Rabbi Harris
Learning to Mourn – Yizkor 5780
Posted on November 22, 2019I wonder how we learn things. When I was a kid, learning was what happened in classrooms… and I was not overly interested. I had no problem learning more generally at school though. At recess when a new variant of kickball was introduced, I was focused on every detail. When a friend pulled out a […] Continue Reading »
Do Something Great – Kol Nidre 5780
Posted on November 22, 2019My sermon this year is not clever or complicated. My message is not hidden or esoteric. It does not come from the depths of mysticism or academia’s ivory towers. Today is a hard topic that may touch on the colloquial ‘3rd rail’ but it is important for us to discuss. I know you will not […] Continue Reading »
How to Respond – Erev Rosh Hashanah 5780
Posted on November 22, 2019I do a lot of thinking about how people respond to bad situations. As a rabbi, I see many different ‘bad situations’ – illnesses, crimes, professional transitions, personal transitions, arguments between business partners and fights between friends or relatives. I am witness to crises of faith and those confronting lack of any faith. I consider […] Continue Reading »
The Awkward Silence of Loss
Posted on April 8, 2019Seeing Through BDS: In their Own Voices
Posted on February 25, 2019Rosh Hashanah 5779 Day 2 – Beauty from Brokenness
Posted on September 28, 2018A story is told about Rita Coors. I am told she actually went by her maiden name, Rita Bass but she was part of the famous Coors brewing family. Every year, over 300,000 tourists flock to Golden, Colorado to visit the world’s largest brewery. I have not been there but my younger sister does live […] Continue Reading »
Yom Kippur Yizkor 5779 – Letters and Legacies
Posted on September 28, 2018I love receiving letters. Not mail but an actual letter – hand written, hand addressed, with a real stamp in the upper right hand corner of the envelope. A metered postage mark does not count. I envision the letter walked to the corner by the writer. He or she stands at the deep blue postal […] Continue Reading »
Sukkot 5779 – Deli Sermon
Posted on September 26, 2018High Holidays 5779 – Rejecting the Binary: Reflections from a Liberal and Zionist
Posted on September 20, 2018Labels are a funny thing. I am not talking about the label on your new shirt that itches your neck or the label on your mattress which says it should not be removed under penalty of law. I am talking about the labels that define us; labels which somehow describe us. Some of my labels […] Continue Reading »