Jhos’ Drash from Circle of Prayer / Ma’agal Tefilah 7/7/17
Jhos’ Drash, part 1: Drash, part 2: Drash, part 3:
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There are seeds of light planted everywhere if you can see them
Shabbat Shalom Chaverim— There is a line from Psalm 97 that says, Or zarua l’tzaddik, u’l’yishrei lev simcha. It isn’t the easiest snippet to translate, but here’s my take: There are seeds of light and gladness planted everywhere, you just gotta be curious and openhearted enough to see them....
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The illusion of purity and everyday messy holiness
Shalom Chaverim— This week’s Torah Portion, Chukat (Numbers 19:1-22:1) begins with what might be considered a Jewish koan, one of those pesky Zen riddles, statements, or paradoxes to be meditated upon in the hopes of gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment. The most famous of these is probably “What is the...
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A few glorious moments of now, so we can let go of forever
Shalom Chaverim— Summer has just begun, the days are long and warm (well mostly warm, this is the Bay after all), and lush stone fruits and rotund tomatoes are coming in. Schools are out and traffic patterns are shifting. Pride month #48 is underway, signaling the staying power of...
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The blessing that comes at the right time
When life is at its most mundane, most mind-numbing, most bogged down in the details- that is when the blessing we need comes, reminding us that grace is always near.
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Queer pioneers
Shabbat Shalom, Chaverim— I don’t think I could have chosen a better Torah portion for tonight’s Pride Shabbat than this week’s reading, Shelach L’cha. It describes the episode of Moses sending spies to go scope out the promised land of Canaan. Twelve scouts are chosen, one from each tribe,...
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The Dawning of the Age of Aquarius
Shalom Chaverim— I was walking to the bus stop this morning and noticed a flyer tacked on a telephone pole proclaiming: “The Age of Pisces is Ending, The Age of Aquarius is Beginning!!” Having been an impressionable 10-year old in 1969, seeing that flyer brought to mind strains of...
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A blessing for you
A dizzying array of rituals, censuses, sacrifices and job descriptions fill this week’s Torah portion, Nasso (Numbers 4:21-7:89). And smack in the middle of the hurly burly is one whopper of a blessing: May God bless you and protect you May God’s face illuminate and be gracious to you,...
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