Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 27, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, This past week’s parsha includes one of the few narratives in the book of Vayikra, namely the divinely ordained death of Aaron’s sons, Nadav and Avihu, upon presenting their voluntary fire offering. But the telling of the acts of Nadav and Avihu and their subsequent deaths are brief and perplexing. We do not Continue Reading »
Posted on February 23, 2011 by Aviva P.
by Michael Kleinman All things pray, like the plant growing toward the sun. So the human tries to grow his mind and heart back to his Source, who is Hashem, and what we are praying for is to know our Higher Self. We are praying with the desire to release our mental projection of our 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 17, 2010 by Michael
I gave this as a speech to the Social Justice Track a few days ago. People seemed to like it, so I thought I’d post it for everyone to read… The 29th section of the Tao te Ching: Do you want to improve the world? I don’t think it can be done. The world is Continue Reading »
Posted on November 8, 2010 by Michael
I am reading a fascinating book by Aryeh Kaplan called Jewish Meditation. It is practical as a guide to develop the spirit through at least thirty minutes of daily meditation in a completely Jewish manner. By the way, he talks about how the central prayer of Judaism, the Shemonah Esrei (meaning 18 prayers), otherwise known Continue Reading »
Posted on September 22, 2010 by David Bogomolny
As I mentioned in a previous post, returning for a 2nd year at Pardes feels empowering to me in certain ways. I feel more empowered, for example, to arrange more independent chevrutas than I did last year, and more empowered to direct my studies. Last year, I took the Self, Soul & Text class at Pardes, and Continue Reading »
Posted on September 21, 2010 by Michael
We have nearly reached the one-month mark in our studies, and I have to wonder at the fact that, until this journey in Israel, I have never taken the time to document my life week by week in a journal. I have to tell you that there is a lot of power in shared journaling. Continue Reading »
Posted on September 21, 2010 by Heena
Greetings to readers of this blog! The reason I’m at Pardes is to deepen my learning, undisturbed by the demands of my daily life in Charlottesville, VA, USA. I’m studying to be a rabbi through ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal. I’ve been involved in Jewish renewal practices since 1991. For me, Jewish renewal means Continue Reading »
Posted on September 19, 2010 by David Bogomolny
Several days ago, I had a conversation with an incoming student at Pardes, and she asked me about my feelings towards halakha & Judaism, which gave me new cause to reflect upon last year. In addition to developing practical skills in Jewish text study & Jewish traditional observance, I also spent much of last year striving Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2010 by David Bogomolny
Pardes is a very academic institution, which puts tremendous emphasis upon Jewish text study. Morning classes alternate between Talmud (or Mishnah) study & Chumash study, and the afternoon classes, which are subject-based, are also grounded in Jewish texts (Tanakh, Mishnah Berurah, Midrash, etc.). Unlike some other traditional Jewish learning institutions, Pardes does not aim to Continue Reading »
