היאור ולא על שפת. ואפשר שזה הרשע שינה במכוון כי היאור היה אלהיו כידוע מאמרם ז”ל שהרשעים Continue Reading »
Posted on November 28, 2013 by Candace Mittel
I like to think of our forefathers and their descendants, the crucial figures we meet in Tanach, as relevant role models, exhibiting features and characteristics we should venture to adopt into our own lives today. Of course, many of their actions make us wriggle—Abraham’s fervor and zeal (and lack of hesitation) when God commands him Continue Reading »
Posted on November 16, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Eryn London (Summer ’06 & ’07, Community Education ’10, Year ’10-’11, Hourly ’11-’12) made Aliya from New Jersey three years ago. She is currently studying in the Manhiga Hilchatit Program at Midreshet Lindenbaum, which is a 5 year advanced Halacha learning program. Beyond learning she also runs activities at a nursing home, teaches theatre, and Continue Reading »
Posted on November 14, 2013 by Dita Ribner Cooper
During a hike outside of Jerusalem on our first Pardes shabbaton I found myself walking behind two people that had just met. Like all first meetings go, they each introduced themselves, asked where the other was from, and where the other person was living during his/her year in Pardes. It was the beginning of what Continue Reading »
Posted on November 7, 2013 by Elana Shilling
I don’t really know what happens when two men fight, having never been a man and thus never had a man fight. But alas! After painstaking research via observation of the male species, surveying video clips on the popular site YouTube, and absorbing pop culture, I have managed to create what I believe to be Continue Reading »
Posted on October 31, 2013 by Heather Kantrowitz
“Yitzhak pleaded with the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was barren.” The Torah doesn’t tell us what his prayer consisted of, only that God answered his pleas and Rivka conceived. This led me to wonder what it entailed, especially because his requests were accepted by God. One of the reasons I think Continue Reading »
Posted on October 27, 2013 by Ben Schneider
Based on a Dvar Torah I delivered this Friday night. I was surprised that I was able to connect with prayer at the Cave of Machpelah. By the time we reached the cave on Tuesday, we had been in Hebron for about five hours. We had toured the city, met with the spokesman of the Continue Reading »
