Posted on September 27, 2023
Yom Kippur 2023 Sermons “Israel – The Hope” Sermon for Yom Kippur, 5784/2023, by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman Looking about in this room, we see a beautifully diverse community with members from varied Jewish and non-Jewish backgrounds. Our synagogue is affiliated with the Conservative movement, but we have members who come from Reform, Reconstructionist and Orthodox Continue Reading »
Posted on September 27, 2023
Rosh Hashanah 2023 Sermons “Birds, Bees and Butterflies” Sermon for Rosh Hashanah Day 1, 5784/2023 by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman I want to begin by thanking Pastor David Clark whose ideas greatly influenced my sermon today. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful place, where each season brings its treasures and where in Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2023
Yom Kippur 2022 Sermons “On Shame and Forgiveness” Sermon for Kol Nidre 5783/2022, by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman The following is a Midrash – a Rabbinic Legend: On the 6th day of creation, when God was ready to create human beings, God decided to give human beings a special gift. Each one of them would receive Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2023
Rosh Hashanah 2022 Sermon & Video “Dor Hamidbar – The Wilderness Generation” Sermon for Rosh Hashanah Day 1, by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman The wonderful Hebrew poet Zelda wrote a poem about names- about how each person carries many names based on their experiences, their behaviors, their gifts and their limitations. She writes: Each of us Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2023
Yom Kippur 2021 Sermons “Telling Our Stories” Sermon for Kol Nidre, by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman We have choices. Our lives are a series of choices that have brought us all individually and collectively to this moment. Brukhim Habaim-Welcome to this moment! In our foundational origin story, when Adam and Chava eat from the Tree of the Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2023
Rosh Hashanah 2021 Multimedia Missed part of the High Holidays? View our services or read through these resources. Erev Rosh Hashanah Seder Rosh Hashanah Day 1 Service Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Service See All 2021 High Holiday Videos Just the Highlights Rosh Hashanah 2021 Sermons & Highlights “I Love to Walk” Sermon for Rosh Continue Reading »
Posted on September 6, 2023
High Holidays 2020 Videos and Sermons Missed part of the High Holidays? View our services or read through these resources. Rosh Hashanah 2020 Rosh Hashanah Day 1 “Pregnant with Possibilities” Read the sermon (PDF) Rosh Hashanah Day 2 “The Unbinding of Isaac” Watch the sermon | Read the sermon Yom Kippur 2020 Kol Nidre “The Suppleness of Continue Reading »
Posted on September 29, 2022
https://youtu.be/v55sn7jdep0 The following Sermon was given by Rabba Kaya Stern-Kaufman on the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5783/2022 The wonderful Hebrew poet Zelda wrote a poem about names – about how each person carries many names based on their experiences, their behaviors, their gifts and their limitations. She writes: Each of us has a namegiven Continue Reading »
Posted on September 7, 2022
Dear friends, Elul is the name of the Hebrew month that precedes Rosh Hashanah. It is a time for cheshbon ha-nefesh or “soul accounting” – looking inward and reflecting on the year that has passed. Our tradition offers us this intentional time to prepare for the new year, so that we may enter fully into Continue Reading »
Elul
Posted on August 31, 2020
We have just entered the month of Elul- a time of preparation for the High Holidays. In this month it is customary to recite Psalm 27 each day. This psalm includes the familiar song Ahat Sha’alti. It also includes a phrase at the very end of the psalm beginning with the word lulei– which means: if only. We all have Continue Reading »
Temple Israel Stands with Israel.