The month we just entered is Cheshvan or Marcheshvan. The prefix “mar” is typically translated as bitter, meaning that this month is bitter because it contains no holidays. However, “mar” also means drop, as in a drop of water. Here it refers to the beginning of the rainy season. I never find Cheshvan to be bitter….
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Rabbi Milder of Congregation Beth Emek in Pleasanton is one of my favorite rabbis to quote. Here’s what he emailed to his congregation about the “scheduling” of our next holiday, Simchat Torah. *** Sukkot, the festival that everyone loves because it has such weird stuff in it (the lulav, the etrog, and the Sukkah itself)…
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Someone told me that Aug. 26 is National Dog Day. I have a dog! I’ve had dogs, cats, rats, fish, and chickens. I feel very possessive of the hummingbirds I shelter in my garden. My next thought was what does Judaism teach about the treatment of animals? In ancient times animals were not pets, they…
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Can God be depicted visually? Does God have a form? If you read the words of the Hebrew bible literally it appears to answer, “Yes.” What new readers don’t know is that the Torah is written and interpreted on four levels (Pardes) and the first level is Pshat (the literal level). But Pshat is for the…
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The Hebrew Bible (Old Testament in Christian terminology) is often called a dark and vengeful text. One of the most commonly quoted sentences that ‘proves’ this is the one Rabbi Milder is talking about below, Mishpatim. This is another example how many people read the Torah on the simplest level, Peshat. That is, they read…
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As we stand on the threshold of Rosh Hashanah it seems rather perfect that a brilliant Jewish teacher, Robert Reich, will be speaking about on Wednesday, September 24 in Redwood City. He will be in conversation with journalist, Angie Coiro from Kepler’s Books. Here’s the description of his talk: From political economist, cabinet member, beloved professor,…
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