Adding Holiness to Our Lives through Mitzvot

I gave this sermon at Temple B’nai Shalom in Braintree, MA, 0n March 22, 2008. My conclusion: by introducing  observance of mitzvot in our lives, we elevate our lives with holiness and move beyond our animal selves to experience fully our true humanity. 

Choosing Our Lives

I gave this sermon at Temple B’nai Shalom in Braintree, MA, on the second day of Rosh Hashanah, September 24, 2006. By describing life choices I made, to convert to Judaism and, much later, to become a rabbi, I urge my congregants to choose the paths they will follow.

Letting Go of Our Grudges

[I delivered this sermon at Temple B’nai Shalom in October, 2005.]

Carol’s mother died after a long illness. Carol had cared for her Mom constantly. After her mother died, Carol displayed her Mom’s photograph prominently on the mantel in her living room. One winter day Carol’s friend, Susan, was visiting. A fire burned in the fireplace. As Susan passed near the mantel, she accidentally knocked the photo off. Before she could think, she reached out to catch it. To her horror and shock, the photo bounced off her hand into the fireplace, where the glass of the frame shattered. The photo burst into flame and was gone.