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11/25/2023 12:02:38 PM

Nov25

11/08/2024 01:36:29 PM

Nov8

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

Am Tikvah, sometimes it’s hard to know what to say. Rabbis trade in words and ideas, and yet the roller coaster of this week has left me empty-handed in some moments and bursting in others.

My experiences in Phoenix, both as a private citizen and as a non-partisan poll chaplain, showed me a part of America that we rarely experience here. Residents felt assaulted by the barrage of door-knocks, text messages, and the walls of campaign posters installed at every street corner. Voters were often confused about when and how they could drop off their ballot or vote in person. But at the polling site where I was placed for chaplaincy, Election Day was beautifully quiet and smooth, and I heard the same from rabbinic poll chaplains across the country. I am grateful and proud that our election was peaceful and democratic.

Upon returning to San Francisco, I found our community experiencing a wide range of feelings, much like I have too. Perhaps, for this week, we can change the trope of “two Jews, three opinions” to “two Jews, three feelings.” Whatever you are feeling, you are welcome and part of Am Tikvah. 

We are entering a time of year in which the days get shorter and the rain starts to come - a time in which seeds are planted, but we will not see them grow for a little while. In this week’s Torah portion, Lech Lecha, God tells Abram (not yet renamed Abraham), “Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them. So shall zar’echa, your offspring, be.” The word zar’echa comes from the root זרע zayin-reish-ayin, which means seed. Now is the time for planting seeds of hope, seeds of integrity, seeds of tradition, and seeds of love. As the rains come, those seeds will grow until they outnumber the stars. Shabbat shalom.

10/31/2024 09:02:26 AM

Oct31

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

If you want to avoid the election,
For its stress ruins your complexion,
Feel free to scroll past
My Dispatch blast
Just whatever you do, make a vote selection.

Though often I write you in prose,
This week, a poem I chose
To soothe stress with levity
And perhaps help my brevity
So here are my thoughts, thus composed.

As you try to tackle all your ballot,
Every prop and whatchamacallit,
Look online, you’ll see
Chronicle, LWV,
Resources to help you corral it.

In the meantime, while we are all waiting,
Advocating, narrating, debating,
We need a position
From Jewish tradition - 
Thoughts for the world we’re creating.

We know well the story of Noah
And it has just the wisdom to show us. 
More than building a boat,
For each sheep and goat,
In his era, it says, he was righteous.

The rabbis, of course, disagree:
Was he the best man who ever would be?
Or was he only sublime
Relative to his time,
Among people who truly were beastly?

Soon we’ll enter an era unknown,
Defined by who will take the “throne.”
Recall Noah’s grace, then,
No matter who takes the pen,
We must keep our moral backbone.

We too will be just in our day
Regardless of what comes our way.
Commit to integrity,
You may find out pleasantly
Our foundation is here to stay.

10/24/2024 12:01:11 PM

Oct24

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

Adapted from Rabbi's sermon on 10/19/24

Ecclesiastes (Kohelet, in Hebrew) is an unusual book in the biblical canon because, as observed by scholar Michael V. Fox, “It gives voice to an experience not usually thought of as religious: the pain and frustration engendered by an unblinking gaze at life’s absurdities and injustices.” Just like we read the book of Esther on Purim and Ruth on Shavuot, we read Ecclesiastes/Kohelet during this week of Sukkot. Kohelet’s central focus on the ephemerality of life aligns with the vulnerability of Sukkot, when we forgo our safe beds and sturdy walls for the flimsy walls and hard, chilly sukkah floor. Though many of Kohelet’s lines are often quoted, I was drawn to a lesser known passage where the narrator turns his attention to when evil people gain power.

“I have noted all that went on under the sun, while men still had authority over men to treat them unjustly. And then I saw scoundrels coming from the Holy Site and being brought to burial, while those who had acted righteously were forgotten in the city. And here is another frustration: the fact that the sentence imposed for evil deeds is not executed swiftly; and thus men are emboldened to do evil.” (8:9-11)

We know that Kohelet is not making this up - sometimes bad leaders do not pay for the deeds they have done. In fact, sometimes they are rewarded for it. And sometimes they return to power. That story is a dark, frightening, familiar one. We often worry about whether it will become true, but I have a different question: Is that the only story we are able to tell?

