Opinions and arguments. War. Antisemitism. Elusive hopes for peace. Pride and prejudice. Morality in the crosshairs. What we're about. What we want to be about. What we crave to be about. And back to opinions and arguments, and war, and antisemitism....Amidst the swirling chaos of the year that's been, and so much hurt still ongoing,… Continue reading On Love and War – Sermon for Yom Kippur 5785 (2024)
Category: Sermons
The Tunnel of Love – Kol Nidre 5785
The Tunnel of Love – Sermon for Kol Nidre 5785 (2024) There are times in life that rivet us on what's core and strip away the rest. In those moments, we can enter a tunnel of love and be transformed. If we're purposeful, or lucky, we can experience these times long before our last time. We can experience Eckhart Tolle's… Continue reading The Tunnel of Love – Kol Nidre 5785
Our Shared Heart: Rosh Hashanah 5785 (2024)
Judaism's time-tested superpower is community – not because it's easy, not because we're similar, but because community is the mainstay channel for the kind of existential love that heals society. This love is possible because spiritually, we share one heart. It's equally true if times are tough and even more important then – but also harder. Note: These remarks concern… Continue reading Our Shared Heart: Rosh Hashanah 5785 (2024)
What The World Needs Now: Sermon for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5785 (2024)
Rabbi David introduces our High Holy Day theme for 5785 amidst the anxiety of this hour. We remember that the core mitzvah of Jewish life is to love – not to be loved – come what may. And we remember that, even when deep pain causes us to lose this elemental love, we can find it anew. Shanah tovah. … Continue reading What The World Needs Now: Sermon for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5785 (2024)
Dvar for Yom Kippur 5783: Renewing Balance After Injustice
Summary: “Justice, justice you will pursue” – but what about renewing balance despite the worst kinds of injustices we can imagine? Gut yontif on this Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, or “At-One-Ment,” when we say that our souls and lives hang in the balance. For centuries, our ancestors harnessed Yom Kippur’s power to inspire life-changing,… Continue reading Dvar for Yom Kippur 5783: Renewing Balance After Injustice
Dvar for Rosh Hashanah (Day 1) 5783 – The Physics of Our Quest
Summary: On our yearning to re-balance our lives, and the paradox that the world was made for us and we’re dust and ashes. By Rabbi David Shanah tovah, friends. Our world needs better balance. We all do, after rollercoaster years kicked us, our politics and our planet so far off kilter. These High Holy Days on the Jewish… Continue reading Dvar for Rosh Hashanah (Day 1) 5783 – The Physics of Our Quest
Dvar for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5783: The Sacred “And”
Summary: The path toward finding balance new begins with a perspective shift… and a sacred “and.” A joint dvar by R. David and R. Rachel Barenblat of Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age… Continue reading Dvar for Erev Rosh Hashanah 5783: The Sacred “And”
Yom Kippur 2021: Our Forwarding Address
Gut yontif on this Yom Kippur day of transformation. This year’s High Holy Day themes of strength, resilience, courage and daring all flow into today, when we can lift our lives – perhaps in just an instant – if only we’ll take the leap. Last Yom Kippur, I quoted mysticism scholar Gershom Scholem, who called days like today “plastic” times… Continue reading Yom Kippur 2021: Our Forwarding Address
Rosh Hashanah 5782: Mustaches and Moral Injuries – Resilience in Divisive Times
Shanah tovah. I hope your 5782 is dawning bright and strong. Last night we introduced our theme of strength (gevurah) – wise structure, healthy boundaries and moral direction. Gevurah calibrates impulses, sees better worlds out of turmoil and chaos, and even can transform walls into springboards. As we saw in last night’s tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, gevurah can power our reach… Continue reading Rosh Hashanah 5782: Mustaches and Moral Injuries – Resilience in Divisive Times
Stronger Together: Erev Rosh Hashanah 5782
