These and Those

Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem

Tag Archives: Torah

Being Cool and Staying in School!

Posted on October 10, 2012 by Heather Kantrowitz

Originally posted on Sept. 19: Hello friends and family!! I’ve finally started school, and it’s been keeping me so busy I haven’t had time to update my blog. So, here’s the past two weeks in a nutshell: 1)SO MUCH LEARNING 2)SO MANY NEW FRIENDS! School: It’s been a combination of challenging and rewarding so far. Continue Reading »

The Sukkah as Temporary Temple

Posted on October 5, 2012 by Sydni Adler

During Sukkot, we celebrate God’s hand in the successes of our past years’ produce and of all the work of our hands (Deut 16:15). Before the destruction of the Temple, Sukkot was much more of a raucous, noisy, purely joyful celebration than it is today. However, today, without the Temple and without sacrifice, what remains Continue Reading »

Shabbaton Dvar Torah, for those of you asked (and those who didn’t!)

Posted on September 16, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

When we arrive at Nitzavim, we know we are coming to the end of the Five Books of Moses. Only a few parshiot remain: Vayelech, Ha’azinu and V’zot Habrachah. Each of these is like the tone of a closing bell that announces the end of our wanderings b’midbar and the beginning of a new journey Continue Reading »

Shofar and God’s Love of Israel

Posted on September 10, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

by Rabbi Alex Israel Cross-posted from his blog Thinking Israel On the one hand, the cycle of the Jewish year is predictable and familiar: The solemnity of Yom Kippur, the smells and feel of the Sukka and the 4 species, the warmth and intimacy of Hannuka, Purim’s raucous frivolity, the tunes and tastes of Seder Continue Reading »

[Alumni Guest Post] Opening Eyes

Posted on September 3, 2012 by The Director of Digital Media

by Pardes Summer Program 2012 Alumn Jason Kravitz L’takken olam b’malkhut shaddai. Three times a day in our repetition of the Aleinu, we are reminded of the need and responsibility to repair the world.  Each of us has our own special memories of the lives we have touched. Six years ago, I was granted one Continue Reading »

The Rules of the Game

Posted on July 31, 2012 by Ross Meltzer

I am not sure when the last time was I actually did something for the first time. So when I was approached a few days ago to write a blog, I knew instinctively from childhood that I have to try everything once. I wasn’t sure how to approach this, or if anyone would even read Continue Reading »

Find What’s Yummy

Posted on July 16, 2012 by Rachel Bikofsky

(Cross-posted from Little by Little לאט לאט Shalom from Israel!  I do feel like I should apologize for the long stretch without any postings…as predicted, getting computer access has been a bit tricky.  But, though I haven’t been writing, I’ve been quite busy exploring Jerusalem and reuniting with dear friends after many, many months apart.  This Continue Reading »

2012 PEP Graduation Dvar Torah

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Rabbi Julie Gordon

By Rabbi Julie Gordon, PEP ’12 Soon we will leave the security of Pardes’ Beit Midrash where if we had a question or wanted to study a text, there was always a teacher or a student interested in helping, guiding and learning with us. We all know there is so much more to learn. When Continue Reading »

My Dvar Torah at PEP graduation

Posted on June 13, 2012 by Sam Blumberg

By Sam Blumberg, PEP ’12 Over the last three years at Pardes, I have learned a ton. I’ve learned Torah, Talmud, Mishna, pedagogy, philosophy– all things that I knew little about before my time in the Pardes Educators Program. But I didn’t come here to learn. I came here to teach. In the thirteenth chapter Continue Reading »

Week 39:

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Derek Kwait

(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) So this is it. The end. It’s over. After Shabbat, I’m going to see everyone again in the fall at best, never at worst. Still, this is ultimately what I signed up for, to become a Pardes Alum. I’m almost positive that from the moment I touch Continue Reading »