Student Life
Jewish Life
-
-
Page Banner
-
Embracing Jewish Life at Pardes Jewish Day School
At Pardes, Jewish life isn't just a subject; it's woven into the very fabric of our school experience. Beyond Hebrew and Jewish studies classes, our students are immersed in Jewish values, rituals, language, and culture throughout their day, fostering a deep and meaningful connection to their heritage.
Tefillah and Parashat Hashavuah
Tefillah (Prayer): Avodat HaLev – The Service of the Heart
We believe that prayer should be a heartfelt and inspiring experience. Our students engage in meaningful Tefillah (prayer) that cultivates a love for prayer and instills its importance within the Jewish people. We use interactive methods, incorporating music and student empowerment, to foster kavanah (intention) and help students connect to the deeper meaning of various prayers.
Parashat Hashavuah (The Weekly Torah Portion)
Every Thursday morning, our students are privileged to learn from community rabbis, educators, and guest speakers who teach Parashat Hashavuah. These discussions delve into the main concepts of each week's portion, enriched by personal stories and Midrashim that illuminate the text's profound meaning.
In Middle School, students have the special opportunity to read from the Torah on the Thursday preceding their Bar or Bat Mitzvah, with their rabbi offering a short teaching. This is a joyous occasion for our entire Pardes community to celebrate each student's journey into becoming a B’nai Mitzvah.
List of 2 items.
-
Celebrating Jewish Holidays
Jewish holidays are an integral part of student life and academic programming at Pardes. Students learn about holiday traditions and customs in their Hebrew and Jewish studies classes and participate enthusiastically in school-wide celebrations. They experience each holiday through textual learning, singing traditional songs, and creating beautiful art projects. Parents are always warmly invited to join our festive celebrations and partake in the fun!To conclude each week with joy and spiritual connection, we hold a special Kabbalat Shabbat celebration every other Friday, complete with songs, stories, and traditional blessings. Families are welcome to celebrate Shabbat with us each week. -
Tikkun Olam: Repairing Our World
Tikkun Olam (repairing the world) is a cornerstone of the Pardes experience. Each grade explores specific Jewish values and discovers practical ways through service learning, to apply them through giving Tzedakah (charitable giving), raising awareness, and taking action.Furthermore, students across all grade levels participate in Tikkun Olam Innovation Days scheduled throughout the school year. Each day focuses on meaningful and innovative service learning projects and experiences.
We cultivate the understanding, through direct experience, that the Torah we share with our learners is directed at achieving agency.
A Holistic Approach to Jewish Learning
Pardes means orchard.
Jewish learning at Pardes is a truly holistic experience. We believe that educators and learners are not merely consumers of content, but rather artisans engaged in the creation of an ecology of agency. From "seed through to fruit" (Kindergarten-Eighth Grade), our learners are nurtured to become "trees of life" in their own right. Our educators are not just delivering content; they embody the understanding that Torah is not something "we go through," but something that goes through us—something within us to be discovered, explored, and shared. This approach empowers learners to become agents of their own and our shared communal Jewish destiny.We cultivate the understanding, through direct experience, that the Torah we share with our learners is directed at achieving agency. Our goal is for learners to grasp that their voice is the next refrain in the song of Torah, sung throughout time, and that the Torah is their Torah. It is simultaneously a gift to be received (seed - Kindergarten), a way of being to be discovered (root - First Grade; branch - Second Grade; sap - Third Grade), and ultimately a treasure to be shared (bud - Fourth Grade; leaf - Fifth Grade; Flower - Sixth Grade; Fruit - Seventh and Eighth Grade).
The Multifaceted Scope of Jewish Studies
Jewish Studies at Pardes is a multifaceted subject. The comprehensive scope and sequence of our learning covers a wide range of interrelated explorations, including:
- Ivrit - Hebrew
- Moadim/Chagim - Holy Days and Holidays
- Tefillah - both the practice of prayer and the deeper dimensions of prayer called Tefillah B’Iyun
- TaNaKh - Torah, Neviim [Prophets], and Ketuvim [Writings]) explored through analysis of the Parshat HaShavua (weekly Torah portion) and the development of M’Yumanut (skills)
- Torah She-Bal-Peh - the Oral Torah - Mishnah/Gemara/Commentaries
- Yahadut - literally, “Judaism,” encompassing topics such as Jewish history, Zionism - “Torat Eretz Yisrael,” Middot - Jewish Values/ Ethics/ Character, Jewish life cycle events, and service learning - “Tzedek”
- Art
- Ritual - communal learning and celebratory experiences like Shabbat and Holy Day celebrations
The interconnected nature of Jewish learning, and learning in general, is profound. The sum is the "tree of life" as expressed in the hearts, minds, and actions of our students—the "tree of life" as expressed in the orchard of life that is Pardes Jewish Day School.
Contact
About
Pardes Jewish Day School is a welcoming community Jewish day school committed to exceptional secular and Jewish education with a focus on academics and character development.
© Pardes Jewish Day School. All Rights Reserved