See below a snippet from Rabbi Josh’s sermons over the years.
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Shabbat Shalom! !שבת שלום
On Rosh Hashanah it is written, and on Yom Kippur it is sealed. Throughout our High Holy Days, our liturgy puts this phrase on repeat. On Rosh Hashanah this year, we talked about what happened in Israel on October 7th, 2023. We revisited and visited the collective trauma that much of the Jewish world is […]
I was just talking about blue cars, and now I see them everywhere! Have we ever had something like this happen to us? The frequency illusion can often lead to the equally deceptive recency illusion. This cognitive bias can make us believe that something we have only recently become aware of is actually a new […]
Shana Tovah and a Happy New Year to all of you friends and family. I hope you feel welcome and at home here at Temple Isaiah. I want to express to you something right away as we begin these holiest of days and the moments that will define them, together: I am glad you are […]
Turn your eyes From the skies now Turn around and look at me There’s a light In my eyes now And a word for what you see I was a boy soprano at 11 years old. For those not familiar, a soprano is the highest voice part in the world of singing.I knew that I […]
The year is 2004. I am sitting in my crowded dorm room in the Back Bay of Boston. A single room shared by four people; three music theater majors, and a viola major crowded together. “Mom, I am leaving Boston, I have to move to New York City to go to acting school.” Next, “Mom, […]
Michael Jordan, who is arguably the greatest basketball player of all time, famously did not make the varsity basketball team as a sophomore at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. The coach of the team at the time, Clifton “Pop” Herring attributed Jordan’s omission from the team to his height. Michael Jordan was only […]
I would like to share with you tonight the words of Elana Kaminka, an Israeli woman who lost her son on October 7th, just weeks before what would have been his 21st Birthday: “I lost my firstborn son. When something like that happens, you realize nothing else is important. My son’s name was Yannai Kaminka. […]
This past week we read Parsha Tzav, or “Commanded.” We are brought through, from the perspective of the duties of the Kohanim, the myriad animal sacrifices that are to be brought to the Holy Temple. We are also re-introduced to the priestly vestments. There is one aspect of this week’s Torah portion that I would […]
It was the beginning of the school year at the turn of the century 2000. Luckily, we had all survived that bizarre Y2K ordeal, and the world did not end. I vividly remember walking into the auditorium at the high school sometime in the autumn. The room was so big and overwhelming, I recall always […]
“What am I supposed to say?” It cannot be too long, but it definitely should not be too short! You need to capture the gravity of the days, but not bog people down and be all depressing and solemn. At least not completely. Maybe a little. But remember joy. Don’t reuse any material, but you […]
