Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on February 1, 2014 by David Bogomolny
Aryeh Ben David once asked me, “What does it mean to be Jewish?” Reflecting upon this, I had some vague ideas, but had never much considered it. “The word Jew (יהודי) is derived from the name Judah (יהודה),” he answered himself, “which comes from the root ‘to thank’. So, for me, the essence of being a Continue Reading »
Posted on January 28, 2014 by Hirsch Fishman
Aaron Voldman (Fall ’12, Elul ’13) is still taking classes at Pardes, as a Dorot Fellow. He recently wrote this poem- Over the din Of traffic A flute sounds Signaling the start of class To the melody of “Tov lhodot Lashem:” “It is good to praise Hashem To declare in the morning his kindness And Continue Reading »
Posted on January 26, 2014 by Naomi Bilmes
From my blog: I have been living in Israel for 10 months, and everyone knows what happens after 10 months in a foreign country: you go broke and finally start paying attention to the foreign country’s politics. In addition to that, your parents come to visit! It had been five months since I had physically Continue Reading »
Posted on January 21, 2014 by Taylor Winfield
I found this Jerusalem Bible sitting on the hefker table without a cover or binding. It just sat there distressed, pages falling out, looking for a new home. I knew that I could not let this bible be buried. I had to find a way to fix it. I stood for a minute and let Continue Reading »
Posted on January 8, 2014 by Melissa Scholten-Gutierrez
Today in Neima’s Chumash class, we were asked to think / write about how we view or relate to God as part of a discussion about revelation. I had to (sadly) admit to myself that I don’t really think about God on a regular basis, I have just internalized the relationship as a part of Continue Reading »
Posted on December 19, 2013 by Sara Spanjer
One of the most exciting things that can happen in Jewish education is when one Jewish school meets another. This past week my two Jewish schools collided, Pardes and The Weber School. Although we are all different ages, ranging from high school to post-college to grandparents, being Jewish and being in Israel brought us together. Continue Reading »
Posted on December 16, 2013 by Meira Cohen
On November 29, David Levin-Kruss walked up and down the High Line in NYC, teaching Torah and raising money for cancer research. Among those who joined him was an incoming student. by Meira Cohen I’m not due to arrive in Jerusalem for another month, but I have already experienced the legendary warmth of Pardes. As Continue Reading »
Posted on December 9, 2013 by Aliza Geller
From my blog: The Intensive Tanach Track with Neima Novetsky is exploring the “highlights” of the Torah this year. After completing the the first book, Bereshit we were tasked with coming up with a way to remember the contents of each Parsha. This would have been better for me if I had chosen my method from Continue Reading »
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 Tani Cohen-Fraade
I’ve always been a Doodler. Friends, classmates and teachers would all be able to tell you how many countless hours I have spent in and out of class with a pen or pencil in my hand drawing all sorts of shapes connected with lines, tubes, arrows etc… as well as a wide assortment of trees, Continue Reading »
