Parashat Metzora 5782: Sitting Alone Outside the Camp Description: The graphic description in the Torah of tzaraat, leprosy, leaves modern readers alienated and baffled. Can moral flaws truly manifest physically? Aesthetics and ethics mix in this week’s reading, where immoral…
Tanakh, Torah, Vayikra (Leviticus), Metzora, Pardes 360
The following is a Facebook post written by Pardes faculty member Rabbi Alex Israel. As soon as Pesach ends, Israel’s attention turns to our national days of commemoration: Yom Hashoa, Yom Hazikaron and Yom Haatazmaut. The feeling is in the…
Pardes 360, Jewish Calendar, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Yom Hashoah, Yom Hazikaron, Yom Yerushalayim
The Tanakh is not immune to stories of sexual violence and sexual objectification. Many stories in Tanakh deal with the beauty (or simply the body) of a woman leading to objectification and violence. Obvious examples include: Sarah who is forcefully…
Pardes 360, Jewish Living, Sexuality
As I write these words, listening to the disputing voices on the news arguing about the tense situation on and around the Temple Mount, my heart is full of despair. As I listen to them, I think about how this…
Jewish Calendar, 17th of Tammuz, 9 days, Pardes 360, The Three Weeks, Tisha B’av
Some see her as finally united, others as more divided than ever. No, I am not referring to East and West Jerusalem, rather to the Jerusalem of Heaven and the Jerusalem of Earth; between the Jerusalem of our dreams and…
Critical Issues, Mahloket Matters/Conflict Resolution, Pardes 360, Resources for 9Adar, Rodef Shalom, Rodef Shalom Resource
Once again this year, the residents of the Baka and Mekor Chaim neighborhoods gathered. It’s an annual get-together that crosses every dividing line among Jews in Israel: immigrants and native-born, secular and religious, Ashkenazim and Mizrachim, old and young, left-wing…
Pardes 360, Jewish Calendar, Yom Hazikaron
Can we understand the conflicting texts behind the debate? It was two weeks before my 15th birthday and my Aliyah to Israel when I first learned the famous Ramban (Rabbi Moses b. Nachman 1194- 1270, Spain/ Land of Israel) who…
Critical Issues, Mahloket Matters/Conflict Resolution, Pardes 360, Resources for 9Adar, Rodef Shalom, Rodef Shalom Resource
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is #BeBoldForChange – in pursuit of a more inclusive and gender equal world. I hold in highest esteem the bold and dedicated human beings who are marching together to fight for inclusivity…
Pardes 360, Jewish Living, Women’s Issues
This Friday, the 45th president of the United States will be sworn into office. For half of America, Donald Trump is the epitome of a xenophobic demagogue poised to bully and denigrate minority groups of all kinds. Yet for the…
Pardes 360, Tanakh, Torah, Shemot (Exodus), Shemot
The Torah states “Do not burn any fire in your homes on the sabbath” (Exodus 35:3) which is understood both literally not to start fires and metaphorically not to engage in anger and conflict (machloket) which is likened to fire…
Pardes 360
The scene is a familiar one. The table is laden with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. The family sits around and one by one each member is expected to mention something they are thankful for. Smiles abound,…
Pardes 360
“Utter shock.” “Terrified.” “Never experienced anything like this before.” “Apocalypse now.” These are just some of the deep emotions and expressions of despair that half of America is experiencing right now. “Thrilled!” “Finally!” “Confident,” “hopeful,” “proud.” “Never thought I’d live…
Critical Issues, Mahloket Matters/Conflict Resolution, Pardes 360, Resources for 9Adar, Rodef Shalom, Rodef Shalom Resource
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