Clergy Sermons

I have often taught and spoken about life being a synthesis of contrasting truths and/or emotions. Wisdom and well-bring come as we  try to hold onto every piece of the contrast.  Sometimes this is hard to do.  These past weeks I have found the intensity of those contrasts truths connected to hostages and hostage release to be challenging to hold.  One...Read more...

Our bar-mitzvah, Oliver, said the most generous things about his brother Noah.

Having known many 13-year-olds with younger siblings, this is very unusual. Oliver, I wish I could have been that gracious to my little sister when I was your age. Today, my sister is my best friend. And she is very smart, and very kind - but I never could have brought myself to say that back then. Certainly not publicly. 

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Bereshit - Beginning Anew

I confess to having been at a bit of a loss as I thought about Simchat Torah, which we celebrated on Thursday night and Friday.  I knew that the emotions of the October 7 attack being launched on Simchat Torah and Shabbat last year would be part of the day.  Often on anniversaries, you relive some of the pain, loss, sadness, anger and...Read more...

Yom Kippur 5785 – Emerging from the Whale’s Belly

I felt a connection with the prophet Jonah in a way I never have before this year.  Jonah provides a window a window to my soul and experience in the past year – reminding me who I am and who I might be. As I teach about him, I think you too will find pieces of yourself.  Jonah is us.

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My family and I spent a few days at Lake Tahoe over Labor Day weekend. I intended to detach from the news for that short time, and so I did not see the headlines announcing that six hostages had been murdered. I learned via a text message from my husband, who had driven up separately from me. Hersh and the beautiful 6 - gone. I was stunned. I think we were all stunned. Up there in Tahoe, we sat and rewatched Rachel...Read more...