Bay Area
Wilderness Torah, now with an actual Torah
Endings can also mean beginnings. That is certainly true for one particular Torah scroll that has just been passed down from a shuttered synagogue in San…
Religion
Join the High Holidays preparation renaissance
Too often, Rosh Hashanah resembles Kramer from “Seinfeld.” It barges into the scene in haste, and takes us aback. Its entry neither upsets nor disappoints…
Religion
Connecting women with sacred cycles
Ask Sarah Waxman to describe the goals of her Jewish women’s health organization, At The Well, and you’ll get several answers. But as for the most…
Torah
Can Jewish history be reduced to a single line?
Ki Tavo Deuteronomy 26:1–29:8 Isaiah 60:1–22 A dear friend confessed to me many years ago that her father had, over time, dispensed with almost all of the…
Torah
Amalek: remembering evil in order to forget
Ki Teitzei Deuteronomy 21:10–25:19 Isaiah 54:1-10 Student: Whatcha doing? Rabbi: I just made a new quill from a goose feather and I am testing out my…
Mixed & Matched
My boyfriend is an atheist and I’m a believer
Dear Dawn: You wrote previously about a couple where one partner is Jewish and the other claims to be an atheist. But the atheist still had “warm”…
Community
Free and low-cost High Holiday services, 2018
We offer this listing every year as a service to our readers who are not members of synagogues, and who seek free or low-cost ($40 and under) Rosh…
Torah
From the time of Moses to now, what are the rules of war?
Shoftim Deuteronomy 16:18–21:9 Isaiah 51:12–52:12 What are the rules of war? Although the conduct of war has changed greatly since the time of Moses, many…
Jewish Life
Deep thoughts on the menu at Shabbat dinner
It’s Friday night in the Mission District, and 30 people are sitting around the table in a San Francisco Victorian home outfitted as an event space. After…