These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Tag Archives: Egypt

At a Crossroad, Where do You Turn?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

From my blog: I find it fascinating how quickly our lives can change, often times without us even realizing it. On top of that, how quickly we can change the lives of others, of future generations, surely without them realizing it. It’s a rainy day outside, so you take the bus to work instead of Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] The REAL Passover Story by Amber Ikeman

Posted on March 22, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Amber Ikeman (Year ’12) reflects upon how we can relate to Passover if we don’t believe in the story of the Haggadah: I often find myself questioning (shocker!) whether the stories in the Torah actually happened. Don’t you? I mean, it’s a really nice idea to think that thousands of years ago, maybe before humankind Continue Reading »

[Pardes from Jerusalem Podcast] MiKetz 5773: Yosef and Tzafnat Paneach

Posted on December 13, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

This week, Rabbi Michael Hattin discusses Parashat MiKetz. dfs Shabbat Shalom!

וארא

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Barer

This week’s parsha documents the well-known story of Moshe and Aharon repeatedly coming before Pharoah asking to go worship Hashem, only to be repeatedly rebuffed, even in the fact of nasty plagues (this week’s parsha has the first eight).  There are so many points of focus to pick from when you are dealing with the Continue Reading »

ויחי

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Barer

This week marks the end of Bereishit (Genesis).  The parsha is focused on the blessings that Yaakov/Yisrael gives his twelve sons, but I want to focus on the end of the parsha.  After the blessings, Yaakov/Yisrael “expires” – the biblical phrase for dying.  Since he asked to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah (which Continue Reading »

לך לך

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Barer

This week’s parsha contains many famous and thought-provoking stories, but I would like to focus on what I see as an emerging motif in the Rashbam, where he criticizes his grandfather’s reading of a verse before offering an alternate interpretation which he sees as sticking more closely to the pshat, the simple reading of the Continue Reading »