Back to School

School started this week! A lot of people have been asking me what exactly I'm studying. I will try to explain. 

Here is a brief description taken from the school's website:

"The Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem immerses our students in the study of classical Jewish texts. Men and women of diverse backgrounds learn together in a rigorous, challenging and open-minded environment. This learning experience nurtures a deep and personal connection to our Jewish heritage, a love for the Jewish people and Israel, and the knowledge to become leaders in the Jewish community."

As the description says, the student body is truly diverse. There are people from all over the world, who come from all walks of life. There are young and old students, observant and non-observant (in the religious sense), liberal and conservative, and everywhere in between. There are people who are coming right from college, and others who quit their high-paying corporate jobs to study for a year. There are those who want a career in the Jewish community, and others who simply find this kind of study enriching. It's quite a unique community.

So what does "text study" mean, anyway? It means analyzing and interpreting text to not just understand the obvious, but to uncover the hidden meanings within it. Here is an example. For simplicity sake, I chose a selection from the lyrical genius, Justin Bieber: 

"See i never thought that I could walk through fire
I never thought that I could take the burn
I never had the strength to take it higher
Until I reach the point of no return
And there's just no turnin back
When your heart's under attack
Gonna give everything I have 
It's my destiny
I will never say never"

So, if I was analyzing this text, I would ask: What does the Biebs mean when he says "take it higher"? Take what higher? And to what height? Where is the Bieb's "point of no return?" What does "point of no return" mean to me? What does it mean to have your "heart under attack?" I have a hard time believing that the Bieb's will NEVER say never: How would the impact of the song change if the text was "I will rarely say never?"

You get the idea. Except we do this with classic Jewish texts, rather than contemporary song lyrics. You might be thinking, where is the purpose in all of this? To be honest, I don't know that I really understand the purpose in it yet. As of now, I find it enjoyable, interesting, challenging, frustrating, and fascinating. 


This I know for sure: it is exhausting to study for 8 hours a day. Luckily, tomorrow we deviate from our normal schedule and take field trips around Jerusalem. I am going to crawl around the tunnels and discover secrets in the City of David. Bum bum bummm.

My locker at school: Never have I felt more Jewish.