Releasing Ourselves from Shame
Sermon for Yom Kippur 5786 Many of you know that I have Jamaican heritage. My paternal grandmother, Olive Levy Rosenfield, who passed away in 2010, was born and raised in […]
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“We, O God”: Teachings on Collective TeshuvahKol Nidre Sermon 5786
There’s a story Rabbi David Woznica tells about Yom Kippur when he was a child. His parents, with all good intentions, explained that during the Vidui — the confessional prayer […]
No Kings… but the King
Sermon for Rosh haShana Day 1 5786 As a little girl, I was never into princesses or royalty. Now, as an adult, I’ve found myself more interested in them than […]
Hope is a Broken Winged Bird
Erev Rosh Hashanah Talk 5786 We gather here today at the start of a new year — Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world. It’s a Day of Judgment, yes […]
Judaism is About Love – Yom Kippur 5785
This is my love letter to you. I think you need one. We all need one. I need one. This has been an incredibly bruising year to be Jew, no […]
This Sermon Did Not Age Well – Rosh HaShanah 5785
We tend to look at the past with nostalgia, thinking perhaps that “our best years are behind us.” But this terrible year has made me rethink that truism. There is […]
Yom Kippur Sermon 5784
This is Not an Israel Sermon Yom Kippur 5784 As I begin my remarks this Yom Kippur morning, there is one thing I want you to know: this is not […]
What Was I Made For?
Rosh HaShana Sermon 5784 Sometime in late spring of 2018, I received a call from Elissa Gruenberg. Some of you may know her; she is the wife of Rabbi Josh […]
Yom Kippur Sermon 5783
“Thoughts and Prayers and the Cries of the Heart” When I think about what I might write about for the High Holidays, I ask myself, “What is the sermon I […]
Rosh haShana Sermon 5783
On Abortion and the Mystery of Life I recently went to get my pre-Rosh haShana haircut, and my hairdresser, who is a devout Catholic, was very excited to see me. […]