I gave this sermon at Temple B'nai Shalom in Braintree on March 5, 2011, to help people turn difficult conversations into constructive conversations.
Purim is just around the corner. And then Pesach is coming. In about six weeks we will gather with family and friends around our Seder tables. We will read from the Haggadah, ask and answer questions, and enjoy the familiar food after we retell the ancient story.
Sometimes, though, that same Seder table can be the arena for some pretty sharp arguments. I remember one Pesach when this happened. We had just finished the gefilte fish. It was time for the next course. We had hired a teenager, who was not Jewish to help us. Alice had asked her to start clearing the dishes in order to bring in the soup.
Before that could happen, however, two of our guests, young women in their 20’s, got into an argument about Israel.
