Writings
Sacred Sparks
A d’var Torah most weeks for Beth Israel Congregation, along with the High Holy Day sermons and the occasional piece given elsewhere. Written first to be read, then opened up on Friday night for the people in the room. 59 pieces since October 2025. Every title links to the original on the congregation’s site.
Distance is measured in miles. Return is measured in direction.
2026
The Risk of Something Beautiful
Erev Shabbat Lech L’cha 5787The more meaningful a relationship becomes, the more vulnerable we become to what we might lose. In Lech L’cha, Abram discovers that trust does not eliminate uncertainty, and even the most beautiful relationships can leave us with difficult questions. But in protecting ourselves from heartbreak, might we also be closing ourselves off to something extraordinary?
The Righteousness of Silence
Erev Shabbat Noach 5787The Torah calls Noah a righteous man. He follows God's instructions, saves his family, and preserves life in a world filled with violence and corruption. But what about the people outside the ark? In The Righteousness of Silence, we confront an uncomfortable question: Can we truly call ourselves righteous if we stand by and do nothing while others suffer?
Relationships Are Living Things
Erev Shabbat B'reishit 5787The High Holy Days asked us to look in the mirror. Now the Torah gives us Cain and Abel, and a question about what we do with our anger before it consumes what we love.
Just One More Day
Erev Shabbat & Sh’mini Atzeret 5787After weeks of shofar, confession, fasting, rejoicing, and sacred gathering, Sh’mini Atzeret asks for something quieter: stay.
Under the Sukkah
Erev Sukkot 5787Once a year, Judaism sends us outside to build a little house that doesn't quite work.
Judaism Misses You
Yom Kippur morning 5787Perhaps somewhere inside us there is a sentence waiting to be said aloud.
Permission to Look
Kol Nidrei 5787We cannot change a life we refuse to see. Yom Kippur asks us to look.
There Is Wisdom Here
Cemetery memorial service, 5787There is wisdom here. The dead know something that we do not yet know.
Turn
Shabbat Shuvah 5787A great ship can weigh tens of thousands of tons. Push against the hull and nothing moves.
Remember Us for Life
Rosh Hashanah morning 5787What if Judaism is not only asking something of you? What if it is also offering?
Your Life is Happening
Erev Rosh Hashanah 5787Another year has passed. Some things changed dramatically. Others did not change at all.
Across the Sea
Shabbat services, September 4, 2026Some distances between people feel like water you cannot cross.
Amen
What does it mean to say Amen when we don't know what comes next?
The Weights We Carry
Shabbat services, August 21, 2026In Parashat Ki Teitzei, Torah commands us to use honest weights and honest measures.
Coming Closer
Northminster Baptist Church, annual pulpit swapWhat it takes to come closer to a neighbor, and what we find when we do.
Windows of Precious Stone
Deuteronomy is the book of Shema, of listening. So why does this week's portion open with See?
Walking with the King
There is something beautiful about the rhythm of the Jewish calendar. Just weeks ago we sat with the sorrow of Tisha B'Av.
The Blessing of Not Forgetting
Judaism has blessings for things most of us simply pass by. A rainbow, thunder, bread, even good and bad news.
Where Do I Wear My Covenant?
There is something different about seeing Jewish children together at camp. Judaism gets out of the classroom and into their bodies.
Because of You
There is a sentence in Parashat D'varim that sometimes slips by us each year without much notice.
When Nouns Become Verbs
Someone introduced me to a Hebrew word I had never paid attention to. Not chesed. I knew that word.
The Space Between
Go up to these Mountains of Avarim, and see the land that I am giving to the Children of Israel.
RE'IYAH
Chukat-Balak contains one of the Torah's most curious scenes. Three times Balaam's donkey refuses to move.
Seeing Korach In Me
This year, I find myself drawn to Korach. That's not because I agree with everything he does.
Still Seeing Grasshoppers
One of the details I often forget about Parashat Sh'lach is that the Israelites actually succeeded.
Remembering More of the Story
The wilderness has a way of magnifying things. Small discomforts become large complaints.
