Rabbi Harris
Thoughts and Prayers are Not Enough
Posted on February 20, 2018Responding to Suicide: You are not Alone
Posted on December 4, 2017Deli Sermon – Second Day Sukkot 5778
Posted on October 23, 2017Death’s Ripples – Yizkor 5778
Posted on October 4, 2017Death causes ripples – emotional ripples that extend far beyond the immediate devastation of the loss of a spouse, a parent, a child, a sibling or a friend. We feel death’s impact, death’s ripples, for years. Judaism offers us rituals which are sensitive to the immediate and long term ripples. At death, there is a […] Continue Reading »
Our Sacred Knot – Kol Nidre 5778
Posted on October 4, 2017We are living in a time in America where the divisions amongst us are pronounced, painful and growing. America’s Founding Fathers knew 250 years ago there were dangers of deep splits within the country. While they focused on the rift between Loyalists and Patriots and other issues, America’s Founders knew what bound us together was […] Continue Reading »
A Response to Charlottesville – August 26, 2017 Sermon
Posted on August 29, 2017An Hour with Mr. Schwartz – Yizkor Yom Kippur 5777
Posted on October 20, 2016Last night, I spoke about how we live in an era of Disruptive Judaism. I focused on opportunities to rethink and recontextualize three areas: ritual, Israel and community. Now, I want to focus on a specific ritual some in your family probably benefited from but you may not have known. It is one of the […] Continue Reading »
Disrupted Judaism – High Holidays 5777
Posted on October 20, 2016We are living in a time of Disruption. It seems to be the phrase of the day. There was a time when if your phone service was disrupted, you were upset. But today, we strive to disrupt industries, products, ideas, and services. Disruption means to end one way of doing things and reinvent the process […] Continue Reading »
Looking Out; Looking In; Looking Up: A Vision for Beth El
Posted on October 1, 2015Looking Out; Looking In; Looking Up: A Vision for Beth El Rabbi Greg Harris Congregation Beth El, Bethesda, Maryland High Holidays 5776 I stand here filled with gratitude. We have a blessing for such a moment – the Shehecheyanu. Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who has granted us life, sustained […] Continue Reading »
Yom Kippur Yizkor 5776 – Building a Moral Legacy
Posted on October 1, 2015Building a Moral Legacy Rabbi Greg Harris Congregation Beth El, Bethesda, Maryland Yom Kippur Yizkor 5776 Yizkor is not complicated. It is a simple service. Unlike other parts of the day, Yizkor is only about 15 minutes long. There are not a lot of prayers or obscure liturgy. The readings are poignant to this moment […] Continue Reading »