In her Yom Kippur sermon, Rabbi Sharon Brous of IKAR in Los Angeles, spoke on the power of our stories. She quoted Yuval Noah Harari, the Israeli historian, saying that if a disagreement is based in different versions of stories, we can address the problem and be empowered to change it, by writing a better story.

The most important story we tell ourselves right now is whether anything that we do matters in this election that is 13 days away.

We hear that question echo in the words of Ecclesiastes. The book opens “Utter futility, said Kohelet, all is futile! One generation goes, another comes, but the earth remains the same forever.” And yet, despite the apparent futility, the narrator continues wrestling. He cannot see if his wrestling will come to anything, if he will be satisfied at the end, but he goes on. He does that important and holy work of questioning the narrative.

Rabbi Brous questions our dominant narrative that there is nothing we can do to impact the election. She said, “When the story of our time conspires to leave us feeling powerless, we are not powerless. Every one of us must do everything we can, not only to vote, but to knock on doors, to monitor polls, especially in the face this year of an unprecedented threat against our poll workers. To contribute what we can in the fight for our democracy. To talk to anyone and everyone who will listen about how much this matters. How much is actually on the line. Poised as we are before the unfolding of history, we have a very limited window to defy this story and break this pattern. This is our holiest and most urgent work: we have to fight to reshape our political culture, countering the norm with a better story.”

Leonard Cohen is not usually who I would go to as a counterpoint to Ecclesiastes’ despair - both are frequently melancholic. And yet, I remember the words we sang on Rosh Hashanah Day 2, from his song, “Anthem.” At first, the text does sound much like Ecclesiastes: 

Yeah, the wars
They will be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
Bought and sold
And bought again
The dove is never free

It sounds like there is nothing new under the sun. And he doesn’t deny the world’s brokenness. But then we get his most frequently quoted line:

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in

Yes, this election is on the edge, and many of us are scared. And in San Francisco, our vote has local impact but little national import. And we can tell ourselves the story of not enough time, or we wouldn’t make a difference. But Pirkei Avot tells us, “It is not required of you to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” (2:16)

In two weeks, the story I want us to tell is that we pushed. That we cared enough to - in the words of Michelle Obama - do something. 

So here’s what I will be doing: on Election Day, I will be stationed at an elementary school in Phoenix as a poll chaplain with Faiths United to Save Democracy and T’ruah: Rabbis for Human Rights. My role will be to help facilitate peaceful voting, guide concerned or anxious voters and deescalate any voter intimidation. I will also spend several days before the election doing Get Out the Vote canvassing in Phoenix as well.

You don’t have to travel. There are many resources online to connect with Get Out the Vote phonebanking, through organizations such as Rock the Vote, Action Network, and our very own Manny’s is holding numerous civic engagement events leading up to the election. 

We don’t know how this election will go, but there has been a growing crack in the darkness of cynicism and defeatism. Let us be the light, and let us expand the crack through which the light gets in. Let that be the story we tell. Or if you prefer postseason baseball to Leonard Cohen, take it from the New York Mets: Ya gotta believe.

10/17/2024 11:59:55 AM

Oct17

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

When Yom Kippur ended and the day was done, I was tired, but I couldn’t sleep. I was still excited by the beautiful community connections, the warmth of being together, the spiritual moments both in services and in the afternoon programs, and the happy kids dancing at the family services and wide-eyed before the shofar. Over and over I had the same wonderful conversation: “Being here today feels great!” Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur were even more beautiful than I dreamed them to be.

Now we have come to the first day of Sukkot, which will continue through next Wednesday night. The Am Tikvah sukkah is up and the fruit and artistic decorations are swaying in the breeze. It’s yours to use; don’t forget we have the Sukkah sign-up sheet so that you can reserve a time. My personal goal is to have as many meetings and meals in the sukkah as possible, so if you’d like to have coffee or tea, I would love that - email me (rabbi@amtikvah.org) or call/text me (415-664-7374).

