Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on May 13, 2013 by Laurie Franklin
I went to the Kotel on Rosh Chodesh Sivan expecting to pray, and I did. I was surprised that I could focus on prayer in the volatile atmosphere; the hullabaloo made me concentrate even harder than usual. “Ozi v’zimrat Yah” never had greater meaning for me than it did on Friday morning as I stood Continue Reading »
Posted on May 12, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
From my blog: Friday morning was a blur. A scary blur. I didn’t wake up until 6:24 AM when my roommate screamed, “WIESE.” And I jumped out of bed, how could this happen, on a day that was so important to me? Never mind…we jumped in a taxi and I ran down to the women’s Continue Reading »
Posted on April 26, 2013 by Aliza Geller
Devar Torah Workshop, Parashat Emor Over the past couple of weeks, students in their first year of the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators have been participating in a Devar Torah workshop with DLK (Rabbi David Levin-Kruss). This is the Devar Torah I wrote to be presented at the workshop yesterday, for Parashat Emor. Please keep Continue Reading »
Posted on April 11, 2013 by Shoshana Rosen
From my blog: When you are praying the words “Shema Yisrael”, “Listen Israel”, but instead you hear the sound of people yelling at you. When there are more photographers and journalists than people praying. After months of hesitation and apprehension I visit the kotel for Rosh Chodesh. I go to finally see what it is like to be Continue Reading »
Posted on March 13, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert
This Rosh Hodesh was my second time attending Rosh Hodesh davenning at WoW. Last month, I was glad to check it out and feel like I was part of something important but between the cameras and security, I struggled to feel like I was davenning. This Rosh Hodesh, two amazing things happened. 1) I got Continue Reading »
Posted on February 15, 2013 by The Director of Digital Media
Yishai Paquin (Year ’11-’12) is an avid photographer. Here he shares a spiritual insight that he gained through photography: Sometimes reminders come from unsuspected places. I was learning how to edit photos today when my instructor mentioned that dark layers are for light and light layers are for dark. It is the same basics for Continue Reading »
Posted on February 11, 2013 by Andrea Wiese
From my blog: We went to the Kotel (Western Wall) to pray this morning for Rosh Hodesh Adar. It started last night organizing taxis for everyone from Pardes who wanted to go. This morning, I woke up at 5:30…I made the decision to wrap my arm tefillin and wear my coat over it. I wrapped Continue Reading »
Posted on January 17, 2013 by Laura Marder
In Parshat Bo we are given the first Mitzvah from G-d. The mitzvah of being aware and sanctifying time with Rosh Chodesh. “This month shall be to you the head of the months; to you it shall be the first of the months of the year”. Bo 11:2 While reading BO I tried to Continue Reading »
Posted on December 18, 2012 by Aliza Geller
Originally posted on my blog: I need to start by saying that I love Israel, I am a zionist and I also believe in egalitarian Judaism. I am still able to love Israel, even though there are a number of problems related to how much sway the religious right has with the Government of Israel Continue Reading »
Posted on December 14, 2012 by Andrea Wiese
Originally posted on my blog: I recently learned about Women of the Wall and their struggle for equality at the Kotel, the Western Wall, the most significant religious site for Jews. Every Rosh Chodesh they go to the Kotel to pray together in a minyan (technically, a group of 10 Jewish men, but for them, Continue Reading »