Same Hearts, Different Weather
Parashat Naso contains one of those passages many readers skim. Twelve tribal leaders. Twelve offerings.
Between the Mountain and the Harvest Field
Forty-nine days is a long time to count toward something. By the time Shavuot arrives, the counting has already done something to us.
After the Fire Fades: Parashat Bamidbar
There is a strange feeling that comes with arriving at Bamidbar, in the wilderness.
Let the Ground Breathe
There is something almost strange in this week's double portion. We are told to let the land rest.
Learning to Count
There's a moment in this week's portion that's easy to miss if you're moving too quickly.
Bench Holy
This week we read Kedoshim, where God says: You shall be holy, for I, Adonai your God, am holy.
When Something Shows Up on the Surface
Tazria–Metzora describes a condition called tzara'at. It appears as a mark on the skin, and also on cloth and on walls.
When Two Truths Meet
The smell would not have cleared yet. Not the kind that disappears when the flames are gone.
Paths That Bend
The kitchen is different this week. Things are not where they usually are.
The Smell of Sh'ma
There is a moment I won't ever forget. Walking alone through the synagogue after the fire.
From Presence to Call
At the very end of Exodus the Mishkan is completed, the cloud descends, and Moses cannot enter.
When a Community Becomes Whole
The Mishkan has finally been completed. Every clasp, every beam, every garment, every vessel.
Resting the Body, Resouling the Spirit
Near the end of Ki Tisa the Torah returns to Shabbat, reminding the people that even sacred work must stop.
The Portion That Doesn't Shine
Some portions dazzle. Creation. The plagues. The sea. Sinai. And then there is Tetzaveh.
What Are We Willing to Bring?
After Egypt, after the sea, after Sinai, the Torah turns to something quieter: Build Me a sanctuary.
Justice Without Leaning
There's a verse in Mishpatim that catches me every year. Do not favor the rich, and do not favor the poor.
Who is Your Jethro?
Sometimes it takes an outsider to show us what we cannot see from inside our own exhaustion.
Life After Freedom
Beshalach feels almost overwhelming. The plagues are behind us, but the story does not slow down.
Stepping Back into the Garden
Before Sinai, before Egypt, before there was even a Jewish people, there was a walk.
We Will Outlive Every Pharaoh
D'rash given Friday, January 16, 2026We meet Moses at the moment when everything feels heavy. Egypt is not yet behind him.
When Faith Refuses to Become Indifferent
At the end of Shemot, Moses does what he will do many times: he challenges God on behalf of the people.
The Courage to Keep Walking in Uncertainty
The death of Jacob does not bring closure. It brings uncertainty.
You belong to a story that began before you and will continue after you.
Amen · Shabbat d'var Torah
2025
The Reunion We've Been Waiting For
There are reunions we imagine for years, and reunions that arrive only after everyone has been changed.
Before We Know How This Ends
There's a moment in every long story when you realize something has shifted, but you don't yet know what it means.
The Work That Comes Before Redemption
Vayeishev is emotionally difficult. Not because of what happens, but because of what doesn't.
The Blessing We Grow Into
We meet Jacob at a moment of raw fear, after twenty years of running from the harm he caused.
Where Heaven Touches Earth
Vayeitzei opens with a dream that hangs like a lantern over Jacob's life.
The Wells We Keep Open
The holiest thing we can do is simply keep digging, trusting that beneath everything there is living water.
Chayei Sarah: The Quiet Strength of Continuing
It's one of Torah's quiet ironies that the life of Sarah begins with her death.
Wrestling with Heaven: Abraham's Daring Prayer
Abraham's greatness wasn't blind obedience, but the courage to confront Heaven for the sake of justice.
Lech Lecha: The Journey Within and Beyond
To go forth is to come home. The road that leads both outward and inward, toward blessing and peace.
The Language of Lineage
Before the flood, a list of names tells the story of humanity in miniature.
In the Beginning…Again
As we roll the scroll back to B'reishit, we remember that creation is ongoing, unfinished, and we are co-creators.
A life of faith is not built from beautiful nouns. It is built from faithful verbs.
When Nouns Become Verbs · Shabbat d'var Torah