Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on November 20, 2011 by Barer
Naomi grew up in a Modern Orthodox community in South Miami, where her family helped found a Young Israel. She was immersed in Judaism from a young age – shul, day school, day camp – but rarely in a community as diverse as Pardes. It is in a Modern Orthodox community that Naomi feels most Continue Reading »
Posted on October 18, 2011 by Barer
Better late than never, as they say. Words of Torah are timeless, so I hope this is just as meaningful now, even though it was given at the year-opening Shabbaton by Pardes Fellow Kalie Kelman: I guess I pulled the short straw, so I’m giving the first d’var Torah of the weekend. But I promise Continue Reading »
Posted on July 23, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This week I read the parsha ‘cover to cover’ and am stumped. There is a lot to talk about in the parsha: the status of women in Jewish (biblical) law, a gruesome (and vengeful) battle against idolators and the decision of two tribes to settle outside the Land of Israel. But somehow as Continue Reading »
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 »
Posted on February 18, 2011 by David Bogomolny
Natalie (above, right) and her sister Sharyn (above, left) from Melbourne, Australia arrived at Pardes in September, knowing they would only be able to join us for one semester. Natalie (Nat) informed These&Those that the Australian summer holiday is in December and January, and the academic year runs from February through November. This explains her plans to return home next week to continue her professional studies. Continue Reading »
Posted on January 2, 2011 by David Bogomolny
Sam had so much to share with his parents last summer, and it was his father’s first time in Israel! He felt steeped in Israeli culture; and his thinking about Jewish and Israel education had evolved after his Mechina (preparatory) year for the Pardes Educators Program (PEP). He wanted to share not only the religious and historical aspects of Israel, Continue Reading »
Posted on November 21, 2010 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Today, I am inspired to write by two of my dear friends and beloved chevrutot (learning partners): Merissa Nathan Gerson and Dana Adler. Thank you Merissa and Dana! Last week’s parsha, Vayishlach, is filled with a lot of difficult questions and interactions. To name a few: Yaakov wrestles with an angel and is Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
It was my first class with Rav Levi Cooper and my study partner and I were moving slowly, looking up nearly every word in our Hebrew-English dictionaries when the thrill of the moment overtook me as I realized that I was actually reading and translating RAMBAM – Maimonides, the great Jewish scholar – from Hebrew. Continue Reading »
Posted on October 28, 2010 by Shibley
Sunday, chazara. Monday, night seder with R. Levi Cooper. Tuesday, issur v’heter. Wednesday, Kiddushin chevruta. Thursday, Brachot chevruta. If it hadn’t been for the title, you might have thought that the aforementioned days and subjects were merely highlights in a day packed with Torah learning. And if you had thought that, you would have been Continue Reading »
Posted on February 16, 2010 by David Bogomolny
This will likely be my final note on the Pardes ’10 Poland Trip. We’ll see. Much of what I’ve reflected upon has been inspired by R. Levi Cooper, and I’m particularly appreciative of his emphasis on the wealth of Eastern European Jewish culture before the Shoah. We spent much of our final day touring the Continue Reading »
