Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann, Kol Nidre 2026 Gmar Hatima Tova. A friend of mine was once at the bedside of a close friend who was gravely ill, in and out of the hospital for some time. He began to say:…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann The central act of these High Holidays is teshuvah — turning: turning away from what's holding you back, and turning toward a more authentic and honest version of yourself. It is in that spirit that I…
David Gold Shana Tova I think the reason the Rabbi thought of me as someone to invite to say something about Ḥoni and the carob tree guy and the Longpath is that I spend most of my time working for…
Hilan Warshaw “The directory is being rebuilt.”There I was this past week, sitting in my home office, preparing the remarks that I am delivering to you now. Like we all do much of the time, I was multitasking. While I…
Emily SHapiro Rosh HaShanah seems like a perfect time to be thinking about time. It’s a new beginning and yet, also, a repetition. Rosh HaShanah comes round again and again and again, always followed by Yom Kippur ten days later,…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann Shana Tova! I begin tonight with a story told to me by a colleague, but of an unknown source — it is a story I shared a few years ago at a Kol Nidre service and…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann Shana Tova! According to the Midrash, at the beginning of Rosh HaShanah, God sits on the throne of “din,” “judgment.” Then, as prayers and pleas and the sounds of the shofar are heard on High, God…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann Just a few months ago, in this very room, I experienced a personal highlight of my life so far — the B*Mitzvah of my 13 year old kiddo, Nadiv. Of course, Bar/Bat/B*Mitzvahs are always meaningful for…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann Last year at this time, I stood in front of this congregation and shared about the shame and stigma of mental illness. I spoke as a parent whose child had struggled with active thoughts of suicide,…
Rabbi Lauren Grabelle Herrmann Last year at this time, I stood in front of this congregation and shared about the shame and stigma of mental illness. I spoke as a parent whose child had struggled with active thoughts of suicide,…