Pardes is a trigger word – pardise, sensuality, open to experience, multiple level problem solving, creativity.
The Pardes Wall at the Contemporary Jewish Museum invites visitors to the exhibits therein, while the inside of the walls of the original Persian Gardens beckon with the promise of comfort and refreshment.
Both the Pardes Wall and the walls of the original Persian Gardens offer their treasures and wisdom to us who are beyond the walls. There is also much to be learned from how Pardes has evolved from the Persian to the contemporary branding by a variety of entities.
Pardes Wall at Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco
“PaRDeS is a light installation embedded in the wall of the Grand Lobby at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM). Its stylized Hebrew letters translate as “orchard” – the connotation is that the orchard can be found on the other side of the wall. Metaphorically then, the sweetness, or fruit, of learning and art can be found inside the museum.
As a form of mystical multiculturalism, PaRDeS reflects the museum’s intention to cultivate different interpretation levels. An introductory wall panel explains that in the Jewish mystical tradition, four Hebrew letters (pey, resh, dalet and samech) each stand for a level of biblical interpretation: the literal, the allusive, the allegorical and the hidden.”
https://illuminatesf.com/posts/sto/pardes-wall-yerba-buena
PaRDeS and PaRaDiSe Gardens
The paradise garden is a form of garden of Old Iranian origin, specifically Achaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, a four-fold design called chahar bagh (“four gardens”).[1] One of the most important elements of paradise gardens is water with ponds, canals, rills, and fountains all being common features. Scent is an essential element with fruit-bearing trees and flowers selected for their fragrance.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paradise_garden
