By Jordan Soffer, Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies
This past Shabbat Pardes had a tiyul and Shabbaton to the Galil. Prior to the tiyul, while briefly skimming the itinerary, I imagined that this Shabbaton would be the same as every Shabbaton I have been on since middle school. Hike, daven, eat, daven, eat, eat, daven.
Though I was excited, I certainly did not expect anything extraordinary. In retrospect, suggesting that the weekend surpassed all of my expectations would be an egregious understatement.
What made this Shabbaton so unique was not its itinerary; on paper it indeed looked like any other itinerary. What made it so meaningful, however, was the way that each program offered a sense of both seriousness and...
