PaRDeS is a traditional four-level framework for Jewish learning. In this activity, the PaRDeS approach has been adapted to help learners engage more deeply with primary sources and explore questions of Jewish identity and peoplehood.

What are the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the leader of the Zionist movement doing on a Rosh Hashanah card in 1901?

Design your own Shana Tova card inspired by illustrations and texts from historical cards!

How does eating symbolic foods enhance our Rosh Hashanah experience? Explore a range of Jewish texts and primary sources.

Discover how to use primary sources to enrich your teaching and prepare your learners for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. This video is in English.

Can you solve the riddles? Take a look at primary sources that connect to the festivals of Tishrei and guess which riddle they match!

Why do we eat such weird foods on Rosh HaShanah? Watch this video to find out! Video courtesy of Kan - the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation.

Explore Rosh Hashanah postcards that tell the story of Israel and discuss the messages they convey.

Discover a selection of Rosh Hashanah postcards from various time periods. Flip each postcard and discover which year it is from.

Read the Tanach texts about shofar blowing, explore the primary sources, and discuss what you feel when you hear the shofar.

Design your own Shana Tova card inspired by illustrations and texts from historical Shana Tova cards.

This source sheet explores the Tashlich ceremony. Through historical texts, photographs, and oral histories, students will examine the origins, practices, and meanings of Tashlich across different times.

Explore the tradition of sending Shana Tova cards for Rosh Hashanah through historical examples from the National Library of Israel’s collection.