Let’s all get together for a joyful Shavuot celebration that we’ll share with PJ Library! This event is perfect for everyone from babies to bubbes! Of course there will be food – dairy and spring harvest foods; FUN crafting for kids and adults; a playdough activity for little ones. Be there to unroll a real…
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One of the unique differences between Western/American thought and Jewish thought is that Jews believe you can hold opposing ideas simultaneously. Here’s an example from a local rabbi’s recent email to her congregation. Rabbi Ilana of Beth Jacob Congregation in Redwood City expressed her gratitude and reflected on “where do we find God?” I am moved by…
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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…
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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…
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We are living with a cascade of disasters. Mass murders, war, climate chaos. I am so sorry and send my condolences to all of you, my fellow travelers. If you are moved to pray, here is a Kaddish that may speak to you. Mourner’s Kaddish after a Mass Murder from the Ritual Well. But I’m going…
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I am proud to say that right here in Berkeley, CA is an annual Leyl Shavuot event that I’ve been told is the oldest continually running event of its kind in the US. Tikkun Leyl Shavuot Save the date for the 34th Annual East Bay Tikkun: A Day of Learning on Shavuot! This year’s event…
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.