Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
I came to Pardes with little knowledge of the Jewish texts. After one week of class I have gained a solid foundation in Judaism and have a strong desire to learn more.
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
Judaism is not a book of laws or a code of ethics but a way of life and complete interpretation of the world. Pardes combines the rigor and expansive vision that makes Torah study this reality.
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
Rabbi Steinsaltz’s great siyyum teaches a wonderful lesson. Siyyum means completion. We are often accustomed to think of learning as some endless process which leads to more learning. But siyyum means that we are to learn something so well that we are able to say – we have “completed” it. This is the notion of Kinyan Torah – acquiring Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
I would like to frame this d’var torah as one in which I am exploring Judaism on my own terms. Much of the new ‘positive’ thinking that I have engaged in since beginning my semester at Pardes – that, on the heels of fairly wide-ranging cynicism that reached new heights this past summer – can Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by David Bogomolny
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
2:7 בראשית וייצר יקוק אלקים את–האדם עפר מן–האדמה, ויפח באפיו, נשמת חיים; ויהי האדם, לנפש חיה “God, Lord, formed man, Dust from the earth. He Exhaled into his nose, living breath. Thus for man was a living soul.” Ha, my neshama breathes. Should it be any surprise the soul of pure music emanates from your Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
After learning פרשת בראשית I began to see a lot of parallels between the stories of this chapter and the world we are living in today. If we look at the stories of בראשית we see the beginning of man and at the same time the downfall of man. Starting with the story of חוה Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by David Bogomolny
No word limit But words limit so so Can the Torah contain unlimited Truth relevant to limitless peoples Though time limits people so so Words become irrelevant As truth becomes
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Aviva P.
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
I was fortunate to be able to take a break from the office and participate in one class during the Pardes “Yom Iyun Sukkot.” The class, taught by Pardes faculty member, Tovah Leah Nachmani, was entitled, “Sukkot: Is God on the Guest List?” Starting with the controversial statement by Hillel the Elder – “If I Continue Reading »
