Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on September 19, 2012 by Eric Feldman
What would you do if you were greater than you are? In Judaism, hypothetical situations are occasionally used in order to put ourselvest in a certain mindset – for example, on Passover, we imagine what it would have been like to have been slaves in Egypt. And now, with these weeks of transformation upon us, Continue Reading »
Posted on September 15, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
Since we’re in the season of teshuva, I wanted to share some a very wise and inspiring Rabbi (Michael Hattin) once wrote, “teshuva is…a gradual awakening of the mind and soul to God’s call, a measured but steady process of self-evaluation and reflection, a plodding and sometimes faltering series of steps that includes dead ends, Continue Reading »
Posted on September 12, 2012 by Annie Matan Gilbert
I am a returning student this year. I was in the Year Program in 2009-2010. My goal that year was to attain the skills I needed to be accepted into rabbinical school. It was an incredible, eye and heart-opening year that changed my life. When I returned to Toronto, I found my besherte and indeed Continue Reading »
Posted on August 26, 2012 by Derek Kwait
This week was my last back at my shul Young People’s Synagogue, which last year, raised around $7,000 to send me to Pardes for a year. Yesterday, I delivered this speech to let them know how their investment turned out. So, how have you all been? For those who don’t know, from September through the Continue Reading »
Posted on July 30, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
(From “You’ve given me the most beautiful set of wings.”) This is very rare that I have such a long absence from blogging, but thus is life, and it happens. Since my classes ended at Pardes, I was working for NFTY. http://www.nftyisrael.org/ It’s reform Judaism’s summer trip to Israel. This was my third summer working Continue Reading »
Posted on June 19, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer
(X-posted from my blog Lost in Jerusalem: http://lostjlem.blogspot.com/) Two weeks have passed since I said goodbye to Jerusalem and hello to an old familiar foe, Medford, Oregon. The job hunt continues, and the sudden realization of how far away the nearest shul is, a mere ten miles, seems as though it might as well be Continue Reading »
Posted on June 15, 2012 by Daniel Weinreb
By Daniel Weinreb, PEP ’12 “It’s so appropriate that we are in this week’s parsha…” Really? I’m skeptical. In fact, when I hear that phrase in a d’var Torah I fluff up the shoulder next to me and hit the snooze button. Why? Because I anticipate I am about to get a contrived connection between Continue Reading »
Posted on June 14, 2012 by Cheryl Stone
By Cheryl Stone, PEP ’12 June 4, 2012 When I began contemplating what I would write, I went in search of the perfect ‘teacher quote’ and found this: אם יהיו כל השמים יריעות וכל האילנות קולמוסין וכל המים דיו, אין כדי לכתוב את חכמתי שלמדתי מרבי: ולא אצלתי מחכמת חכמים אלא כשם שזבוב הזו הטובלת Continue Reading »
Posted on June 12, 2012 by Joanne Loiben
By Joanne Loiben, PEP ’12 Writer’s block. How can I sum up these past 3 years into a neat little 3 minute Dvar Torah? The memories, the moments, the worlds that once existed on this 3rd floor hidden paradise. The teachers, the knowledge, the learning, the constant flow of engaging conversations. Who I was 3 Continue Reading »
Posted on June 4, 2012 by Adrienne Silver
My experience with Ayeka has been a transformative one. Ayeka’s safe, open environment allowed me to explore areas of my religious life that I would not have otherwise explored. It forced me to grapple with issues that I have decidedly ignored in the past. For the first time, I felt encouraged to read texts subjectively Continue Reading »
