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Pardes

David Hilsley runs the Pardes ministries with his wife Carol Hilsley, both of whom are part of Paddock Wood Christian Fellowship.

The ministry is interested in studying the Bible from a Hebraic perspective. Pardes teaching days are held once a month, on Saturdays, at the Fellowship.

What is Pardes?

The Hebrew word pardes (pronounced pardess) is derived from the same Persian word from which we get the English word 'paradise'. Pardes means 'orchard', 'garden' or 'park'. The word is well suited to the Centre for Biblical and Hebraic Studies, which is based in Paddock Wood in Kent, SE England near to Tunbridge Wells.

The word Pardes was also used as an acronym (based upon its four consonants) by the Jewish sages as a memory aid to the four ways in which they interpreted the Hebrew Scriptures:

	Peshat :	the simple plain literal sense of the text
	Remez :	where a word or phrase 'hints' at a truth not immediately conveyed by the plain sense of the text
	Derash :	a 'search' for a deeper meaning by means of an allegorical or homiletical application of the text
	Sod :	a 'secret' or mystical meaning hidden in the text as a code.

This can be a useful model for Biblical interpretation and aids our understanding of the Rabbinic approach to the Scriptures.

For More Information:

Pardes Homepage