TEMPLE TALK | JULY 7
07/13/2023 12:01:51 PM
I’d like to start off with a rhetorical question. Usually not the best way to start a sermon, but since I’m here, why not?! No, that’s not the question. The question is: have you ever had a potential conversation you were dreading? It is a conversation you played over and over in your mind, piecing out all of the different possible scenarios and all the ways the discussion could go crooked, that it became a source of...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | JUNE 30
07/07/2023 10:19:56 AM
Meriting the Blessing
An excerpt from Rabbi Berezin's Sermon on Friday, June 30:
"As I read this text, I often wonder about the intentionality of building that loving and just society even in the midst of hardship and challenges. I often wonder what kind of effort it must have taken to prioritize the good of your neighbor even while you wandered the desert with an uncertain future ahead of you. I often wonder...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | JUNE 23
06/29/2023 09:59:04 AM
Disagreeing L’Shem Shemayim, For the Sake of Heaven
An excerpt from Rabbi Berezin's Sermon on Friday, June 23:
"When we debate things that we care deeply about, and we are challenged, we can respond in one of several ways. We can stand our ground and refuse to listen to viewpoints that differ from ours. We can listen but without the intention of allowing anyone or anything sway us. Or we can choose to be open and...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | JUNE 9
06/15/2023 09:02:13 AM
I collect postcards with interesting images on them. One of my favorites is a beautiful green forest in the background with a path at a crossroads. In the foreground is a simple sign that reads “This Way”. Clear, right? Not really. Because the shape of the sign points both left and right, it is hard to know which way we are to go. Ahead? Left? Right? The sign is not very clear.
Now, imagine a cloud completely...Read more...
TEMPLE TALK | JUNE 2
06/08/2023 09:29:51 AM
Some of the earliest memories I have are of my dad standing on the bima, pulling his tallit over his head, lifting his hands over the congregation, and intoning the sacred words of the Priestly Benediction slowly, clearly, and with intention. As a kohen, someone who traces their lineage to the priestly line of Aaron and his sons, my father was one of the men responsible for blessing our congregation. I remember watching him...Read more...