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Holy Containers in UnHoly Spaces
How do you make space holy? Just a few days ago I met with a newly engaged couple for the first time. They are getting married in a year, and we took this first opportunity to get to know each other and to talk through the traditional steps of a Jewish wedding…
Crossing the Distance
When my daughter was born, were the silly and sweet and various children’s books that people chose to give us. It is amazing the variety of children’s books nowadays. I feel like when I was a kid there was Dr. Seuss, there was the Very Hungry Caterpillar, there was…
Chol Hamoed Passover 5786 Sermon – Israel, the 10th Plague, and the Death Penalty
Loopholes. The Rabbis love loopholes. So much of halacha, Jewish law, is actually trying to figure out ways to get around our law code. I looked up a list of the best Jewish loopholes, and there were so many good ones. The Shabbos elevator – being able to use an…
Let the Light In
When I was in college at the Jewish Theological Seminary, I had the opportunity to take a fantastic class in the Cantorial School called Methods and Materials of Jewish Music Education with Cantor David Tilman. It was an incredible experience. Cantor Tilman is a…
Leadership and Action
A story is told about a mountain climber, determined to reach the summit of a high mountain. She trained for months and years, until finally she was ready for the climb. The mountain climber wanted to achieve this feat on her own, so she didn’t bring anyone with her….
MLK Jr. Weekend
Before we recite the prayer for our country I wanted to just take a moment to share one more insight from our parsha this morning. Moses, one of the greatest speakers and leaders of our generation, calls himself an arel sefatayim, which we usually translate as a…
Powerhouse Women and Renee Good
We have concluded the book of Genesis, and with it the stories of our original ancestors, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. A group of people, strangers, immigrants, becomes too numerous in their new country of residence, and so the ruling power seeks to enslave…
Shabbat, Chanukah, Rosh Chodesh: Defying the Greeks and Living with Jewish Pride
Order from chaos. The world is filled with chaos. It has been from the very beginning. We read in the very beginning of the Torah, v’ha’aretz haita tohu vavohu v’chosech al pnei tehom – the land was filled with chaos and there was darkness on the face of the…
How do we respond when our world falls apart?
How do we respond when our world falls apart? Earlier this week I and many members of our community had the opportunity to hear Eli Sharabi speak. Eli is a member of Kibbutz Be’eri who was taken hostage by Hamas on October 7th, and was released on February 8, 2025,…
A Tisch and an Epiphany: Staying True
To say that I was lost would have been an understatement. I wandered through the narrow alleys and winding streets of Jerusalem in search of the Belz Yeshiva, the school of the large Hassidic dynasty from the Ukraine, which was famous for its music. I was told that…
Return from Israel Preliminary Reflections
Shabbat shalom. So I know we’re getting close to the Mendoza line here, which is what my old Rabbi used to call when it gets close to 12pm but I feel like I can’t make it through our Shabbat morning service if we don’t take a little time to talk…
Hinei Hem Ba’im – What Comes After
הִנֵּה הֵם בָּאִים יָמִים שֶׁל שֶׁקֶט – אַחֲרֵי הָרַעַשׁ הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא אֶפְשָׁר לָנוּחַ קְצָת עַל הַמִּרְפֶּסֶת – וְלֶאֱסֹף אֶת שִׁבְרֵי הַסְּעָרָה הִנֵּה הֵם בָּאִים יָמִים שֶׁל שֶׁקֶט – כְּבָר שָׁכַחְתִּי אֵיךְ שֶׁהֵם נִרְאִים אֶפְשָׁר…
Sukkot 5786
Sam Glaser Uvnei Yerushalayim Story (טז) שָׁל֣וֹשׁ פְּעָמִ֣ים ׀ בַּשָּׁנָ֡ה יֵרָאֶ֨ה כל־זְכוּרְךָ֜ אֶת־פְּנֵ֣י ׀ ה’ אֱלֹקֶ֗יךָ בַּמָּקוֹם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִבְחָ֔ר בְּחַ֧ג הַמַּצּ֛וֹת וּבְחַ֥ג הַשָּׁבֻע֖וֹת וּבְחַ֣ג הַסֻּכּ֑וֹת וְלֹ֧א יֵרָאֶ֛ה אֶת־פְּנֵ֥י ה’…
Amcha: Recognizing One Another
פִּתְאוֹם קָם אָדָם בַּבֹּקֶר וּמַרְגִּישׁ כִּי הוּא עַם וּמַתְחִיל לָלֶכֶת, וּלְכָל הַנִּפְגָּשׁ בְּדַרְכּוֹ קוֹרֵא הוּא שָׁלוֹם. Suddenly a man wakes up in the morning He feels he is a nation and begins to walk And to all he meets on his way he calls out…
Yom Kippur Yizkor
Avi: Hey, who died? [Shira] Uh… Still Mom. I’m trying to remember that sort of good casserole Mom made. I have to bring an entree to a potluck. Avi: Maybe it was a mushroom casserole? [Shira] No, she made mushroom knishes. I don’t wanna deal with the…