Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 1, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Alissa Thomas (Spring ’11) blogs about relating to Jewish Converts, inspired by her own father: There is nothing like seeing my father dressed head to toe in all white. His soul hearkens to the time of the Kabbalistic rabbis who, draped in white clothing, would sing Kabbalat Shabbat in the fields. I imagine my father in his Shabbat white Continue Reading »
Posted on April 2, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
Among the many blessings I have experienced this year is the Ayeka course facilitated by David Bogomolny. I share here some of my favourite take-aways from the course (handily preserved in my writing exercises and reflections.) This module was about bringing God back to the conversation. I felt like it gave me a place to Continue Reading »
Posted on March 18, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Rachel Meiner (PEP ’06-’08) teaches 2nd and 3rd grade JudaicStudies (Chumash, Yahadut, and Tefillah) at The Hannah SeneshCommunity Day School in Brooklyn, NY. She lives two blocksfrom school with her husband and four month old daughter,Neomi. I returned to teaching three weeks ago after being on maternity leave for the past three months. If I Continue Reading »
Posted on March 11, 2013 by David Bogomolny
I discovered the following text during an Ayeka session, and found it very challenging… then, in spiritual havruta, I fought with myself to think about this with an open mind, and I’d like to share my subsequent thoughts further below. אור ישראל, הרבי מסאלאנט Ohr Yisrael, Rav Yisrael of Salant מהו מהות של יראת שמים? “What is Continue Reading »
Posted on March 11, 2013 by Gabby Goodman
Literally running into (or rather, alongside of) DLK‘s team of 10k Jerusalem Marathon route walkers this past Friday morning reminded me all over again of the thrill that was the morning of March 1st – the Jerusalem Marathon. Although I do have to say that as beautiful as the walk must have been a week Continue Reading »
Posted on February 17, 2013 by David Bogomolny
On Saturday, I returned to the Kotel to daven at the minyan that I’d happened upon the previous Shabbat. Once again, the group was friendly, and one of the participants noted that I had arrived on time, which he encouraged me to do again. On my way through the Old City to minyan, I found myself Continue Reading »
Posted on January 6, 2013 by Mary Brett Koplen
A story from my Cowbird: On the sidewalk H squints at the passing buses, trying to read their destinations as they motion quickly towards the places they will go. I pretend to help, but the combination of foreign characters and moving vehicles spins my head. “You’ll learn the language soon,” H says to me smiling. Continue Reading »
Posted on December 30, 2012 by David Bogomolny
This week we are starting the sefer (book) of Shemot (Exodus), which literally means ‘names’. The weekly parasha is also called Shemot. I mention this because the first name that comes to my mind when I read this parasha is ‘Isra Yaghoubi’ (Year ’08-’09, Fellows ’09-’10). She was my first Chumash havruta, and she left me Continue Reading »
Posted on December 26, 2012 by Avi Benson-Goldberg
(Part 1, Part 2, Part 3) At Pardes, it is easy to look at our faculty and see inhumanly perfect beings. This is an unfair assessment. Don’t tell Rabbi Eliezer I said this, but sometimes kavod rabbeinu (respect for our teachers) can go too far in making it impossible to see something of ourselves in Continue Reading »
Posted on December 5, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media
Hebron Olive There is Torah in this trunk: Otiot of rain, sun, wind, bullets, tears. Clouds pass, stories unwind, sun drops. Light shines through holes in gray bark. Is truth as crooked as this limb, As steep as the hillside? In the hollow center, Old leaves make new soil. Is this a Torah of hope? Continue Reading »
