Sermons
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Imposing limits is a Divine power. One of the names of God, Shadai, is understood to refer to God’s role in creation as the One who said “dai” – “enough” to hem in the waters above and below so that heaven and earth and sky and sea would all have their own domain. Without limits…
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The week before last I made visits to two different shivah homes and officiated at a funeral. That sort of schedule is not typical but neither is it very unusual and I think most rabbis have experienced weeks that are filled with lifecycle events of one kind or another. And, of course, it is not…
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As parents one learns to anticipate certain questions from our children. There are other questions which surprise us. Many years ago, one of my children asked me “Was Napoleon a ‘Good Guy?” I was not entirely sure how to answer that question but I knew that I was not the first Jew to contemplate the…
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There are words that I know from Talmudic discourse which are really helpful. I wish they had simple English translations. How do you say “kal va’homer” in English? A kal va’homer is a logical inference known in Latin as an argument a fortiori. Isn’t it easier to say “kal va’homer? What is a “hava amina?”…
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In a few weeks I am going to spend the day in New York to attend the graduation ceremony of Yeshivat Maharat. Members of this community are graduating. Two women who interned with me are graduating. Another group of very old friends are graduating and I’m looking forward to seeing them there. Yeshivat Maharat itself…
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There are several stories of witty exchanges between western journalists and eastern political leaders. My favorite example is when Gandhi was asked what his opinion was of western civilization, “Mr. Gandhi, what is your opinion of Western Civilization?” and Gandhi replied, “that would be a good idea.” But my second favorite example of the genre…
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One of the most powerful metaphors used in both communal life and politics is the “big tent.” It evokes gracious hospitality and open-hearted tolerance. Who does not want to be a host in a big tent which can encompass our friends and family and is big enough to shelter our erstwhile antagonists? The big tent…
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Several weeks ago, on the 7th of Adar, I attended the annual dinner of our local Hevra Kadisha. The seventh of Adar, according to rabbinic tradition, is the anniversary of Moshe’s death. The Torah records that Moshe was prepared for burial and buried by God alone and so God, at that moment on the 7th…
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I want to begin this morning by thanking the congregation for stepping up in such a significant way during the weeks when I was in Israel. Sara has shared with me how impressed she was by the volunteers who did whatever was necessary to ensure that shul ran smoothly in my absence. And I was…
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I have learned a lot about diverse understandings of the Torah from the lessons that our children have brought home through the decades from the various schools they attended. (Our five children have attended a total of ten schools between them). When they were very young it was sometimes a challenge to reconstruct precisely what…
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- Year
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 