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…
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“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…
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This is the kind of email I LOVE to receive. Hello Dawn! I went to my first Shabbat services today since I was a little kid, as we discussed. I was beyond nervous all morning and honestly, almost pulled out of the parking lot as soon as I got there because I was so anxious….
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For Rosh Hashanah morning services I was at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette. You can image how my heart swelled with joy when Rabbi Perlman called her non-Jewish members to the Torah and offered this blessing: —– Today we want to recognize and publicly acknowledge for blessing those among our community who do not identify as…
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Last Friday I spent Shabbat with the folks at Jewish Gateways. A new friend who is a member there invited me. It was a potluck (my favorite!) so I took a loaf of homemade challah fresh from the oven. We met outside in a small private park in Oakland. Rabbi Bridget Wynne, their spiritual leader,…
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For many people Jesus is God, but is the reverse true? Last week I needed to have a document notarized. I took it into my bank where they have a notary on staff. The young woman looked over my paperwork and told me, “For this document you have to swear an oath. I have one…
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