Astrolojew
Is Cheshvan truly bitter? You decide.
Month of Cheshvan, 5779 Oct. 10-Nov. 7, 2018 The month of Cheshvan begins the evening of Oct. 9, ushering in an entire month without any major Jewish…
Torah
God created us to be creative
Bereishit Genesis 1:1-6:8 Isaiah 42:5-43:10 “Bereisheit bara Elohim.” These are the first three words of the Torah, which we begin reading again this…
Religion
S.F. group has been talkin' Torah for 45 years
The men and women gathering in the Jewish Community Federation library every Friday in San Francisco share two things in common: Each arrives with a Bible…
Torah
As Sukkot ends, your last chance for compassion
Chol Hamo’ed Sukkot Exodus 33:12-34:26 Ezekiel 38:18-39:16. On this Shabbat Sukkot, we read about Moses and the second set of tablets. Having just…
Music
New music turns Jewish worship 'transformative'
Two recently released CDs, “Something of Mine” by Dorothy Richman and “Ayn Od” by Briah and Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks, have much in common. They both…
Social Justice
Marking Yom Kippur with political protest
Some Bay Area Jews observed Yom Kippur this year by combining political protest with holiday ritual. The morning of Sept. 18, the day before the Day of…
Sukkot
Let’s revive this ancient Sukkot rain ritual
It’s always incredible to see our houses of worship overflowing on Yom Kippur, a powerful time of teshuvah — spiritual return, relational reconciliation…
Torah
A great leader in life stays with us after death
Ha’azinu Deuteronomy 32:1-52 II Samuel 22:1-51 There is a beautiful scene in the musical “Hamilton” that takes place between Alexander Hamilton and…
Religion
More rabbis say 'I do' to interfaith weddings
Though once rare, today a number of Bay Area rabbis officiate interfaith marriages, and some also co-officiate alongside ministers, priests and other…