Just some ranting: This year’s program was a bit different. Firstly, it was bigger than the ones I attended before. It was also much more diverse. People came, of course, from the States and England as they always come, but this year there was a relatively large group of youngsters from France, one lady from…
Tag: Pardes
It’s Over. Hopefully, not for Long
Riding in a Nesher sherut, I can hardly hold back tears. Despite missing my family, and worrying about my mother, especially, my heart aches at the thought that I am leaving Jerusalem in a couple of hours. I am grateful to be the first passenger in the vehicle thus getting a chance for the last…
Mishpatim
Another Shabbat is coming up, Parshat Mishpatim. It does feel like the weeks are running by, doesn’t it? This week, I am bringing you Alex Israel again, one of my teachers at Pardes. Here is the podcast that you can listen to while preparing for Shabbat. That’s what I do. Another great d’var Torah is coming…
Meeting the Giants – Taste of Limmud NY
I know I must be nuts. I work in the city, live in Brooklyn and pay money to go to learn until 10pm on a weeknight. But, how could I miss The taste of Limmud? So, here I was, sitting in the chapel of the Hebrew Union College, an institution which religious outlook is super…
וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו יְהוָה, בְּאֵלֹנֵי מַמְרֵא And the LORD appeared unto him by the oaks of Mamre
Again, I am bringing to you some great commentaries on the Parshah from the teachers that I find inspiring. Mike Feuer. I took his class on Rav Kook, and now try to read/learn things about this amazing Torah giant wherever I can. So, I hope you enjoy listening to this podcast. The next drash is from Aviva…
New Year – New Way of Blogging
Last year, right at the start, I have made a sort-of-promise to write a small something for every Parshah of the year. I did it in memory of my loved ones, and in newly found understanding that some people, actually, are interested in things I have to say, be it Torah, some mini-poetry, or just…
Parshat ha Shavuah Verses – Pinchas / פינחס
There are plenty of great comments on this Parshah. I am just going to direct you to one of them, from Rabbi Alex Israel. He teaches at Pardes Institute. There are many more if you’d like to read about Pinchas and the census. For me, this Parshah is all about the women, and how they have…
A Random Step
This Sunday I am embarking on a new adventure. I am starting a week-long class at Mechon Hadar. Again, not without trepidation. This is not exactly the place where the level of observance and Yirat Shamaim is according to my view of the world. And yet, I’ve decided to try it. For a very practical reason – there…
Verses of Pain, Food & D’var Torah All in One Shot
I guess we, the unfortunate souls trapped in the cement jungle of the biggest apple of the world – New York City are so used to the pollution we take for air, that once we hit the real clean air of the country, our bodies start to reject it. Right after returning from my mini…
Just Two Verses
Yesterday, taking a break from pre-Pesach cleaning, I decided to go to a class for some real preparation. The Community Beit Midrash project is a cooperation of several learning institutions we are lucky to have here, in New York City. This one was held at Drisha, located just a block from the Central Park. It was…
Parshat ha Shavuah Verses -Miketz
Sitting in the dungeon I cry For my family Why did my father abandon me? Recently, I have hosted a beit Midrash in my house with the wonderful teacher I met at Pardes, Joe Wolfson. He suggested, based on a lesson from Rabbi Yoel Bin Nun that Yosef did not know about the real feelings of his father…
Noshing Across the Nation 