Yom Kippur Day Teaching 5776/2015 by Rabbi Burt Jacobson
Judging Others Israel Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of the 18th century Hasidic movement, was not only a mystic and a spiritual teacher; he was also a shamanic healer, and […]
Rosh Hashanah Day Sermon 5776/2015 by Howard Hamburger
Get comfortable; I’m going to talk for a little while. Later in the morning, Rabbi David will lead us in the Torah service; we’ll chant how the Torah describes the […]
Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5776/2015 by Rabbi Dev Noily
Standing Together, Right Smack in the Middle of the Torah Speech as Spiritual Practice When my partner Sara and I were younger and first together, probably in our late […]
Niggun Contemplation by Rabbi Burt Jacobson (High Holydays 2013/5774)
Good evening and L’shanah tova . . . This High Holy Day season we’ve been emphasizing the notion of teshuvah, the process of personal change and transformation. But teshuvah is […]
A Sermon for High Holydays by Rabbi Burt Jacobson (5774/2013)
The Ba’al Shem’s Teshuvah As you probably know, the Hebrew concept of teshuvah has to do with personal and communal change and transformation. This afternoon I’d like to […]
A Sermon for Kol Nidre by Rabbi David J. Cooper (High Holydays 5774/2013)
Tzedakah, Right Conduct, and the Face of the Other Unetaneh Tokef, a prayer only said on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur morning is a really scary prayer. I remember almost […]
“Embracing Uncertainty: A Sermon for Kol Nidrey Night” by Rabbi David J. Cooper
The energy of attempt is greater than the surety of stasis Mary Oliver In late June, I was in New York and I had my first opportunity to go […]
“Faith After the Holocaust” by Rabbi Burt Jacobson (High Holydays 5773/2012)
A Yom Kippur Afternoon Sermon On Yom Kippur afternoon in traditional synagogues the cantor or prayer leader chants a section of the service called “Elah Ezkara,” which means, “These […]
Hillel’s Three Questions (High Holydays 5772 / 2011)
An Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon by Rabbi Burt Jacobson “How are you, ma?” “So how should I be?” Instead of answering her son’s question with a direct statement—“I feel lousy!”—she […]
