August 18, 2017
Setting before you blessing and curse
Shabbat Shalom Chaverim— Oh, sweet Shabbes! It can feel so hard to accept the gift of a full day of peace and rest when there is so much unchecked anger, loss, pain and frustration in...
August 11, 2017
Question authority?
Shabbat Shalom, Chaverim— Our son, Michael, and I went to the “Summer of Love” exhibit at the De Young Museum in San Francisco today. After a few hours of staring at Stanley Mouse and Alton...
August 11, 2017
When time passes, the moment changes
Listen to the audio of Jhos' drash from Friday, August 4. Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Read more
July 21, 2017
Jhos’ Drash from Circle of Prayer / Ma’agal Tefilah 7/7/17
Jhos' Drash, part 1: Drash, part 2: Drash, part 3: Read more
July 21, 2017
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...
June 30, 2017
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...
June 23, 2017
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...
June 21, 2017
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.
June 16, 2017
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...
June 09, 2017
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...
June 02, 2017
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...
May 31, 2017
Approaching the Mountain of Wisdom on Shavuot
Shalom Chaverim— I’ve just returned from a few weeks in Israel. As usual, I was struck by all the swirling energy there—the love and the hatred, the idiocy and the intellect, the creativity and the...
May 19, 2017
Arrgh matey! Listen to Jhos’ Pirate Drash from 5/5/17
We have added a new feature to our blog! When possible, we are recording the drashot from our service leaders and sharing the audio of the talks to enjoy here. Today, listen to Jhos' full...
May 04, 2017
Loving your neighbor as yourself
Shalom Chaverim— This week’s parasha, Acharei Mot/Kiddushin, includes the enigmatic scriptural sound byte: V’ahavta l’reyacha k’mocha—And you will love your neighbor as your self. You will find this tidbit in Leviticus 19:18, which in its...
April 27, 2017
Giving ourselves permission
Shabbat Shalom Chaverim— Shabbat is such a gift—and yet it’s quite difficult to accept. To take one day off—to step away from judgment and fear, resentment and animosity, ego and malice—would seem a delicious invitation. ...
April 20, 2017
A new set of questions this Passover
Shabbat Shalom Chaverim— Once again, Passover has passed over leaving in its wake memories of its annual Gastro-symbolic rites, its cobbled together trajectory tale, its multilayered ceremony and sanctimony spanning centuries, its haggadah stitching together...