These and Those

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

Tag Archives: tzimtzum

WxW 30/30 #1: From Start to Finish

Posted on April 2, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert

From my blog: Thanks to The Velveteen Rabbi for alerting me that http://wordxwordfestival.com/ is having a 30 poems in 30 days contest.  (I don’t think there are prizes but they do publish poems on their website, if you submit them.)  I have subscribed to http://3030poetry.com/ for the daily prompts and have begun!  I can’t guarantee I will write a poem a Continue Reading »

[PCJE Dvar Torah] Jeff Amshalem — Circles and Lines: the Maor vaShamesh on Parshat Beshalach

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Jeff Amshalem

An abridged version of a teaching from R. Kalonymus Kalpan Halevi Epstein, the Maor vaShamesh. וַתִּקַּח מִרְיָם הַנְּבִיאָה אֲחוֹת אַהֲרֹן אֶת הַתֹּף בְּיָדָהּ וַתֵּצֶאןָ כָל הַנָּשִׁים אַחֲרֶיהָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחֹלֹת: וַתַּעַן לָהֶם מִרְיָם שִׁירוּ לַי־הֹוָ־ה כִּי גָאֹה גָּאָה סוּס וְרֹכְבוֹ רָמָה בַיָּם                 Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, Continue Reading »

Prayer for Comfort

Posted on January 3, 2013 by Annie Matan Gilbert

Thanks to Joseph Shamash for leading an inspiring Creative Shacharit this morning! We spent time practicing the Desire meditation from James Jacobson-Maisels’ Self, Soul and Text class, then were given paper and pens and markers to express what came up for us in the form of a drawing or a prayer, etc. Here is what Continue Reading »

Tzimtzum Poems

Posted on October 25, 2012 by Annie Matan Gilbert

I have been prompted twice this year so far to share these poems – once inspired by Rav Landes Shabbat Shuva Shiur and then after I read them at Salon Pardes. I wrote these as part of my final project for an Aleph Rabbinical School class exploring the concept of tzimtzum in Jewish texts.  My Continue Reading »

Are you a Lonely Man or a Social Man?

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Ma'ayan Dyer

As most of my fellow Pardesnicks have probably gathered at this late date in the semester, I’m what one might call “quiet.” It’s not that I don’t speak up in class or won’t engage in conversation (if you strike one up first, of course). Rather, my quietness is an overall demeanor. I’m not a smiley Continue Reading »