Having Difficult Conversations

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.

The Freedom Imperative

Here is my latest article in the Temple B'nai Shalom Bulletin.

This is the season of freedom opposing oppression. The season of heroes and villains. The season of democracy defeating tyranny.

Both in history and legend, in ancient times and modern, here and around the world.

Justice for Jonathan Pollard

I gave this sermon at Temple B'nai Shalom in Braintree, MA, on January 8, 2010.

Justice for Jonathan Pollard

by

Rabbi Van Lanckton

Temple B’nai Shalom, Braintree

January 8, 2011 – 3 Shevat 5771

Jonathan Pollard has been locked up in jail by our government for 25 years. He is serving a life sentence without parole.

He went to jail when he was 31 years old. Now he is 56.

Christmas and Converts

I gave this sermon at Temple Emanuel in Newton, MA, on Saturday, December 25, 2010.

 44 years ago was the last time I celebrated Christmas.

I was 24 years old.

Four months later, I converted to Judaism.

Converting to Judaism is a journey that begins long before the day of the conversion ceremony. And that journey continues long after that day.

My journey began with losing faith in the Christian understanding of God. That happened at least eight years before I converted. I was looking for answers to deep questions about God and fairness. Christianity did not provide answers that satisfied me.

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.