The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Noach Genesis 6:9-11:32 The greatest work of art in history, the ever-smiling Mona Lisa, hangs in the Louvre. Every year, millions of visitors come from around the world to gaze at its subtle beauty, and many of them feel the…
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Religion
Mixed & Matched
How do I tell my Catholic parents that I don’t plan to have Christmas?
Dear Dawn: I was raised Catholic and left the church many years ago. When I married my Jewish wife, we had a Jewish wedding. My very Catholic parents came…
Local Voice
Let’s keep educating our kids, but give school a rest during this ‘shmita year’
What happens when agricultural land is allowed to rest and recover? Nutrients return. Diseases disappear. Water penetrates the earth. Carbon reactivates…
Profile
Art Green (still) believes Hasidic ideas are key to the Jewish future
Rabbi Art Green is a scholar of worldwide renown, the author of dozens of books, one of the world’s leading experts on Hasidic Judaism and perhaps the…
Astrolojew
Month of Cheshvan: Transforming bitterness into greatness
Cheshvan 5781 Oct. 18-Nov. 16, 2020 The month of Cheshvan is sometimes known as Mar Cheshvan, or “bitter” Cheshvan. This year it will be both mar…
Torah
Adam and Eve and the problem of loneliness
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. Bereishit Genesis 1:1–6:8 The holiday of Simchat…
World
UK Liberal rabbis allow interfaith couples to marry under chuppah
Britain’s Liberal Judaism movement moved to allow interfaith couples to be married by a rabbi under a chuppah, the traditional Jewish marriage canopy. The…
Bay Area
Despite green light, not all San Francisco synagogues will open
After months of Zoom Shabbats and holidays, there is some good news. San Francisco health officials this week relaxed restrictions on houses of worship,…
Torah
Under the sukkah with the Rabbi of Chelm, the city of holy fools
The Torah column is supported by a generous donation from Eve Gordon-Ramek in memory of Kenneth Gordon. First day of Sukkot Leviticus 22:26–23:44 It’s the…