Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on November 1, 2011 by Heligman
Too often the shades of our life are drawn and God’s magnificent colors are missed. I am taking on this project as a means to stop and enjoy God’s brilliance. For the month of November, each day I will document the evening sunset from the Pardes Beit Midrash. I hope you will stop and notice Continue Reading »
Posted on October 4, 2011 by Barer
Judaism, one could argue, is obsessed with marking time as sacred, normal, or anywhere in between. At this time which Judaism demarcates as particularly sacred — we are in the middle of the Aseret Ye’mei Teshuva, the Ten Days of Repentance — it is hard not to be caught up in the spiritual fervour that Continue Reading »
Posted on September 8, 2011 by Shibley
With the onset of Rosh Hodesh Elul, we will begin the twice daily recitation of Psalm 27, along with the daily blasts of the shofar. Sephardic communities begin the recitation of slichot (liturgical poems for forgiveness), and the gradual ascension from Tisha b’Av to Rosha Hashana increases its gradient. As such, I thought it would Continue Reading »
Posted on June 3, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
well, the good news is, she survived the ritual ordeal of the housewife gone astray. the bad news is, well, where do we go from here? parshat naso describes in detail the disturbing process of how a husband, suspecting his wife of infelidity or overcome by jealousy may bring his wife to trial. and, this Continue Reading »
Posted on April 23, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Moadim l’simcha! (This is a special greeting for the interim days-chol hamoed-between the Yom Tov at the beginning and end of Pesach, or Sukkot.) I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the crunchy taste of matzah this Passover. I was fortunate to spend the Seder with my friends and my sister Continue Reading »
Posted on March 8, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in the beginning of sefer shmot, בני ישראל did not yet know their God. when God recruits moshe to make the initial introduction between He and the people, God first must tell moshe by what name He can be called before moshe is even willing to make this giant leap. sefer shmot is the book Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, What a week of learning, both inside and outside the walls of Pardes! A particular highlight for me was picking oranges for an organization called Leket Israel, which provides for Israeli children who are hungry and/or do not received proper nutrition. This volunteering project was organized by Pardes students in loving memory of Continue Reading »
Posted on February 16, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in this week’s parsha, ki tissa, we learn much about moshe and God’s complicated relationship, through the nature of their interactions. by now, they seem to have developed an interesting dynamic in which God has singled moshe out from the rest of the people, almost as a companion or confidante. it is moshe that is Continue Reading »
Posted on February 6, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Last week was quite a whirlwind: getting back on track with classes at Pardes, exploring plans for next year and hosting my dad who is visiting from Toronto for the next 10 days or so…not to mention the snowy blizzards and political storms going on around the world! I can honestly say that Continue Reading »
Posted on December 25, 2010 by Joel D.
