NOT ADAM TONIGHT The winter solstice has always wanted a story. When the days shrink, the cold closes in and the light seems to be dying, human beings instinctively look for a festival that says: no, the darkness will not win. In the ancient Mediterranean this meant Saturnalia, Kalendae, bonfires and torches; for us, in Europe, it may mean Christmas, a Christian solstice feast of light-in-the-dark, birth-in-midwinter, hope against despair.   This was a problem for the Rabbis

Rabbi Andrea’s Sermon About Chanukah, and about the Palestinian Flags With a note on bowling You know the joke, right? What are Jewish holidays really about? They’re all the same, and they all go something like this: “They tried to kill us. They failed. Now let’s eat.” It’s simple, it’s a little dark, and let’s be honest. it’s also more than a little true. The origins of many of our festivals lie in danger, survival, and relief. And each time, the Jewish people respond not wi

Stories that we refuse to erase   This week, with Parashat Vayetze, we meet Jacob at the threshold of exile. He leaves home abruptly, stepping into a world where welcome is conditional and where someone else holds the power to tell the story. He is fleeing danger, uncertainty, and family fracture. And it is exactly in that moment, alone, lying on the ground with only a stone beneath his head, that Jacob dreams the dream that will accompany his descendants throughout all of Je

“Re-digging the Wells of Isaac: A Journey towards Rehovot”   In Genesis 26 we find one of the most profound episodes of the Torah: the story of Isaac and the wells. After a famine forces Isaac and his household to settle in the region of Gerar, the Torah tells us that Isaac reopens the wells that his father Abraham had originally dug, wells that the Philistines had blocked up after Abraham’s death. Isaac clears them, gives them the same names his father had given them, and th

THE ILLUSION OF SAFETY It is a deeply human instinct to deny or downplay danger. Most of us have done it at some point. Even when confronted with antisemitism, our first reaction is often to reassure ourselves - to question our perception in the hope of convincing ourselves that things aren’t really that bad. It is therefore hardly surprising that as many have noted on social media, even when the majority of our community feel that things are getting worse, there are still vo

LEARNING FROM THE RAINBOW This week’s Torah portion, Parashat Noach , is one of the richest in symbols and meaning. It tells two stories of humanity - one drowned, one divided - and between them stands the rainbow, keshet ba’anan , the sign of God’s covenant with the world. After the Flood, when the waters receded, God placed a rainbow in the sky and said to Noah: אֶת־קַשְׁתִּי נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן וְהָיְתָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ. “I have set My bow in the cloud,

On Sukkot and Antisemitism Tomorrow, we remain in the in-between of Yom Kippur and Sukkot — and on Monday evening we will usher in the...

Tonight we gather with heavy hearts. In recent months, our synagogue — like many others across the country — has seen fewer people coming to services. Not because of lack of faith, but because of fear. Fear of protests, fear of marches that too often turn into open hostility toward Jews. Yesterday’s terrible attack in Manchester reminds us of how real this fear is. And yet, we also hope that the response to such violence will mark a turning point — that society will finally u

WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE WRONG In just a few moments, some of you may be tempted to slip out for a coffee break, even if it is Yom Kippur....

"WITH THOSE WHO HAVE SINNED" Tonight is Kol Nidre. And before we even turn inward, we must acknowledge the world outside. It is not an...