Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 23, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
This week, Neima Novetsky discusses Parashat Beha’alotekha in “Speaking Against Moshe.” beha’alotekha ’73 Shabbat shalom!
Posted on February 24, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha is chalk-full of measurement details for the building of the Mishkan (Tabernacle), which leaves little room for inspirational lessons. Fortunately for me, the Rashbam took this opportunity to answer one of my long-standing questions – when does the Rashbam feel it necessary to add his own commentary and when is he happy Continue Reading »
Posted on January 20, 2012 by Barer
This week’s parsha documents the well-known story of Moshe and Aharon repeatedly coming before Pharoah asking to go worship Hashem, only to be repeatedly rebuffed, even in the fact of nasty plagues (this week’s parsha has the first eight). There are so many points of focus to pick from when you are dealing with the Continue Reading »
Posted on December 16, 2011 by Barer
This week’s parsha is full of the narrative action we have become familiar with in Bereishit, with this parsha in particular being so great as to be turned into a Broadway musical (Joseph and the Amazing Coat of Many Colours). However, a less-known fact is that the Rashbam chooses the beginning of this parsha to Continue Reading »
Posted on November 10, 2011 by Barer
This week’s parsha is chalk-full of troubling stories, from the Akieda, arguably the most challenging section of the Torah, to the destruction of Sdom and Amorah, to the episode of Lot and his daughters. What caught my attention while reading the parsha, though, was a subtler play on language related to rhetorical questions. There are Continue Reading »
Posted on November 3, 2011 by Barer
This week’s parsha contains many famous and thought-provoking stories, but I would like to focus on what I see as an emerging motif in the Rashbam, where he criticizes his grandfather’s reading of a verse before offering an alternate interpretation which he sees as sticking more closely to the pshat, the simple reading of the Continue Reading »
Posted on October 25, 2011 by Barer
[Sorry for the delay; cross-posted from my blog] With the conclusion of Simchat Torah we are embarking upon reading the Torah from the beginning once again. For my own study, I have moved ahead (or behind, depending on who you ask) two generations to study the commentary of the Rashbam on the Torah. The Rashbam Continue Reading »
Posted on November 24, 2010 by Francesca
My post at Uri L’Tzedek below: In Parshat Vayeishev, after Yosef is captured by his brothers and sold into slavery, the Torah digresses to the esoteric story of Tamar and Judah. After the death of Tamar’s husband Er, Judah’s firstborn, she marries Er’s younger brother Oran. When Onan also dies, Judah instructs Tamar to wait in Continue Reading »
Posted on November 22, 2010 by David Bogomolny
R. Baruch Feldstern showed us this video during Chumash class, saying that these little bears could be representatives of Rashi and Rashbam 🙂
Posted on November 4, 2010 by David Bogomolny
The dalet-hei Humash class recently engaged in an exercise that might be of interest to other students and teachers, for its pedagogic value and/or because it is related to this Shabbat’s parasha. As part of studying the account of Yaakov’s acquiring Esau’s birthright – Gen. 25:29-34 – we read all the comments of Rashi and Continue Reading »
