Introduction (5)

Part 5: Pardess, a Global Nexus ‎

In pardess, the past and the present, the East and the West, the Heavens and the Earth, ‎converge. Pardess reminds us constantly of the material origins of the idea of a Paradise; ‎of how the latter word and concept, in some ways common to virtually all cultures today, began life in the beautiful gardens of an ancient Persian Empire. In the process, by the mere use of this word, the Hebrew Bible has also made the memory of some rare good days in the Jewish Diaspora indelible from the pages of history.

Thus, for an Iranian-American-Jewish person, this single Hebrew word can find much significance not only as an imprint of many centuries of the Diaspora and the influence of other cultures, but also as an homage and gratitude toward man’s kindness, paid via beauty, elegance, grace and inspiration.

In one word, languages intersect, cultures overlap, memories unfold. In one word, we say to the world our history—our story.