Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on April 7, 2022 by Carole Daman
The focus of this Dvar Torah is the maftir for Shabbat Hachodesh. The maftir, referred to as Parashat Hachodesh, consists of the first 20 verses of Chapter 12 of Shmot. Not only does it relate to Pesach, but it mentions both my and my son Avi’s Hebrew birthdays, the 10th (on an actual Shabbos Hagadol Continue Reading »
Posted on January 26, 2022 by Bracha Lieberman
This post was written by PLS participant Bracha Lieberman. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. I grew up Modern Orthodox and studied in Orthodox schools through high school. My mother had wanted me to learn about the Jewish people, Jewish values, the Continue Reading »
Posted on January 12, 2022 by Josh Rolnick
I had so many reasons not to apply for the Pardes winter seminar on Cultivating Courage and Resilience. It took place during the holiday break, when my four children were off from school, a time of family and togetherness. Every day for five days, I knew, the seminar would take precious time away from my Continue Reading »
Posted on January 5, 2022 by Julie Kohl
This post was written by PLS participant Julie Kohl. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. When the COVID surge caused my plans to go skiing in Colorado to fall through, I unexpectedly found myself with extra time during the final week of Continue Reading »
Posted on July 27, 2021 by Jeff Hurok
This teaching was written by first time PLS participant Jeff Hurok. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. I have wanted to attend a summer Pardes Learning Seminar for a few years. I don’t recall the first time I heard about Pardes, but Continue Reading »
Posted on July 15, 2021 by Elaine Hochberg
This post was written by first-time PLS participant Elaine Hochberg. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. Where do I begin? I spent five days last week with Pardes for the first time. The experience was revelatory. A few weeks previously, the new Continue Reading »
Posted on July 12, 2021 by Cindy Scheinfeld
This teaching was written by first time PLS participant Cindy Scheinfeld. To learn more about the Pardes Learning Seminar program, which runs during the summer and winter, please visit www.pardes.org.il/seminar. Several months ago I became interested in studying Torah. It’s not something I have done before. I grew up in a secular home with limited Continue Reading »
Posted on May 2, 2021 by Carole Daman
This blog piece was written by Carole Daman (Year ’73-’74, Spirituality Retreat ’13, ’14, ’15, ’17, ’18, WPLS ’08, ’09, PLS ’12, ’13, ’14, ’15, ’16 ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20). Sefer Vayikra begins with an invitation and ends with a warning of alienation. According to Ramban, the Sefer sets forth laws meant to protect the Continue Reading »
Posted on July 15, 2020 by Beryl Levinger
This was written by Beryl Levinger who studied at Pardes in the summer of 2008 before joining this summer’s PLS. I love that Judaism is a religion of doing. In practical terms, this means that Jewish learning should help us to grow both spiritually and behaviorally. Unpacking the multiple meanings of a text in beit Continue Reading »
Posted on July 15, 2020 by Michael Conway
This was written by Michael Conway, a participant in the 2020 Summer online Pardes Learning Seminar. Michael lives in Miami Beach, FL. In the fragmented, post-modern world in which most of us live – busily bouncing between responsibilities of jobs and families – Pardes Learning Seminars (PLS) provide a refreshing and renewed connection between ourselves, Continue Reading »
