These and Those

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

Tag Archives: mitzvot

In Honor of Fred Worms z”l

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

I presented this in Fred Worms’ (z”l) memory at today’s Pardes community lunch When I first started learning about Mr. Worms I felt an instant connection because of his love of sports. I love sports and playing sports, as well. In a speech that Mr. Worms gave when he stepped down from being the Honorary Continue Reading »

Pesach Mitzvah re: Ugandan Jews!

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Rachel Rosenbluth

Hello Pardes Friends! I’m writing to you guys in preparation for the Passover Seder, to present an opportunity for doing a really special mitzvah, and to share a unique Pesach experience that I had in East Africa. Two years ago, I had a far-from-trypical pesach seder. It took place far away, in a remote and Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Midrashic Messages by Andrea Wiese

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

Our double Parsha – Vayakhel-Pekudei is focused on building the Mishkan or Tabernacle. And as we know, God calls on Betzelel to build it. There are two contradicting Midrashim around Betzelel and the order in which he builds the Tabernacle (Mishkan משכן), the Ark (Aron ארון), and the vessels (כלים the keilim). In Shemot Rabba Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Tricky Number Ten

Posted on February 6, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media

Rachel Bikofsky (Summer ’12) wrote a reflection on last week’s Parshat Hashavuah (Parshat Yitro). We could all stand to take this lesson from her book: As parshiot go, this past week’s–Yitro–was a Big One.  Amid tremendous spectacle at Mt. Sinai, Hashem revealed to the Israelites the Ten Commandments.  Although the rest of the Torah would not be Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Laura Marder – Parshat Bo

Posted on January 17, 2013 by Laura Marder

In Parshat Bo we are given the first Mitzvah from G-d. The mitzvah of being aware and sanctifying time with Rosh Chodesh. “This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year”. Bo 11:2   While reading BO I tried to Continue Reading »

a new struggle i didn’t see coming

Posted on January 12, 2013 by Andrea Wiese

From my blog: “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.” ― Martin Luther King Jr. I know this sounds naive, Continue Reading »

Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah [One Mitzvah Leads to Another]

Posted on October 23, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

Last Thursday, a group of Pardes students volunteering to help pack meals for shut-ins at Ezrat Avot in Mea Sharim, stayed afterwards to learn some Parshat HaShavuah. Kol HaKavod!

How to Write a Blog Post*

Posted on October 16, 2012 by Derek Kwait

Last year was my blogging year. This year is the one where I step aside and help other people blog Pardes. This suits me just fine since this is also the year where I have no time to blog (almost). It occurred to me, however, that if I am to run this blog, then I Continue Reading »

The Distance Between Who We Are and Who We Want to Be

Posted on October 2, 2012 by Lauren Schuchart

(Cross-posted from my blog) The morning before Yom Kippur began, I was on a mission to buy food for the “break fast” (specifically borekas and other assorted fattening pastries). The streets were pretty crowded as it seemed everyone had a last-minute mind like myself. I walked past a woman who was holding a bag full Continue Reading »

Tefillin

Posted on September 28, 2012 by Andrea Wiese

Recently, with the help of a teacher and a friend, I have taken on the mitzvah of tefillin. To be honest, I’m not sure when I really started wanting to try it, it’s such a personal experience so it’s hard to say, “I wanted to have this feeling, so I started to wrap tefillin.” But Continue Reading »