Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 30, 2012 by Barer
“Why do you wear a Kippah?” “What could you possibly get out of davenning [prayer]? “Why grow an itchy beard for a month?” These questions, and others like them, have all been asked of me, specifically in light of the fact that I do not believe in God. They are all valid questions, and have Continue Reading »
Posted on April 23, 2012 by David Bogomolny
The practice of visualizing Hashem is not very powerful for me; I strongly prefer to have no image of the Divine. When I focused upon visualizing a particular character trait, I saw an image of a woman that I have romantic feelings for. I believe this has something to do with being motivated to be Continue Reading »
Posted on April 17, 2012 by Jackie F.
I made aliyah in August 2009, after completing my MPA at Columbia University, knowing that I wanted to come to Israel and use my degree to make a positive difference in the future of the Jewish people. Today I do that through my studies at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and work Continue Reading »
Posted on March 14, 2012 by Heligman
Last December I attended the first of a series of Meditation Retreats in Hannaton (co-led by Pardes faculty member James Jacobson-Maisels). It’s been about 2 months now since experiencing the awakened state of being that defines “Retreat”. I call it an awakened state because the sensitivity you develop during these retreats can be described in Continue Reading »
Posted on February 21, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Dear G-d, I’m going to write to You now to review our shared experience of the last hour. I preceded my hitbodidut discussion with a quiet meditation in the yard by my apartment. I meditated for twenty five minutes or so, and I was very pleased to find that my alarm signaled the end of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 17, 2012 by Barer
In a parsha full of laws, a mere few verses of which are the basis of years worth of Gemarah study (Seder Nezikin), I came across an episode having nothing to do with the minutiae of laws that I do not remember reading before. Near the end of the parsha, there is a scene described where Continue Reading »
Posted on February 10, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha, among a few other things that regularly and justifiably receive less attention, contains the עשרת הדברות (never called any title in the text itself), somewhat loosely translated as the Ten Commandments (more literal would be the Ten Utterances). What stood out to me reading them this year was the conditional nature of Continue Reading »
Posted on January 31, 2012 by Barer
[Cross posted from my blog] Last week at Pardes marked the end of a four-part lecture series given by professor James Kugel, one of the preeminent scholars of the Bible alive today. He painted an extremely interesting picture in answering the question that titled the lectures: Has Modern Biblical Scholarship Killed the Bible? The lectures Continue Reading »
Posted on January 3, 2012 by Eliyahu B.
Here is a dvar tzedek I wrote and gave to my Social Justice class today on our last day of class: Shalom classmates. I am here before you today to share with you my views on humanism and universalism, two topics which have been prominent in my way of thinking for many years, at Continue Reading »
Posted on December 4, 2011 by Barer
Deborah grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, where her family was active in a local chavura, as well as a Conservative shul. When Deborah was eight years old, her mother decided to attend the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC), and her family moved to the Philadelphia area. While studying at RRC, her mother also became very involved Continue Reading »