Shanah tovah! Welcome to the High Holy Days 5782. May they bring sweet goodness and health for us, our loved ones and our world. All of us here tonight lived through 5781, a year like no other. We all lived it — pandemic, climate change, racial reckoning, economic and political spasms, technological shifts and more. We saw… Continue reading Stronger Together: Erev Rosh Hashanah 5782
This Plastic Hour: Love’s Forward Memory We Need Now
Yom Kippur Morning 5781 Gut yontif on this Yom Kippur of loving connection, courage, vulnerability and forgiveness. These "love" themes of our High Holy Day journey all flow into this poignant day when Jewish wisdom urges that we can change our lives in just a day if we'll take that inner loving leap. Modern mysticism… Continue reading This Plastic Hour: Love’s Forward Memory We Need Now
The Kind of Love We Need
Erev Rosh Hashanah 5781 | Temple Beth-El of City Island Shanah tovah. Welcome to Jewish spiritual year 5781 – may it bring sweet goodness and health for all of us and our loved ones. Every Rosh Hashanah, Jews worldwide say that the new year is a year like no other, a creation unique in history,… Continue reading The Kind of Love We Need
The Courage to Emerge
Rosh Hashanah Morning 1 | Temple Beth-El of City Island. Shanah tovah. May 5781 dawn bright for you and your beloveds. Last night we introduced our High Holy Day theme of love to power our journey of teshuvah – returning to our best selves, each other and a world urgently needing repair. We explored how love's… Continue reading The Courage to Emerge
The Mishkan’s Next Digital (R)Evolution
Reb Zalman Memorial Shabbaton 2020 June 13, 2020 • 21 Sivan 5780 מה נורא המקום הזה How awesome is this body! How awesome is this place! How awesome is this journey Through time and space. (Chant by Rav Kohenet Taya Mâ Shere.) Shabbat shalom to all of us together במקום נורא הזה / in this awesome… Continue reading The Mishkan’s Next Digital (R)Evolution
Yom Kippur 5780: Waking Up In Hospice
Gut yuntif. From my soul to yours, may this year’s next turning of soul be for a year of true goodness and deep meaning for us all. As some of you know, I spent Independence Day weekend in the hospital. It turned out to be mostly needless drama: thankfully, I’m fine. When I woke up in the… Continue reading Yom Kippur 5780: Waking Up In Hospice
The Soul of Action: The Risks We Must Take
Shanah tovah! Welcome, all you beautiful souls, to our year 5780 – may it be sweet and full of goodness. Tonight we come together to reaffirm Jewish life – for community, continuity and comfort. We come together to make common cause in our world of awesome beauty and, yes, also some tragic brokenness. In 1776, patriot Thomas Paine… Continue reading The Soul of Action: The Risks We Must Take
Holy Vision and Optical Delusion
Shanah tovah. It's so good to see each and every one of you. In 1952, Ben Gurion, Israel's first prime minister, visited the U.S. on a fundraising mission. Fresh off Israel's miraculous War of Independence victory over seven invading armies, Ben Gurion arrived to a standing ovation of thousands waiting to see him. What do… Continue reading Holy Vision and Optical Delusion
What We Remember in Our Feet
“What We Remember in Our Feet” Cragsmoor Stone Church August 19, 2018 Happy Sunday to you. And thank you – especially Deacon Jeff Slade – for inviting me to share in today’s service of worship and learning. Deacon Jeff and I met through the New York Theological Seminary. I’m delighted to be with you. Some… Continue reading What We Remember in Our Feet
Getting to Yes
Gmar chatimah tovah. May you be sealed in the Book of Life for joy, creativity, belonging and love – for the shalom (peace) and shleimut (wholeness) you need most. Fittingly for Yom Kippur, I have a confession. Judaism's "Book of Life" metaphor – "On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed" – once drove me from… Continue reading Getting to Yes
Paying up
"I beg of you: do not walk by without pausing to attend to this rather ridiculous performance – It could mean something; it could mean everything; It could mean: You must change your life." These words, adapted for today's Haftarah, are from the poem "Invitation," by Mary Oliver. She calls us to pay attention, even… Continue reading Paying up
David Evan Markus 