Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
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 March 24, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
following the priestly induction ceremony, the cohanim are required to camp out in the tent of meeting for seven full days. they are warned to remain inside day and night, lest they come out and die. what an incredibly high-pressure, terrifying way to start a new job. this week’s parsha shmini marks the eight day Continue Reading »
Posted on March 19, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Hard as it is to believe, yesterday marked the end of my first week of student-teaching in New York. The high school I’m interning at is really an unbelievable place and I’m learning a lot– not only about teaching and learning, but what kinds of things I can buy in Columbus Circle and Continue Reading »
Posted on March 18, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in this week’s parsha צו (tsav), moshe, following God’s instructions, performs the ritual sacrifices and ceremony necessary to induct aharon and his sons into the priesthood. the Torah uses the same word להקריב both meaning “to induct” when referring to the cohanim (priests) as well “to offer” when referring to the animal sacrifices. strikingly, this Continue Reading »
Posted on March 10, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
parshat vayikra is basically consumed with the bloody details of offering korbanot (sacrifices) and sin-offerings to God. throughout all the different variations of how we may sin and what we need to do to be forgiven, over and over, we’re instructed to lay our hands upon the animal to be sacrificed directly before its Continue Reading »
Posted on December 9, 2010 by Avi Strausberg
okay, this is a two-thought, two-haiku parsha. finally, finally, the dramatic reunion we’ve all been waiting for since joseph’s brothers sold him off to a caravan of ishmaelites many years back. joseph plays his part well: he sends out all the servants, he confesses his concealed identity, and he loudly weeps so that all may Continue Reading »
Posted on December 5, 2010 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, Happy Channukah! I’m very excited to be celebrating in the illuminated (and unseasonably warm) city of Jerusalem this year. The ‘holiday season’ here is NOTHING like what it is in Toronto. I mean, the local bus has a sign that says “Channukah Sameach” (“Happy Channukah”) on it. Enough said. Before I share what Continue Reading »
Posted on November 2, 2010 by Eryn
vayera, וירא Huge, life-changing events happen in this week’s parsha. A city is annihilated, the smoke and ashes of its people filling the land, an entire people are made barren and then healed by God and, the long-awaited child of Sarah and Avraham, Yitzhak, comes within in seconds of a young death, nearly sacrificed to Continue Reading »
Posted on October 28, 2010 by Mosheh
It’s been recently pointed out to me that there is a tradition of doing netilat yadayim (ritual hand washing and blessing) before prayer, just as we do before eating bread. Apparently, it is not so common for people to follow this custom, which is why I hadn’t noticed it before, but it does exist. Moreover, Continue Reading »
Posted on October 27, 2010 by Avi Strausberg
we learn of three deaths in this week’s parsha, whose very title, חיי שרה, contains the word life. the first death, is that of sarah, for whose death, avraham wails and cries, seemingly alone in his grief. in constrast, after avraham’s own death, just pages later, he breathes his last breath, dies, and is Continue Reading »
