Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on October 18, 2011 by Andrea Wiese
Today is an amazing day for Israel and Israelis. Gilad Shalit who was was imprisoned in Gaza by Hamas for over five years, 1,941 days, was freed this morning after long negotiations in a prisoner exchange. 1,027 prisoners were released from Israel for Gilad’s return. Many people are upset about the exchange, saying how could Continue Reading »
Posted on September 8, 2011 by Barer
This week’s parsha contains a panoply of laws, customs, and rituals, in no readily ascertainable order. Given the mixed nature of the parsha, a theme is harder to come by than in most weeks. I want to focus on a repeated phrase appearing in connection to a number of the negative commandments that I think Continue Reading »
Posted on August 22, 2011 by Bookie
Cross-posted from PresenTense: Imagine a world without hunger. Imagine a world full of clean air and lush forests. Imagine a world where the words “water shortage” don’t have a ring of truth to them. All of this is possible through changes in lifestyle which are echoed by some of the Jewish values we hold dear. Continue Reading »
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 »
Posted on June 19, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, As some of you may know, I’m still in Jerusalem and about to complete my final project at Pardes. Although it is a bit bizarre to learn in the Pardes building with many of my friends, colleagues and teachers missing, I have enjoyed studying Torah lishma (for its own/Heaven’s sake) and participating in Continue Reading »
Posted on April 27, 2011 by Joel D.
Posted on April 15, 2011 by Joel D.
A great Rabbi once spoke of his relationship with the Jewish people and its Law. Of the People he spoke of love, but of Law he spoke of submission. This I found to be gravely unappetizing. For to speak of submission is to speak of burden, not of loving embrace. To recognize Jewish Law as Continue Reading »
Posted on April 9, 2011 by Pious Antic
What is t’shuvah? The word is often translated as repentance, but that doesn’t quite capture it. T’shuvah comes from a root meaning to return, and it connotes the idea of turning away from sin and returning to one’s true values, to the best version of oneself, as well as the idea of figuratively returning to Continue Reading »
Posted on April 5, 2011 by Avi Strausberg
in this week’s parshat metsora, we continue to delve in-depth into the procedure of ridding a leprous person of his eruptive affections. after reading pages and pages of how to determine whether a person is unclean and therefore off-limits to society, i was bewildered when i arrived to the conundrum of how to detect a Continue Reading »
Posted on February 20, 2011 by Tamara Frankel
Dear Friends, What a week of learning, both inside and outside the walls of Pardes! A particular highlight for me was picking oranges for an organization called Leket Israel, which provides for Israeli children who are hungry and/or do not received proper nutrition. This volunteering project was organized by Pardes students in loving memory of Continue Reading »
