God Does Not Seek Perfection (Parasha Lekh Lekha)
Last week the lawmakers in the United Kingdom banned the use of botox-style injections and lip fillers for anyone under the age of 18. Government estimates showed that there were…
Parasha Bereisheet The Eyes Have It!
In the Book of Kings G-d appears to King Solomon in a dream. Solomon, then a young man, has just ascended to the throne of Israel following the death…
Listening (Parasha Haazinu)
The Book of Deuteronomy is full of words related to “hearing”. The most famous verse in the Five Books of Moses is related to the sense of hearing –“Hear O…
Yom Kippur am 5782 “Our Parents our Teachers”
This morning I am going to give a sermon on something I have never given a sermon on before. Or I am going to give a sermon on the meaning…
Kol Nidre Sermon 5782 “I Place God Before Me at all Times”
A story is told of a man who stopped attending his usual synagogue and was now frequenting a minyan in another synagogue. One day he happened to bump into …
Rosh Hashanah Sermon on Israel (Day 1)
When I became your Rabbi 13 years ago, I was asked by a congregant about my goals. I answered that one of my goals was to help Congregation Beth Shalom…
Sermon for Rosh Hashanah Eve 5782
As most of you may know, ten days ago I announced my retirement as Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom effective June, 2023. In making this decision I am reminded of…
What Does It Mean to “Choose Life”? Parasha Nitzavim
Next week we will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, with its evocative prayers and stirring melodies. In our Amidah prayer we will add the verses "zachrenu le hayyim, melech hafetz bahayyim, vchatvenu…
Repentance and Forgiveness Parsha Shoftim
There’s a beautiful Hasidic teaching that says there are five most important mitzvot in the entire Jewish tradition. The first is actually from this week’s portion: Tamim tihiyeh. Be wholehearted…
The Ox and the Donkey Parsha Ki Tetze
There are many reasons we have difficulty relating to the mitzvot that are given in the Torah. Simply put, most of us grew up in urban areas whereas the mitzvot…