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The Freedom of Now

by Rabbi David Evan Markus as posted in My Jewish Learning on March 19.When does time begin? What does time measure? What came before the beginning? Such mind-bending questions evoke timeless truths especially relevant at this moment in…

Leadership Change: Front and Center

by Rabbi Evan KrameMoses hands off spiritual leadership to his brother Aaron and Aaron’s sons in Parashat Tzav (Leviticus Chapter 8 : 2 - 5) in a very public ceremony,   He becomes a facilitator for Aaron and his sons to assume…

Hello, is that God Calling? (Vayikra)

Rabbi David Evan Markus The opening of Torah’s middle book, Vayikra (Leviticus), asks a hidden question that is perhaps the most important question in Jewish spiritual life.Torah’s story of liberation and wandering goes on hiatus,…

Sacred Time

We speak of sacred time and sacred space as if they exist on their own. But they don't - their sacred nature is an attribute that we impose or imbue them with. We can easily ignore Shabbat and treat it like any of the other six days in the week…

The State of Judaism

Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, founder of CLAL and interpreter of Judaism as a Modern Orthodox Rabbi, recently gave a "State of Judaism" talk in San Francisco.  After assessing the problems, including that nearly 90% of Jews in the Bay area have no…

Building and Nature

by  Rabbis Evan J. Krame & David Evan Markus Architect Frank Lloyd Wright famously said, "I believe in God, only I spell it Nature."  Construction trades tend more to concern gutters and girders than God, but Wright proclaims his connection…

A Sense of Jewish Place

by Rabbi David Evan Markus Ask 100 American Jews where they feel most Jewish, and three answers are most likely to emerge: synagogue, home, and Israel.  Synagogue is a communal space for ritual expression of Jewish identity.  Home is a private…