Are You Lonely? A Jewish Answer to the Loneliness Epidemic
Kol Nidre 5785
“I’m here to awaken our hope—our hope that we can develop a sense of transcendent connection with those in this room and with those not in this room. Our hope that, through this sense of mutual responsibility and shared commitment, we can alleviate our loneliness.”
The Sacred Weight of Shattered Tablets
Sukkot Morning 5785
“Torah is offering us an amazing lesson here: The ancient Israelites sanctified these broken pieces, the very part of their story that was most painful and difficult to carry. Can we, like them, sanctify our brokenness? Can we sanctify our broken hearts?”
Lifting Up Our Feet in Uncertain Times
Parashat Vayetze 5785— HUC Senior Sermon
“Instead of suppressing or denying his uncertainty about the future, Jacob acknowledges his–our–quintessentially limited knowledge. And that is what fuels his next, unexpected chapter. In so doing, Jacob models a balanced, constructive approach that we can emulate in our uncertain times.”
Loss and Laughter
Passover Yizkor 5784
“It can be hard to name or categorize the textured, composite thing we call loss, the indescribable prism through which this Passover is refracted, especially when our personal losses are intertwined with collective grief and interrupted by collective celebration.”
690 New Words
Parashat Vayetze 5784
“Jacob’s perspective transformed. This insight can transform our perspective, too. By using a new word, Jacob compels us to see this old situation through new eyes. A new word invites us into Jacob’s awe. What a perfect example in this Thanksgiving season.”
Staring At Our Aron: Emotional Vulnerability & Yom Kippur
Kol Nidre 5784
“By acknowledging the profoundly uncomfortable truth that we don’t have ultimate control, that we might be furious or distressed or heartbroken about what’s happened since the last Kol Nidre—we can engage more deeply with the world as it is, instead of how we wish it would be. We can let ourselves be changed by that vulnerable experience.”
The Jewish People Is a Diner Menu
Passover Morning 5784
“A diner menu is a lot like the Jewish people. We contain multitudes. And, like the myriad meals between the menu’s covers, we’re bound together.”