community — Rabbi Adam Lavitt

Building the World from Love (Shabbat Terumah)

Why does Torah emphasize the spirit in which the materials for the Mishkan should be gathered above the kind and quality of the materials? Because, it’s not the wool or dye or metals, but rather the act of giving gifts, of connecting with others to create something special – that ultimately makes the Mishkan a holy place. A few verses after our opening, Torah describes what happens when we build something in this way. God says:

V’asu li mikdash v’shechanti betocham / [If they] make Me a sanctuary…I will dwell among them. (25:8)

When we approach a task with generosity of heart, more powerful that the product of our labor is the tangible sense of sacred presence we bring to it, resulting in a monument to love we can see and touch.

Adam LavittFebruary 5, 2022community, creativity

Partners with God (Shabbat Shemot)

This is the God we meet in the book of Exodus: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, variously translated ‘I Am That I Am’ and ‘I Will Be What I Will Be’. God is not some distant supreme being, orchestrating our every step, but a God of becoming; a Presence unfolding alongside and through us, that takes notice of us when we take notice of one another.

sermonAdam LavittDecember 25, 2021Exodus, compassion, community, tzelem elohim, theology, grief

Prayer Not Despair (Shabbat Toldot)

As “two separate peoples” striving against each other, we, too, are in existential pain, hindered in our ability to emerge from pandemic, or find clear ways to prevent climate catastrophe. But Rebecca, in her pain, does not despair. Rather, the Targum says, “…she went to pray before God in the House of Study...”. Rebecca goes to her community and prays. Only as she comes face to face with her Source…that Rebecca finally finds space for all the conflicting thoughts and feelings inside of her.

sermonAdam LavittNovember 6, 2021prayer, hope, uncertainty, community, parenting

Second Chances (Shabbat B'ha'alotecha)

In one way or another, we have all been “far off” unable to mark important moments in our lives and those of friends and family – birthdays and shivas, holidays and Shabbat, graduations and weddings – in ways that felt real, with a celebratory hug or comforting touch. So Torah reminds us today we need not feel permanently exiled, like we missed out on something we can never make up. Instead, God invites to come back, to try again another time…. More important than doing things at the right time, is our willingness to try again later, to return to community as we’re ready and able.

Adam LavittMay 28, 2021teshuvah, community, Passover, forgiveness

See No Stranger (Shabbat HaGadol)

Our act of pouring a cup and opening the door to welcome Elijah each year [is] a test of our ability and desire to welcome others — to open our door, our hearts, even to people or experiences we may consider unpleasant or undesirable. [T]his moment in the seder is our chance to make sure our values actually translate into action: How wide do we open our doors, and the doors of our hearts? How ready do we feel to welcome a stranger to our table?

Adam LavittMarch 26, 2021Passover, justice, community, compassion

Shabbat Ki Tavo

Even though we are still in the midst of exile, confronted with unthinkable suffering, the prophet calls on us to imagine what it could look like to live as if the world is suffused with divine light….Just weeks after the breakage of Tisha B’av, Isaiah tells us to envision the world’s hidden wholeness. To recall our endless capacity to heal and find new hope, as individuals, and as a global community.

Adam LavittSeptember 4, 2020community, imagination, Elul, redemption

Shabbat Vayakhel-Pekudei

The Torah tells us what defined the mishkan, our first spiritual home, was not how strong it was, how long it lasted but the effect building it had on us. God tells our ancestors, if they create a sacred space, shechanti betocham (25:8) – “I will dwell amongst you.” Our sages point out, betocham literally means I will dwell “in them.” God is not in what we build, but within the hearts and souls of its builders.

Adam LavittMarch 20, 2020Coronavirus, sacred space, community

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