How does ritual allow for the building of community practice? Ongoing commitment to communal ritual requires trust. Another key for community building I learned from Dr. Sarale Shadmi-Wortman (Oranim College of Education) while on the Rabin Bay Area Leadership Mission to Israel is Mutual Trust: The “willingness of individuals to join and help others without […] http://bethsholomsf.org/behaalotecha-numbers-81-1216-2/
Continue Reading...Introducing Fress
- 09
- Mar
Fress: (frĕs, Yiddish) verb 1. To eat heartily, with great enthusiasm. noun 1. One-of-a-kind, high-quality, and delicious kosher foods brought right to you. About Fress Fress is an exciting new kosher food service. This is the Bay Area – we set the standard for health-conscious food. Every Fress kosher recipe is lovingly prepared with old-world […] http://bethsholomsf.org/introducing-fress/
Continue Reading...Pesach – Day 5
- 10
- Apr
“Roots, man — we’re talking about Jewish roots, you want to know more? Check on Elijah the prophet. … yeah — these are my roots, I suppose. Am I looking for them? … I ain’t looking for them in synagogues … I can tell you that much.” — Bob Dylan, 1983 Is the Messiah a […] http://bethsholomsf.org/pesach-day-5/
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Please note that Parashat VeZot Ha’Berachah is read during the Simchat Torah service, which will take place on Tuesday, October 25. This Saturday, October 22, is Shabbat Sukkot, during which we read a selection from Parashat Ki Tissa. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) once remarked: “Zion is in ruins, Jerusalem lies in the dust. All […] http://bethsholomsf.org/vezot-haberachah-deuteronomy-331-3412/
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Co-founder of Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, Sharon Salzberg (b. 1952) once remarked: “We can learn the art of fierce compassion — redefining strength, deconstructing isolation, and renewing a sense of community, practicing letting go of rigid us-versus-them thinking — while cultivating power and clarity in response to difficult situations.“ How does ritual […] http://bethsholomsf.org/behaalotecha-numbers-81-1216/
Continue Reading...Kezayit: Burn, Baby, Burn!
- 24
- May
What’s this Kezayit thing? Read here. +++++ Lag B’Omer is this Thursday, May 26 (18 Iyar). Although the holiday has been getting more press in recent years, it continues to go largely ignored by most Jewish Americans. But maybe that’s about to change? A concerted effort is being made by some contemporary Jewish leaders to […] http://bethsholomsf.org/kezayit-burn-baby-burn/
Continue Reading...Elise Taubman’s Bat Mitzvah
- 23
- May
Shalom! My name is Elise Taubman and I am a 7th grader at the Brandeis School of San Francisco. At Brandeis, I enjoy taking electives on computer programming and discussing Shakespeare with my classmates in my English class. The best part of school is that I get to hang out with a great group of […] http://bethsholomsf.org/elise-taubmans-bat-mitzvah/
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In a candid moment, the renowned American scholar of the Gnostic Gospels, Elaine Pagels (b. 1943), once remarked that her research of these early religious texts taught her something interesting: “These ancient stories in religion speak to our desire. But they move us toward hope.” Where might one experience this correlation between desire and hope […] http://bethsholomsf.org/emor-leviticus-211-2423/
Continue Reading...Kezayit: Counting the Omer
- 10
- May
What’s this Kezayit thing? Read here. +++++ Another Pesach (Passover) has come and gone. The next Jewish holiday on the radar of many Jews is Rosh Hashanah, but even if we ignore the “minor” holidays and observances — if, for example, you won’t be fasting on the 17th of Tammuz (July 24) — Shavuot is […] http://bethsholomsf.org/kezayit-counting-the-omer/
Continue Reading...Kezayit: Moadim L’sim-wha?
- 03
- May
What’s this Kezayit thing? Read here. +++++ Some of our congregants were thrown off last week when Rabbi Glazer enthusiastically greeted them with “Moadim l’simcha!” Many community members looked confused — “Moadim l’sim-wha?” — and several asked for an explanation, which Rabbi Glazer happily provided. In case you’re still in the dark, though, we thought […] http://bethsholomsf.org/kezayit-moadim-lsim-wha/
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