Last year, we decorated the sukkah with banned book titles to bring attention to Banned Books Week (which this year was October 5-11). This year, I’m sitting with the words from the Hashkiveinu prayer that speak of a sacred sukkat shalom, a shelter of peace. My prayer this year is that all of our sukkahs (sukkot), at Am Tikvah and around the world, will be shelters of peace, and shelters that teach us what we need to be peacemakers.

We need peace so badly. A lot has happened since I last wrote about the war on September 5, following the deaths of Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages. Israel and Hezbollah have escalated from trading rockets and short range fire over the border. Now Israel is conducting a ground invasion of Lebanon and aerial bombing of Beirut in an effort to eradicate Hezbollah from Lebanon and make the north of Israel a safe place to live again. Hezbollah has successfully used a drone to bomb an Israeli military base near Haifa, has killed and wounded Israeli citizens in the north; Hamas continues to fight in Gaza and encourage more of the civilian terrorism attacks such as we’ve seen in Hadera; and Iran has launched another barrage of 200 missiles at Israel, depleting its air defenses (which the United States has now partially resupplied). The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has intensified to intolerable levels, and violence is flaring in the West Bank. Finally, today Israel announced that Yahya Sinwar, the head of Hamas, has been killed in a firefight, which is perhaps the final leader on Israel’s target list following the deaths Hassan Nasrallah (leader of Hezbollah), Mohammed Deif (military leader of Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh (political leader of Hamas), and Abbas Nilforoushan (Commander of the Iranian Quds Force in Lebanon). 


This is the most extensive war Israel has seen in decades, and it calls us to be peacemakers. Let us not celebrate death, as Proverbs 24:17 says, “If your enemy falls, do not rejoice.” Rather, let us hope that we will soon see an end to the war and the return of the surviving hostages, as Proverbs 24:11 says, “If you refrain from rescuing those taken away to be killed, the Holy One who watches over your life will know it and take account of it.” May the permeability of the sukkah remind us of our vulnerability, and furthermore, the vulnerability of all who live in makeshift shelters, longing for a safe and stable home. May the tradition of inviting in ushpizin (guests) into the sukkah remind us to be warm and hospitable to loved ones and newcomers alike. Through all of these acts, we will turn our sukkah from a simple hut into a true sukkat shalom, a sukkah of peace. Chag Sukkot Sameach.

09/26/2024 02:49:09 PM

Sep26

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

We did it! We made it to the last Dispatch of 5784. What a year it’s been.

It’s not an easy time to be Jewish, so if you’re going to be coming to High Holy Day programs and services, I want to say kol hakavod, all the honor (and kudos) to you. I can’t wait to spend the next month leaning into Jewish time, reflecting on the year that has been, and preparing ourselves for the year to come.

If you have time in your schedule, I want to invite you to add a little bit of time to volunteering at services. It’s not just a mitzvah - it’s for you to be able to see everyone, reconnect with old friends and make new ones. And if you’re not a people person, have no fear! Parking attendant volunteers are also needed. Volunteer sign-ups are here.

Finally, when the big days are past us and we mellow out into Sukkot, I want to make sure you know that we’ve made a Sukkah reservation system. The sukkah is a dwelling that stands open to community, which means it’s there for you to use! Have a birthday party, a happy hour, high tea - any sort of gathering or meeting. Just put yourself down on this sign-up sheet, or call the office to reserve a time. (And if the sukkah is available, feel free to drop in without signing up as well!)

Everyone, I have to tell you, I am so excited to be back to High Holy Days this year, our second together. Last year, we wished each other a year of sweetness, and I truly feel that we had one. Through the ups and downs, we showed up for each other, we learned together, and we laughed a lot together. May 5785 bring us ever more sweetness, and may we grow from strength to strength. Shana tova!

