Life At Pardes - Pardes Moments
The Depth of Talmud
Despite having previous exposure to the Talmud, I have not fully understood its deep and potentially influential significance until this point in my life. The mindset of a Sugya is difficult to comprehend without intense time and effort. It is not sufficient to hear about a Talmudic passage without learning it inside the text in its original language in the context in which it appears. Why, constantly wonder, should I spend so much time looking up Aramaic words in a dictionary only to get through a limited part of a Sugya? Can't I just learn it on my own time, by myself, with the help of the Art Scroll translation? At Pardes, one does not learn about Talmud - one learns the Talmud itself.
In just three months at Pardes, I've noticed tremendous improvement in my Talmud skills. With the help of a brilliant teacher who combines skill building and Aramaic grammar lessons with provoking questions, I now understand the importance of a significant time investment into one subject.
The teacher brilliantly interweaves intellectual scholarship with traditional commentaries, allowing for an overview that cannot be achieved without the teacher. The unique educational approach used here encourages an understanding of the larger framework of the Perek, often accomplished by looking at all of the Mishnayot of a Perek before analyzing the Gemara. The atmosphere of the Havruta-learning paradigm produces a non-competitive sharing, where the goal is not about knowing more, but about knowing deeply.
Unlike an academic institution, competition is not a factor.
At its best moments, Pardes is an environment where no one is watching you, yet everyone is watching you. You can be who you want to be and feel safe about that while simultaneously having people there to support and your personal growth. It is not just a place; it is also a journey. And it is a journey that I am glad is a part of my life.
Ted A.