Watch, Listen, Learn

Join us after services for a conversation with Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove.

A strange, mysterious half-story told in the Torah hints at a failure of leadership and a failure of law, and calls us to be brave and bold, especially when our dreams seem furthest from reality.

A blessing for strength in spirit and body for a new Pope in a time when spiritual and moral leadership matters more profoundly than ever.

Watch Sharon Brous’s talks at the Milken Institute’s Global Conference 2025 centered on the power of ideas. There is a paywall, but the videos can be seen for free after signing up for a password or you can listen to the author talk on our podcast feed. “What Faith Means to Me” In a world roiled by seemingly unprecedented division and doubt, the longing for spiritual meaning and for a life rooted in faith appears to be growing ever stronger. In this session, speakers share their perspectives and experiences of faith, and the role faith and faith-driven communities can and should play in calming stormy seas. Author Talk: Rabbi Sharon Brous, “The Amen Effect” To thine own self be true: Sharon Brous has let this advice illuminate her path to becoming a rabbi. She was raised with a strong social, but not religious, Jewish identity. The more she studied and admired the humanity in the sages’ writings, the more Brous felt her voice was silenced simply because she is a woman. Today, as an ordained rabbi, Brous’s decades of hands-on pastoral care in Los Angeles has cleared “a path to become myself.” Her book, The Amen Effect—and how to get it—is embraced by seekers of every stripe and urges us to seek human connection in an increasingly isolated and divided world.

Join us after services for a conversation with Rep. Laura Friedman.

…Because there is a space between stimulus and response. What we do in that space is our choice. So please: tell me you’re scared. I’m scared too. Tell me times are tough. Tell me we’re facing a narrowing landscape of possibilities. But please do not tell me there’s nothing we can do. There’s always a choice to make.

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

On today’s episode, Rabbi David Kasher is joined by Madison Margolin to talk about psychedelic experiences in the Torah. Madison is the author of Exile & Ecstasy: Growing Up with Ram Dass and Coming of Age in the Jewish Psychedelic Underground. She’s also Co-founder of the Jewish Psychedelic Summit and DoubleBlind, a print magazine and digital media startup covering psychedelics and where they intersect with mental health, environmental justice, social equity, and more, Madison also teaches on Judaism and psychedelics, such as with Tzfat’s LiveKabbalah or Psychedelics Today, and offers consulting and guidance for those on the Jewish-psychedelic path.

This week was the 250th anniversary of the midnight ride of Paul Revere. In his story we see so many echoes of our current moment. What lessons can we take with us right now? And how does our parsha’s story of Aaron, the high priest, help us step forward to carry out the tasks we are called to do?

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

There are a number of parallels between the creation of the world and the splitting of Yam Suf, casting this dramatic moment of the Exodus as a kind of “recreation story.”  Which makes the appearance of a provocative midrash about an Israelite woman picking fruit from a tree and feeding it to another that much more fascinating… and I’d like to suggest, subversive.  What exactly happened in the Garden of Eden, and what message does it hold for the generation crossing the sea? Click here to access the text study sheet.

Prepare to embrace the bold vision of Passover (that we are all heading toward freedom, that pharaohs crumble and fall) requires focus. Let’s affirm the twin pillars of the Hebrew Bible (chesed/lovingkindness and tzedek/justice) to gird ourselves for the battle ahead!

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

Ours is not the first generation in which telling this story, reiterating these foundational ideas, is risky. Dangerous, even. And perhaps that is the greatest reason of all to tell this story truthfully.

Guy Branum joins Rabbi David Kasher to discuss Ashera and the presence of a goddess in the Torah.

Let us not turn to the garden—or the theater, or the studio—to escape this world, but to enrich the soul, to strengthen our hearts to plant for a better future. Making art, tending gardens, telling stories, especially from within the narrowest constraints—all of these can be sacred acts of defiance.

Dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 No bacon cheeseburgers! No lobster! No chicken parmesan! We know that, but…what else exactly is going on with Kashrut? What can we learn about it in our ancient texts and what bearing does it have on our contemporary lives? Whether you’ve kept Kosher your whole life, or never plan to, together we’ll dive  into this age-old intentional eating practice of ours. Let’s see what we find!

In a time of loneliness and isolation, social rupture and alienation, what will it take to mend our broken hearts and rebuild our society? Join Rabbi Brous in a series of text studies that explore the Jewish sources that form the core ideas behind her new book, The Amen Effect.

After Shabbat Services, please join Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum in a text study at Shalhevet. Rabbi Elad-Appelbaum is the founder of ZION: An Eretz Israeli Congregation in Jerusalem; and the co-founder and co-head of the Beit Midrash for Israeli Rabbis at the Hartman Institute and Ha Midrasha at Oranim and of the Ritual Center. She is a groundbreaking peace builder and a true rabbinic partner in so many ways. She speaks about peace at a time when very few people are speaking about it.

Dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 No bacon cheeseburgers! No lobster! No chicken parmesan! We know that, but…what else exactly is going on with Kashrut? What can we learn about it in our ancient texts and what bearing does it have on our contemporary lives? Whether you’ve kept Kosher your whole life, or never plan to, together we’ll dive  into this age-old intentional eating practice of ours. Let’s see what we find!

The rabbis radically reinvent Elijah. From violent zealot to gentle peace builder. The path to the messianic era depends on this transformation.

Dates: 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26 No bacon cheeseburgers! No lobster! No chicken parmesan! We know that, but…what else exactly is going on with Kashrut? What can we learn about it in our ancient texts and what bearing does it have on our contemporary lives? Whether you’ve kept Kosher your whole life, or never plan to, together we’ll dive  into this age-old intentional eating practice of ours. Let’s see what we find!

With a focus on Shabbat morning liturgy, this class will help folks gain familiarity with the words and melodies that we sing each Saturday morning. No Hebrew skills? We’ve got you covered: prayers will be presented in English transliteration. No musical skills? No worries: we’ll teach the melodies note by note. At the end of this class, you’ll be confidently belting out all the greatest hits.