09/19/2024 11:45:50 AM

Sep19

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

There are two categories of things you should be thinking about as the High Holy Days approach. The first is your High Holy Days experiences: Reverse Tashlich Beach Cleanup (Sept. 29), Erev Rosh Hashanah dinner (Oct. 2), High Holy Day services, childcare (throughout services), Children and Family Services, the community-wide October 7 Memorial Service at Emanu-El, and the Yom Kippur Break the Fast meal. For different reasons, each of these events needs advanced notice. And don’t forget that if you’re bringing friends and family, we’d like them to register too!

The second category is your own personal cheshbon hanefesh, taking account of your behavior over the course of the year that is ending. If we walk into Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur services without prior reflection, the resolutions we make are similar to New Year’s resolutions: good intentions that might carry us forward for a few weeks or months, but not real personal growth. That’s why the work has to start now - we have to make time to do hard things. What conflicts might potentially be resolved if we make the time to address them? In what ways have we become careless in our behavior, and how can we shape up? That is the work of this season. Some of us need a nudge to get going - consider this your nudge.
I know, however, that sometimes Jewish tradition’s demand of cheshbon hanefesh feels overwhelming because we know that some conflicts are too big to resolve or the right time has not yet come. If you find that relatable, I’ll remind you of the words of Rabbi Tarfon in Pirkei Avot (2:16), “You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it.” You do not need to move mountains, but I encourage you to seek inroads, either within the relationship or within yourself. In every conflict, we have the opportunity to grow into stronger versions of ourselves who navigate challenge with ethics and honor. May this, too, be the work of Elul. I wish you strength, patience, and compassion as you begin.

09/12/2024 02:44:56 PM

Sep12

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

Can you believe that we’re already into Elul, and Rosh Hashanah is three weeks away? Two weeks ago, I gave an overview of the schedule in my Dispatch note, and now that Am Tikvah members have received the High Holy Day packets in the mail, I want to draw your attention to things that will be new or different this year. (Also: if you are a member and have not received your packet, please call the office at 415-586-8833.)

First, we are going to bring back Reverse Tashlich, the tikkun olam opportunity of cleaning up our beautiful Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica on Sunday, September 29, 1-2 pm. This year, we’re partnering with Or Shalom, and the event is open to everyone, so feel free to bring your friends, gloves, sneakers, and trash bags.

Second, the Rosh Hashanah hike that was previously on the second day of Rosh Hashanah will become a spiritual practice to prepare for Rosh Hashanah. It will follow Reverse Tashlich on Sunday, September 29, from 2:00 to 3:00 or 3:30 pm. We will hike up to Mori Point and open ourselves up to the awe and peace of the ocean. 

A note for both Reverse Tashlich and the spiritual hike: make sure to allow time for travel and possibly carpool, because they will overlap with the second day of FogFest in Pacifica. We’ll be away from the heart of the festival, but best to plan just in case.

I’ll try to cover the rest succinctly. (The key word is “try” - I’m a rabbi, we like words.) 

For the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we will join Ner Tamid for a creative service built around the music of Leonard Cohen, with a few Carole King songs included for good measure. We will still chant the Akedah, the binding of Isaac, and we’ll teach about Rachel’s tears in the haftarah. Ner Tamid will join us at Am Tikvah on Saturday morning for Shabbat Shuvah services as well, completing the exchange.

Since the second day of Rosh Hashanah is on a Friday, our Friday night services on October 4 will be Zoom only. It will be low key, just a moment for us to be together and come down from the heights of Rosh Hashanah to the peaceful groundedness of Shabbat.

For better or for worse, the anniversary of October 7 lands right between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this year. Rather than turn inward, we are going to join the greater San Francisco Jewish community at the joint service at Congregation Emanu-El. As this anniversary approaches, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or others to talk about what it brings up for you.

