Posts in sermon
Melted Down to Our Essence (Erev Yom Kippur 5782)
Melted Down to Our Essence (Erev Yom Kippur 5782)

Three years ago, my husband, Alex, and I had a direct experience of melting down metal, and finding history transformed in that act: It was the fall of 2017, and our wedding date was set. My mom had given me my grandfather’s wedding ring. With my mom’s permission, we decided to melt it down, and combine it with some material from Alex’s family - and from it form two rings, our wedding bands - to represent the way, in marrying each other, we were bringing our families’ stories together.

Read More
sermonAdam Lavittforgiveness, transformation, history, Holocaust, High Holidays
Living Poetry: Revaluing Religion (Rosh Hashanah Day 5782)
Living Poetry: Revaluing Religion (Rosh Hashanah Day 5782)

Today, we return to a collection of powerful metaphors: a Book of Life we yearn to be written in for a year of health and happiness; the shofar (the ram’s horn), which evokes the wails of our foremothers as they confronted unspeakable loss and sought consolation; the gates of prayer that stand open before us, assuring us our heart’s longings might be received at this special time of year. These images point toward truths about life we sense but cannot name.

Read More
sermonAdam LavittHigh Holidays, Rosh Hashanah, metaphor, religion, poetry, theology, image of God