Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on February 11, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Rosh Chodesh Adar is almost over, but Purim is coming soon! A Provocative Purim Poem by Sara Brandes (Year ’01, Fellows ’02, Elul ’05) ENJOY! Rabbi Sara Brandes lives in Los Angeles, CA, with her husband Hyim, and two children, Michal (5) and Gavi (2). She is West Coast Regional Director at Moving Traditions, and Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
A thought about halakha by Jeremy Sorgen (Spring ’11): When one cooks for another, one cooks with love. Cooking becomes an act of devotion and the food tastes better because it is made with a key ingredient: care. One must strive to do everything this way, that is, as a means of expressing love. Devotion Continue Reading »
Posted on January 16, 2013 by David Bogomolny
One Aspect of Halakha that is Particularly Meaningful to Me “Anyone who identifies as Jewish today only need go back three or four generations to find observant Jews in their family. And from there an unbroken chain of Jewish living that goes back more than three thousand years. Not that everyone has always been observant. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 15, 2013 by Shoshana Rosen
From my blog: The layers come off Did that grab your attention? Well don’t get too excited, sorry to disappoint. I was bracing my self for that cold shock on my face, but I got off the bus, and the sun hit my face. Oh hello sun! I walked to a coffee shop (duh) and Continue Reading »
Posted on January 7, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Ben Barer (Fellows ’11-’12) tackles the issue of Jewish prayer as an Atheist in this blog post: One of the toughest questions for me, as a religious atheist, is what do I gain bydavenning (praying). Alain de Botton, in his fabulous book Religion for Atheists; a Non-believer’s Guide to the Uses of Religion, offers a number of answers Continue Reading »
Posted on January 5, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Adam Masser shares a poignant quote: As deeply as any ideology may stand apart from, even in stark opposition to, its contemporary environment, if this outlook is to be shared beyond the confines of a small band of elite souls, who need no supportive experience to confirm them in their convictions, its beliefs Continue Reading »
Posted on January 4, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Shira has left us for another adventure, and we miss her… But her insightful writing continues (x-posted here below)! Legacy. A pretty big word around here. Here being Jerusalem, a city that many nations hold dear due to its history and importance in relation to their people, their culture, their religion. As a proud member of Continue Reading »
Posted on December 22, 2012 by Adam L Masser
The Torah presents an idealized world in Eretz Yisrael. It describes an agricultural society with certain egalitarian features and a strong ethic of taking care of each other. Everyone has an inherited plot of land, sufficient to support a family. The Israelites are even told by G-d to trust that there will be enough food Continue Reading »
Posted on December 9, 2012 by Derek Kwait
Maybe it’s because I grew up feeling like one, or maybe it’s just some genetic Jewish thing, but for whatever reason, I’ve always sympathized with the outsider. When I went on the Tale of Three Cities tiyyul the two weeks ago, I didn’t know what to expect, except that we were going to meet three Continue Reading »
Posted on December 5, 2012 by David Bogomolny
Fixed prayer is a salient element of halakha (Jewish law). Jews committed to halakha pray 3x every day (morning, afternoon, evening), and for many it is challenging to find meaning in the mandated, daily recitation of standardized liturgy. A couple of years ago, I took a class that explored various spiritual practices in Hasidic and Continue Reading »
