These and Those

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

Tag Archives: prayer / tefillah / davening

Shavuot: a Temple Holiday without a Temple

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Zach

I know a lot of my posts have been about how holidays are celebrated in Israel, but I hope you’ll bear with me through one more.  I promise, no more! Last week we celebrated Shavu’ot – the “Festival of Weeks” and the forerunner to Christian Pentecost.  Like most Jewish holidays, it was originally an agricultural Continue Reading »

Jerusalem Day

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Pious Antic

Yom Yerushalayim, which was observed this week, celebrates the reunification of the old city of Jerusalem under Jewish control in 1967, after 19 years in which the city was divided between Jewish and Arab control. Unsurprisingly, given the historical, political and moral complexity of the events it commemorates, Yom Yerushalayim is not a universally beloved Continue Reading »

[Take 5] Amy Martin: How I Pray

Posted on May 13, 2011 by Joel D.

Edot Hamizrach and Ashkenaz

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Shibley

Last Shabbat, I had the pleasure of staying with one of my teachers (Rabbi Levi Cooper) in the yishuv of Tzur Hadassah. Throughout Shabbat I had the opportunity to daven at a mizrachi synagogue who davened nusach edot hamizrach, and an ashkenazi shul who davened nusach ashkenaz. I just wanted to share a couple of Continue Reading »

Timed

Posted on April 17, 2011 by Shibley

Some contemporary halakhic debates about prayer are often couched in language of obligation and time-caused mitzvot. Usually we see such language when discussing the role of women inside the halakhic framework. Wrapped into the discussion of time are “halakhic hours” by which we measure the day, which becomes especially critical when discussion t’fillah. Another language Continue Reading »

Kol Rina

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Shibley

Last Shabbat I had the pleasure of trying out a new synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Nachlaot called Kol Rina. Kol Rina meets in a miklat (bomb shelter), and you could easily miss it. Once inside, it appears as if this is a full service synagogue, with a newsletter, committees, a library, events, a Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Hametz Prayers

Posted on April 11, 2011 by The Director of Digital Media

Below is a guest post from 2 Pardes alumni: Rabbi Jon Kelsen & Dena Weiss are both alumni of the Pardes kollel program. Jon teaches at the Drisha Institute, and Dena teaches at Yeshivat Hadar. Together in chevruta, Jon & Dena wrote two prayers, in anticipation of bedikat / biur hametz this year. Here is their explanation. (read Continue Reading »

Hybrid

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Shibley

A few weeks back I authored a post about outdoor prayer. As I think I made clear, my preference is to remain indoors for all of the reasons that I mentioned. I also find it stifling to daven in an enclosed, stuffy location. In fact, there is a custom of at least building btei kenset Continue Reading »

Thunder

Posted on March 23, 2011 by Joel D.

The day was marked by a cold rain. I was more afraid of cars splashing me with mud than anything else. We walked alone, cold, calm. He thought it was thunder. My friend said not to worry, it was just thunder. But no rain clouds came, only the screams of sirens. The world stopped as Continue Reading »

The Individual

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Shibley

Let me begin this brief post by expressing explicitly that I believe wholeheartedly in communal prayer as a viable and necessary outlet of group expression. Furthermore, please do not leave your respective minyanim in a situation where they will be without a minyan, just for the sake of this post. Nor should those saying kaddish Continue Reading »