The twice-yearly Pardes Learning Seminar brings together community leaders, professionals and lifelong learners, who wish to study classical Jewish sources either online or within the landscape of Israel. Participants grapple with ancient texts and current issues, visit historical sites (either in person or virtually) and learn from the best educators in Israel.
The 2021 Winter Seminar will take place online this year.
Winter Overview:
Join Pardes for an inspiring week of meaningful Torah study! Guided by Pardes’s acclaimed faculty, we will explore Jewish textual approaches to cultivating courage and resilience, challenges we have all faced this past year. Students of all educational backgrounds are warmly welcomed.
How can we nurture an inner core that enables us to respond dauntlessly and wisely to the needs of the hour while simultaneously preparing for an uncertain future?
Our Jewish texts, from the Bible to the Talmud, from Hasidut to Halakhic Responsa, contain blueprints to guide us in the challenges of the moment. They can help us reach into the innermost parts of our lives and inspire us to embrace our vulnerability and emerge triumphant.
Over the course of the seminar, Biblical texts will be studied that reflect narratives of men and women, alone and together, facing difficult and at times unthinkable challenges. All of the stories will highlight choices made in the aftermath of trauma and upheaval. From Job, who loses everything he holds dear, to the barrenness experienced by the matriarchs, to Moses and Joshua. who are called upon to lead their people and finally, to the Israelites who elect to follow them into the unknown.
After the destruction of the Second Temple, how did the Rabbinic Sages find strength to rebuild a destroyed world? They displayed the courage to not only survive but to thrive by incorporating new outlets for spirituality and religious practice.
At this time, let us benefit from the wisdom and depth in our Jewish texts for direction, helping us to act and adapt, and ultimately, build a life with a sense of sacred purpose.
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The Pardes Learning Seminar attracts seasoned community leaders and professionals (from all fields, Jewish and secular), and adult lifelong learners. If you are a student or young professional, you might enjoy the Pardes Winter Learning Intensive, which takes place annually in early January.