On Yom Kippur afternoon this year, we have a mix of new and old: Rabbi Laura Geller, my mentor and friend, will lead a workshop along the theme of her Yom Kippur Morning sermon and her book, Getting Good at Getting Older. I recommend buying the book in advance if you plan on going. Following Rabbi Geller’s workshop, our very own Beth Weisberg will lead a QiGong and gentle stretching session, which is back by popular demand! Finally, we’ll have a music and meditation service in which Jerry Bernstein will lead the meditation, and Ariela Morgenstern, Jodi Meromy, and I will lead reflective, secular song.

Almost there! We’ll have our regular Sukkot programs this year, but I want to give you a heads up that the office will create a sign-up sheet so that people can host group events in the sukkah. Do you want your committee to have a meal together? Is your group of family and friends game for a singalong? You’ll be able to plan your own Sukkot events in the Am Tikvah sukkah - keep an eye out for the link in future Dispatches. 

Finally, youth and family services will precede Erev Rosh Hashanah and Erev Yom Kippur services this year, rather than happen concurrently with morning services. I keep asking, but God still hasn’t granted me the ability to be in two places at once (which is probably wise). There will still be childcare during adult services.

That’s all the new stuff! If you made it to this point, then perhaps you’ll join me in how I feel while writing this: excited, ready, and with a huge sense of “I can’t wait to see you!” See you soon!

09/05/2024 04:49:01 PM

Sep5

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

On Saturday night, I checked my phone, and I almost couldn’t believe the news that six Israeli hostages had been killed by Hamas. I checked social media, but it was still too soon - no one was talking about it yet. Could it, in some way, maybe not be true?

Its truth broke my heart, and soon enough it seemed that it was all anyone could talk about. I thought about reaching out immediately to all of you, to see how you were doing. Because it’s already too tragic that Alexander Lobanov, Almog Sarusi, Eden Yerushalmi, Ori Danino, and Carmel Gat were killed, but it was almost too much to hold that Hersh Goldberg-Polin was the sixth. Hersh, who was born in Berkeley, whose parents spoke at the Democratic National Convention just a week before he was killed, whose smile warmed our hearts and who felt like someone we knew…

Why does this loss land differently than the many that came before? And why is the collective grief for Hersh so visceral, even among liberal American Jews who believe that no life is worth more than any other? Put another way, how do we respond to accusations that Israelis - and by extension, global Jews who support Israel - value Jewish lives more highly than Palestinian lives?

Rabbi Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute, wrestles with all of this in his podcast, Identity/Crisis. Kurtzer points out that it is natural to care more for members of our own community. “Maybe the easiest way to say it is that I can love different humans differently while striving to never make any of them expendable.”

Those are words that I can live by. Furthermore, those words - especially the thought of lives made expendable - explain for me why the collective grief has been accompanied by a howl of rage. The Times of Israel estimated that 500,000 people participated in protests across the country, which is approximately one twentieth of the populace. In the U.S., this would be proportionally equivalent to over 17 million people protesting - similar numbers to the height of the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Why so much rage? Because the day before the six hostages were killed, reports emerged that Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said to his ministers that he prioritized keeping Israeli troops on the border between Gaza and Egypt (the Philadelphi Corridor) above saving the lives of the hostages. The next day, Hersh was killed by his Hamas captors. Bibi did not kill the hostages, but it seems that he has other priorities.

I am not an expert on military leadership and the ethics of war. The weight of making such decisions must be horrific, and I feel for those who shoulder that burden. However, I know that as a leader, one must care for the members of one’s community and they must trust that care to be true. I am sorry to say that I have lost trust that Netanyahu loves the community of Israel as much as he loves his position in governing it.


So I stand with Israelis, in grief and in anger. I pray that Hersh’s memory reminds us that we are part of a big, complicated, deeply connected Jewish family. I hope that we can find solace in not being alone. And I pray that the Source of Peace, Adon haShalom, and the Liberator of the bound, Matir Asurim, might free all those who suffer in narrow spaces of body and of mind. May next week and the week after bring us better news, and may we see the day when war and bloodshed cease. Ken yehi ratzon, may it be so.

08/29/2024 02:14:47 PM

Aug29

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

Are you ready to get back into the swing of things? The school year has started, the High Holy Days are coming, and the Am Tikvah staff and lay leadership team has been hard at work developing a full schedule for September and October! Let’s give it a look.

