These and Those

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

Tag Archives: Torah

Shavuot: An Inspiration For Converts

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

(x-posted from my blog Lost in Jerusalem: http://lostjlem.blogspot.com/) Now that Shavuot has come to an end (well, for those of us in Israel, anyway), the complete cycle of my first year as a Jew has also drawn to a close. I have been fortunate enough to have my first experiences as a Jew with every one Continue Reading »

Week 37: The Practical Dictionary of the Pardes Lexicon

Posted on May 19, 2012 by Derek Kwait

(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) One of the unadvertised perks of Pardes is that after studying holy texts in their original in the Beit Midrash for a whole year, no matter how advanced your Hebrew level, you come away with a black-belt in using dictionaries. Yet I have noticed that for all Continue Reading »

Week 35: Other Things I’ve Learned in Israel

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Derek Kwait

(X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) I came to Israel wanting to learn Torah, and I have. Thank God, I’ve learned tons of Torah here and am privileged to learn more each day. But now that it’s May and I’m entering into the home stretch of my first year in Israel, I’ve gotten Continue Reading »

Week 24: More Leftovers

Posted on February 19, 2012 by Derek Kwait

(Mostly X-posted from my home blog, Yinzer in Yerushalayim) * For Tuesday’s group lecture, Robby Berman, head of the Halakhic Organ Donor Society came to give a riveting, inspiring, infuriating talk. I’ll sum it up in brief: There is no valid Jewish (or non-Jewish) reason to not save lives by being an organ donor. If Continue Reading »

Two Sounds in One Ear

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Soffer

Originally posted on Darkeynu דרכינו: וברכה שלום, Throughout my year in Israel, I will use this blog to share what I study in the classroom, and to describe what I observe on the streets; I will discuss not only the Torah that I learn, but also the Torah that I live. I hope that in Continue Reading »

האזינו, ha’azinu

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

the language of parshat ha’azinu seems to be in a poetic world of its own, amidst the torah verses that surround it.  a prophetic moshe, nearing the end of both his journey and his life, spews forth a mixture of his own words with God’s in another rage against the people’s disobedience. according to moshe, Continue Reading »

[PEP Student] The Torah

Posted on August 6, 2011 by Tamara Frankel

Dear Friends, I am writing to you this week from my home in Toronto. It’s hard to believe that July has come and gone and the summer is starting to come to a close. I know none of us want to hear that, but it’s the truth. If you think July flew by, August will Continue Reading »

Women and Walls

Posted on July 10, 2011 by Mary Brett Koplen

Mary Brett Koplen, Pardes Summer learner, shares her Rosh Chodesh experience with Women of the Wall. For more of Mary Brett’s writing or to see her original post, visit her website: Where the Gnome Goes (A Traveling Blog). At 6:15am, I am showered and partially coffeed. I stand on a Jerusalem street corner with my Continue Reading »

בהעלותך, beha’alotekha

Posted on June 8, 2011 by Avi Strausberg

this week, God instructs moshe to put into place a sound system in order to summon the community and gather the troops.  with two different trumpets at their disposal, God establishes a morse code used for relaying information.  two trumpets/long blast:  everyone gather around.  one trumpet/long blast:  just the chiefs.  one set of short blasts:  Continue Reading »

[Take 5] Tamara Frankel: Power of Torah

Posted on May 19, 2011 by Joel D.