Click HERE for the article: Will I Go Through With This? Re-Reading the Akeidah. Every year we are faced with the story of the Binding of Isaac both at Rosh HaShanah and when we read Parshat Vayeira. How can we make any sense of it at all?
Click HERE (video) for the sermon: Living in Their Image -Torah Stories and Their Mandates. The Abraham and Sarah stories are foundational in our tradition and compelling because of their dramatic twists and turns. Our Sages and commentators read narratives and draw out mandates and values orientations for our lives.
Click HERE (video) for Annulling the Harsh Decree: Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and the Akeidah. The Rabbis made chapters 21 and 22 of Genesis the central readings of Rosh HaShanah for a reason. We are challenged by these chapters to hold up a mirror to ourselves, as much as we read the narratives to evaluate the successes and foibles of our ancestors.
Click HERE (video) for my sermon – Stir the Soul, Incline the Heart, Focus the Mind: Pray for the USA and Israel. This week we create deeper kavannah (intentionality) to recite the prayers for our country and peace for Israel. The election and the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin stir our souls.