August 20, 2019 The ten commandments are clear. And of course the one most appropriate to remember today is “Thou shalt not murder”. The Talmud expands upon that Torah command and teaches us that “the one who takes one life, it is as though they have destroyed the universe. And the one who saves one life, it is as though they has saved the universe” (Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5). So I wonder. Maybe you wonder. What about the one who takes 10 lives? Takes 20 lives? Takes 50 lives? Every year in this country hundreds murdered...
Terry Shrunk Plaza, July 12, 2019 Our hearts are so broken, but we come together tonight as the humans who constitute the buffer between the nightmare that is America today and the point of no return. Take a look around you if you can still see in this twilight light, and take in the faces of those who are with you on this journey. Together we will not allow this nation to get to the point of no return. NEVER AGAIN IS NOW….NEVER AGAIN IS NOW….NEVER AGAIN IS NOW… Holy One of Blessing, you who have either architected or witnessed the story of...
Today at our Shabbat services the most beautiful souls explored the mitzvah of leaving the corners of our fields for the poor, the sojourner (immigrant), the widow and orphan and we closed with some food for thought. Whether you were able to join us or not, here’s some fodder for spiritual practice: Looking at the field as an agricultural construct leads us to many beautiful ways of being in this world. AND…knowing that Yah too is a field, a field of consciousness, sentience, healing, wisdom transmission and more…. Where is...
Elul begins this year on the heels of the most tumultuous political year I have ever experienced in almost 60 years of life. Our sitting president puts out an average of 6.4 lies a day. ICE and our immigration policies are not merely cruel, they are torturing children and are impeding our economy from functioning to boot. Hate incidents have skyrocketed. In Portland alone, hate incidents increased by 200% from 2016 to 2017, hundreds and hundreds of incidents of verbal violence taking place on public transportation alone. A regressive tax plan...
