I received another email from a person who woke up to being a Jew after October 7. It is so hard to suddenly realize you have a larger identity, a larger family and are hated by much of the world. Add to that that people who reach out to me have often lived a completely…
Read More »
It’s been a tough year so far and doesn’t seem likely to improve soon. So how about some peaceful and encouraging reading options for Shabbat and the weekend? Willie Mays loved his Jewish friends. The J-weekly shared this story about local baseball legend, Mays. Put your money where your mouth is! Robert Kraft, majority owner of the…
Read More »
I just received permission to share Rabbi Chayva Lehrman of Am Tikvah in San Francisco’s message to her congregation. It is about Shavuot, but a question we can ponder throughout life. “Why was the Torah given in the desert?” asks the midrash. One might think that the Torah, the wellspring of Jewish tradition, should have…
Read More »
American culture is one of individual RIGHTS. Jewish tradition is one of individual RESPONSIBILITY. At the time of America’s founding our forefathers were leaving behind governments that oppressed them; rights were central to their thinking. Responsibility was already internalized. In modern times we’ve gone over the edge with personal rights and no longer give much thought to…
Read More »
Rabbi Tarfon compared the Jewish people to a pile of walnuts. “If one walnut is removed, each and every nut in the pile is shaken and disturbed. So too, when a single Jew is in distress, every other Jew is shaken.” (Midrash – Shir HaShirim Raba 6:11) I’ve been receiving emails since October 7 from…
Read More »
“Judaism is a communal tradition.” But what does that mean? Living in America which has an individualist tradition it can be difficult to fully understand what “communal” means. You can be WHATEVER you want in the privacy of your own home, but to join with a community requires compromise. I urge couples and families to find a…
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.