Services and ritual moments are often the heartbeat of a congregational community—a sacred space where we gather, pause, and intentionally connect through song and prayer.
In this section, I invite you to explore a collection of service materials, including sermons and reflections, crafted with care to enrich these communal experiences.
Stories of Empathy: Lessons from Jane Goodall for the New Year
This Rosh Hashanah sermon draws inspiration from Jane Goodall's empathetic approach to understanding chimpanzee families, emphasizing the importance of empathy in addressing human behavior and fostering connection. It explores the challenges hindering empathy, the value of storytelling, and encourages a collaborative, holistic, and empathetic approach to shaping the collective narrative in the coming year. A New Normal in the New Year: Embracing Change in the Shmita Year
This Rosh Hashanah sermon reflects on the interconnectedness revealed by the pandemic, contemplating the Shmita's call to sustainability, social justice, and spiritual renewal, aiming to cultivate a new normal as we navigate this unique year of release.Azzy and Zazzy, The Yom Kippur Scapegoats
For virtual family services when we were unable to safely meet in person, I created a puppet show to use during different moments in the service, as if Azzy and Zazzy were participating on the Zoom call with us. Below are the three section of film, but they are missing key pieces of dialogue that I added live during the service. 
Counting Our Days: When Jacob met Pharoah
This sermon for Parashat Vayigash reflects on intentional living and the choices that shape our daily lives, encouraging us to find inspiration to celebrate each moment with purpose.Gleaning from Imperfections: Harvesting Community Strength
This benediction was for CBI's Annual General Meeting in 2022. It invites reflection on the community's growth amidst imperfections and celebrates the collective journey, acknowledging challenges, and expressing gratitude for the strength found in embracing and learning from the diverse experiences within the community.The Tower of Babel: Senior Sermon presented at HUC-JIR for Parshat Noach.
Each rabbinical student at the HUC-JIR New York campus is given the opportunity to address their classmates, teachers, and colleagues, sharing words of Torah, offering an exegetical summary of wisdom and perspective; a twenty minute labour of love, born out of several months.
Click below for a PDF of the sermon, including footnotes which highlight allusions, references and comments or view the livestream starting at 47:40