Finding Light in the Darkness
03/01/2023 09:53:15 AM
How much do you do to get ready for Passover? For me, there is much that goes into the preparation for this holiday. I spend time doing things like cleaning the kitchen, changing the dishes, and selling all the chametz. In addition, I like to reflect on the meaning of Passover, what new lessons I can glean from the Haggadah, and how these lessons may impact my life. There are obvious themes found in the Passover story, like being freed from...Read more...
Shiva: A Chance to Mourn in Community
03/01/2023 09:48:25 AM
Judaism has a structured period of mourning for loved ones which can last up to a year, depending on your relationship to the person who has died. The first of these structured periods of mourning is a seven-day period called Shiva. Shiva begins immediately after the burial of a loved one. The community supports the mourners, for up to seven days, enabling them to say the Mourners Kaddish. Gathering at a house of Shiva is powerful. (This...Read more...
Finding Wonder
03/01/2023 09:46:35 AM
Wonder, noun.
A feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable. “He had stood in front of it, observing the intricacy of the ironwork with the wonder of a child.”
G.K. Chesterton wrote that, “What was wonderful about childhood is that anything in it was a wonder. It was not merely a world full of miracles; it was a miraculous world.”
Spring...Read more...
Sharing Stories of Abortion
03/01/2023 09:43:58 AM
On June 24th of last year, the Supreme Court announced that it was overturning 50 years of abortion protection in our country. Since then, we have witnessed 13 states enact bans on abortion, other states attempt to enact bans that were blocked, and others implement significant restrictions. As I shared in a recent sermon (which you can watch HERE, or read HERE), Jewish scholarship includes a broad range of opinions about abortion. But on one...Read more...
Passover Thoughts—Bringing Redemption
03/01/2023 09:37:13 AM
Every year it has felt that the messages of Passover are more relevant than ever, and this year is no exception. Passover celebrates our freedom from Egyptian slavery, but the call to bring freedom to every type of enslavement continues. In the reader for Passover prepared by the organization Hadar, we read, "Redemption is not a static point in history. The Exodus is just one chapter in a long story still unfolding before us. Redemption is...Read more...
Repro Shabbat (Yitro)
02/14/2023 09:04:17 AM
Before I start, I want to remind everyone that we are marking "Repro Shabbat" today. The topic I will be talking about - abortion - is emotionally fraught. For many of us, talking about abortion brings up past losses, disappointments, fear and anger. If you find that this topic is too emotional for you right now, please don't be abashed to take a break.
This is also a politically fraught topic. Our ethic of Tikvah - of hope for the...Read more...
Inclusion Is More than About Access
02/09/2023 11:34:04 AM
As long as I can remember I have had two core parts of my identity, being Jewish and having a disability. Both have shaped my vision of myself and how I navigate the world. Growing up with learning and physical disabilities, both diagnosed in childhood, grounded my concepts of success, community, patience, and resilience, and built my career in health policy and social services. It also left embedding fears, fears not all that dissimilar from...Read more...
The Goldilocks Planet (VaYechi)
01/31/2023 03:09:55 PM
Astronomers sometimes describe our planet's distance from the sun as being in the "Goldilocks Zone" to support life. If we were much closer to the sun, all of our water would have steamed away. Much farther out, and our oceans would be blocks of ice.
As the Goldilocks planet, earth is a cozy, just-right kind of place. In a vast universe of cold, dark rocks, here life flourishes.
Except, that's not how we experience...Read more...
Creating a Culture of Belonging
12/30/2022 09:01:28 AM
I recently went to a workshop called The Culture of Belonging, offered by the Jewish Federation. The facilitator shared a framework designed specifically around belonging which, she said, could transform Jewish organizations and communities. She explained that having a Culture of Belonging ensures that everyone in a group or organization feels seen, valued, and part of something bigger. She clarified that belonging does not happen by chance;...Read more...
Responding to Antisemitism
12/30/2022 08:59:43 AM
As 2022 comes to an end and we reflect on the upcoming year, people are sharing that they feel a deep sense of vulnerability; be it ongoing coping with coronavirus/flu, economic uncertainty, rising antisemitism; life feels uncomfortable and uncertain. None of these situations lend themselves to simple or easy solutions. In fact, the most important response may be to come together and share our thoughts and feelings, and to know that Judaism...Read more...
VaYeshev: Gratitude and Acknowledgment
12/22/2022 11:28:17 AM
Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that some of the core ideas for this sermon come from a podcast by Rabbi Elie Kaufner or Hadar Institute.
I made a little mistake last week with our younger Religious School students.
Every week, I tell them a story while they eat their snacks. Usually - not always - the story of the Torah portion. This past week, in addition to the usual crackers and cheese sticks, I had a bowl of...Read more...
Lech Lechah: To Be Blessed
12/22/2022 09:47:12 AM
What does it take, to be able to step out into the unknown, and go forward with faith that somehow everything will work out ok?
Cantor Barbara shared with our staff this week that many years ago, she was going through a very tough time in her life, and she asked her rabbi for guidance. He told her to remember Lech Lechah - God's command to Abraham. Leave your home and everything you know, and go to some unknown...Read more...