Life At Pardes - Pardes Moments
Shabbat with Faculty
One of the perks of being in the Pardes community includes being invited to meals by teachers. I had the privilege of eating Friday night dinner at one of my teacher's homes and it was a wonderful experience. My chevruta and I were sitting in the Beit Midrash when our teacher approached us with two copies of a hand drawn map with his address circled, and asked if we would like to join him and his family that Friday night for dinner. We gladly accepted the invitation, and he handed over the directions to his home.
When we arrived after synagogue on Shabbat evening our teacher and his family were lounging in the living room waiting for guests to arrive. Those who represented his family: his wife, three of his four daughters, and one son-in-law were only half of his brood. His four sons were absent as they were with their own families and children that Shabbat. The guests totaled seven, so there were thirteen around the table in all. The house was filled with delicious Shabbat smells and a warmth radiated from the kitchen. As we gathered around the table to sing Shalom Aleichem and hear Kiddush our teacher pointed out that one of the bottles of wine on the table had a special mark on it to indicate that the grapes in that wine were grown in Israel during the Shmita year. Since those fruits are especially holy, all wine that was poured needed to be finished so that not a drop would be wasted. Even at his home, outside of the classroom I had a learning experience with this teacher.
We all joined together in singing and eating and spent hours around the table. It was disorienting, yet wonderful to see my teacher in a new light. Surrounded by family he was bustling with pride and telling humorous stories about his life outside of school. I felt special to be included in this realm of his life. After dinner and more song we said Birchat Hamazon and finally our farewells. I hope to again join that teacher and others in their homes to experience such memorable Shabbatot in Israel.
Ilene H.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
University of Toronto
Pardes Year Program 03