I love Shavuot. It is one of the three pilgrimage holidays when Jews in ancient times traveled to Jerusalem to offer a special sacrifice at the Temple. If you read Arthur Waskow’s Seasons of our Joy, you’ll learn about the activities that took place in the ancient Temple. It was magnificent and makes you want…
Read More »Many people identify as spiritual but not religious. In conversation the word, spiritual, has come to mean a sort of vague ‘good’ that isn’t focused on anything and has responsibility to no one. When I ask what that means to them, they typically say, something like, “I believe there is a force greater than us.”…
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Pesach Shini (Second Passover) comes exactly one month after Passover. It is found in the Torah in Numbers 9:1 – 14. It’s historical purpose was to prove an opportunity to observe Passover for anyone who was unable to do so at the correct time due to ritual impurity or because they were too far…
Read More »For Interfaith, intercultural families and those who love them Children offer us the remarkable opportunity to become our better selves. They challenge our assumptions, our patience, and our certainty. They also fill us with pride, worry, joy and a reason to make sacrifices. In a generation that has tried to balance freedom with discipline, children’s…
Read More »Celebrating Jewish Racial Diversity I hope you plan to join us on Saturday, May 12 at 6:30pm for an end of the year celebration! We’ll have facepainting for kids, kid crafts (ok, grownups can do them too), food and music. The doors open at 6:30 with crafts & and fun. At 7pm we have a…
Read More »The Music of Shabbat with Cantor Ilene Keys What are the common melodies, why do they change, what’s the difference between songs and chanting? What is the role of the cantor in prayer? Why have a cantor and a rabbi in prayer services? In what way is the cantor clergy? What are the duties of…
Read More »Our weekly email goes out to hundreds of interfaith couples & families in the Bay Area. Topics cover the many questions and mysteries that interfaith couples want answered.