Sermons
One of the strangest, most difficult and at times most exciting responsibilities of being a rabbi is preparing and delivering a sermon. It is a strange form of communication, almost completely “one way,” with little opportunity for the congregation to respond or for the rabbi to know how it was received. The blank sheet of paper before beginning to write is so daunting: what should I talk about? What should I say about it? How should I say it? But looking back now over forty years of sermons, I realize that being required to stand up in front of the congregation and open my mouth and speak has forced me to think deeply about my own life, Judaism, and our world. Below are many recent sermons and some of the sermons from the past which capture important moments in my life, or the life of our community or the world.
Harvard Education
May 24, 2019
This spring marks forty years since I graduated from college. A good Biblical number. Tonight, with the benefit of forty years perspective, I would like to share what I remember about college. What was important and what was not, in my four years at Harvard.... America’s oldest and arguably most prestigious college.
Why We Pray in Hebrew
March 9, 2018
Some Jews walk away from our religion because they just don’t see the point of all the Hebrew. Many. For Jews who take the time and put in the work to learn, Hebrew can be a doorway, leading into a magnificent palace. But for the many Jews who do not know how to read Hebrew, the door is shut. Hebrew is a wall, shutting them out. So why do we pray in Hebrew?
Eulogy for My Father
October 9, 2015
I doubt that many doctors have spent the night sleeping next to their patients, or researchers spent the night sleeping with the animal subjects of their experiments. But these stories of night-times together reveal my father’s insight, perhaps his most deeply held conviction. My dad knew intuitively and reflected throughout his life and career upon the divine, healing power of personal presence. Of touch, of glance, of voice, of smile and laugh. These were the most important items in our father’s medical bag.
Hanukkah and Miracles
December 29, 2008
That shared experience kindled a light in our group. An old light, that burns without end. The same light Moses saw burning and burning in the bush in the wilderness. The same flame the Jews saw glowing from the tiny oil lamp in the Jerusalem Temple, day after day after day. That light blazed in our midst last Wednesday night. It was a miracle, nothing supernatural, but still a wonder…a revelation of the hidden presence of God.