I was born in the Jewish month of Shevat, the month in which we celebrate the new year for the trees. At one of my childhood birthday parties, maybe when I was 6 or 7, my mom bought small plants as party favors for my friends in attendance. There were mini-ferns, some succulents and other…
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Religion
Torah
Being there for someone means imagining what it’s like to be them
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Bo Exodus 10:1–13:16 At the center of the…
Astrolojew
Month of Shevat: You’ll get by with a little help from your friends
Shevat 5781 Jan. 14-Feb. 11, 2021 The doorway to the Aquarian Age swung open at the Jupiter/Tzedek conjunction to Saturn/Shabbatai on Tekufah Tevet, the…
U.S.
Q&A: Meet a rabbi deployed to the US Capitol with the National Guard
As Jordan Hersh watched on TV as supporters of President Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol building Jan. 6, he had a thought unique to most American…
Torah
Playing God’s name game can show us a brighter future
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Vaera Exodus 6:2-9:35 At the end of the previous…
Religion
Torah offers inspiration for drawing near, even in these times of separation
At this time of social isolation and fragmentation, whom do you need to draw closer to? Vayigash, one of last month’s Torah portions, brings us the…
Torah
Impatient for justice? Congratulations — you’re human
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Shemot Exodus 1:1-6:1 Rabbi: These are the names…
Religion
Shaken by violence at Capitol, Bay Area rabbis offer solace
Jews “know the danger of the mob.” That’s what Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco wrote in a message to congregants on Wednesday evening, following a…
First Person
The prayer for the government comes alive
I remember many years ago feeling ambivalent about the prayer for the government recited in synagogues every Shabbat morning. Were we sanctifying the…