We have two mazel tov occasions next Shabbat, September 6-7. First, Rabbi Faryn Borella will be installed at Or Shalom on Friday night. Then on Saturday, we have an Am Tikvah simcha (celebration): Sophia Buschell is becoming Bat Mitzvah! And not only will we celebrate her bat mitzvah, but we will welcome Rabbi Mark Melamut back to Am Tikvah for the occasion, since he has taught Sophia much of what she knows. The continuity of relationships that we have with past and emeritus clergy is such a blessing for our community, and I am thrilled for Sophia’s achievement and that Rabbi Mark will join in the celebration.

A few more highlights of the coming month: on Sunday, September 8, we’ll gather in Pacifica for the Am Tikvah Community Picnic and Am Tikvah School kickoff; and on Thursday, September 12, we’re going to Giants Jewish Heritage night and our Elul learning series will begin on Zoom with Rabbi Shana. (Rabbi Jason Mann of Beth Ohr will teach on September 19, and I will teach on September 26, all on Zoom.) Then we have the joy of another bar mitzvah! Adam Bensinger has been a joy to learn with, and I am so proud that he will become bar mitzvah on September 21. Please join the Bensinger family in celebrating Adam! Finally, we’ll conclude the month with our joint Selichot service with musical accompaniment at Ner Tamid on September 28.

It will be a full, joyous, reflective, and meaningful month of Elul/September. If you see a staff member or lay leader, I invite you to give them words of gratitude and encouragement, and perhaps an offer to volunteer during the High Holy Days. As Pirkei Avot says, “Torah which is not combined with a worldly occupation, in the end becomes neglected and can become the cause of sin…all who labor with the community, their righteousness endures forever.”

May we each do our part, through study and thoughtful reflection, acting kindly with one another, and bringing our own unique gifts and contributions as we prepare to close one year and start a new one, together.

Ask the Rabbi

08/22/2024 11:40:36 PM

Aug22

Rabbi Chayva Lehrman

If you have multiple mezuzot, do they all need kosher scrolls?

Yes, if you can afford kosher scrolls then you should have them in your mezuzot. A mezuzah is a decorative case for the scroll, which contains the Shema and its accompanying paragraphs, Deuteronomy 6:5-9 (the V’ahavta) and Deuteronomy 11:13-21 (“Vehaya im shamoa,” which we’ll read this week and I will be speaking about on Shabbat morning). These verses remind us of our ethics, our sense of Divine singularity and connectedness, and our Jewish tradition. Without the scroll, the case only reminds us of the tradition and mitzvah of having a mezuzah. Also, a reminder: there is a blessing and guidelines for affixing a mezuzah to a doorpost, but you can do it yourself, no rabbi needed!

I know apples and honey are for a sweet new year, but why do we eat pomegranates on Rosh Hashanah?

There are many reasons! First, pomegranates are a symbolic fruit because the rabbis thought that they had 613 seeds, the same number as there are commandments. Pomegranates are also one of the seven species listed in Deuteronomy 8:7-8, which we will read in this week’s Torah portion! There is also a tradition of trying a new fruit or new food in honor of the new year, and perhaps the pomegranate might be new for someone. Finally, my favorite reason is the lesson we learn through the work it takes to eat a pomegranate. One of the most famous and prestigious Talmudic rabbis, Rabbi Meir, continued to study with his teacher, Rabbi Elisha ben Abuya (nicknamed “Acher,” or “The Other”) long after Elisha ben Abuya had been exiled from the yeshiva for losing faith in God. Students questioned why Rabbi Meir continued his relationship, and he said, “Because one must eat the fruit and throw away the peel.” In other words, people are complicated, and we aspire to honor what they can offer and set aside their more difficult features. Eating pomegranates as we do the work of forgiving each other reminds us that we can seek resolution and forgiveness while still understanding that none of us are perfect beings.

Fri, December 6 2024 5 Kislev 5785