Prayer

October 21, 2026

A Vision for Beth Abraham: The Two Houses of Avraham and Sarah

This is a version of a visioning piece I worked on in 2019 for our synagogue which is called Beth Abraham, the “House of Abraham” or as I call it the “House of Abraham and Sarah.” I shared this version as a D’var Torah for Parashat Lech L’cha on Shabbat morning, November 9, 2019 (5780).… Continue reading

Blessing, Chesed, Current Affairs, Dreams/Dreaming, Education, Ethics, Food, Friendship, Gratitude, History, Inclusion, Jewish Education, Joy, Justice, Leadership, Lech L’cha, Love, Middot, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, Rabbi, Social Theory, Spirituality, Temple Beth Abraham, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek, Vayera
September 16, 2026

Teshuvah, Tzedakah, and… Tefillah (Prayer)? Rosh Hashanah D’var Torah Second Day 5787/2026

I have been responsible for leading High Holy Day services start-to-finish in some way almost every year since 1988, when I was not far from here, south of Worcester in Webster, Massachusetts. So my High Holy Day career is even longer than my rabbinic career. For about the first half of that longer career, the… Continue reading

Calendar, Coronavirus, Dreams/Dreaming, Elul, Ethics, High Holidays, Holidays, Israel, Middot, Prayer, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Yamim Noraim
December 14, 2025

Hope From the Pits

This is the D’var Torah I shared on Shabbat, December 13, 2025, for Parashat Vayeshev just before the first candle of Chanukkah 5786. On Thursday, I spent a good part of an hour staring at images of specific chanukkiot. It’s a bit early to be doing that — Chanukkah doesn’t start until tomorrow evening —… Continue reading

Calendar, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Holidays, Hope, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, USA, Vayeshev
October 23, 2025

The Baal Shem Tov: The Ark as a Metaphor for a Word of Prayer

I taught this for Parashat Noach in 5781 (2020), sometime after accidentally stumbling into this teaching in a book of the Baal Shem Tov’s comments about the Torah. In the section on Noach, he inserts a long treatise on prayer. I want to share a teaching of the Baal Shem Tov about tefillah, about prayer,… Continue reading

Noach, Noah, Parashat Hashavua, Prayer, Spirituality, Theology, Torah
November 27, 2024

Jewish — Thanksgiving is Actually in Our Name

These are words I shared in 2022 at the Nashua Area Interfaith Council service right before Thanksgiving. The first words a Jew is supposed to say upon waking are: Modah Ani or Modeh Ani, which mean “Thankful am I”. Even before we bring ourselves into focus, we are we are taught to center gratitude, and… Continue reading

Calendar, Gratitude, Holidays, Middot, Prayer, Thanksgiving
November 13, 2024

After the Election: Take Love Seriously. Give Love Wildly.

This was my Dvar Torah last Shabbat, November 9, the first Shabbat after Election Day 2024. First I want to say that the operation of a democracy is awe-inspiring. To experience a day when 300-million-plus people bring something of moral significance to a crescendo all at once. To contemplate what goes into that, philosophically… Continue reading

Current Affairs, Election, Inclusion, Love, Middot, Prayer, Shabbat, USA
January 22, 2024

Exaggerating the Exodus: The Siddur Is the Opposite of the “Slave Bible”

This is a slightly revised version of a D'var Torah I gave on the Shabbat that was the last day of Pesach in 5782 (2022). Right before Pesach in 2022, a bunch of people mentioned to me an article they had seen from the New York Times by Rabbi Sharon Brous. Her piece referenced… Continue reading

Books, Calendar, Exodus, Freedom, History, Holidays, Hope, Justice, Pesach, Prayer, Spirituality, Theology, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedek
December 12, 2023

Chanukkah and Dreidel: A Portfolio of Hope

This is a version of a D’var Torah I've given in many variations over the past few years. I’ve come to think about a lot of things in life in terms of “portfolio management.” People talk about investment portfolios –long-term and short- term, stocks and bonds. I think Chanukkah can teach us creating a hope… Continue reading

Calendar, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Current Affairs, Gaza, Holidays, Hope, Israel, Jewish Education, Prayer, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
October 13, 2023

Two Kinds of Darkness, Two Kinds of Light, Two Kinds of Torah

This is (I think) the D'var Torah I have for services this Shabbat tomorrow. The Torah reading begins with the very beginning of the Torah. It's one week since the Hamas atrocities began. Thank you to Rabbi Rebecca Rosenthal and Rabbi Aryeh Klapper for helping me unlock this, though if anything is off it's on… Continue reading

Antisemitism, Bereshit, Calendar, Current Affairs, Eight, Gaza, High Holidays, History, Holidays, Hope, Israel, Midrash, Noach, Parashat Hashavua, Patience, Prayer, Simchat Torah, Terrorism, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Yamim Noraim
October 4, 2023

Sukkot, Science and Religion

My extended D'var Torah on this topic at Sinai and Synapses! Continue reading

Calendar, Environment, High Holidays, History, Holidays, Prayer, Ritual, Science, Spirituality, Sukkot, Yamim Noraim
September 20, 2023

My Rosh Hashanah Sermons (5784/2023)

Read or watch/listen: Click to read the text of the sermons: Day 1 — Glimmers Day 2 — Through Regret Or watch or listen on YouTube: Continue reading

Calendar, Ethics, Foregiveness, High Holidays, Holidays, Hope, Joy, Middot, Peace, Prayer, Ritual, Rosh Hashanah, Spirituality, Tikkun Olam, Torah, Tzedakah, Tzedek, Yamim Noraim, Young Jewish Adult, Youth
December 5, 2022

Hope, Chanukkah, and the Dreidel

This is one version of a D'var Torah I have given in a few variations at different times, around Chanukkah and even once on Rosh Hashanah! I have only a couple of Chanukkah sermons, and in fact you may have heard me give a version of this in years past and even on a Rosh… Continue reading

Calendar, Chanuka, Chanukkah, Current Affairs, History, Holidays, Hope, Joy, Patience, Prayer, Shabbat, Synagogue, Temple Beth Abraham, Tikkun Olam