From the Bimah: Jewish Lessons for Life

Latest Episodes:

Shabbat Sermon: Bananas with Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger Oct 16, 2021

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It was 5:30 AM. Solomon and I were sitting in our usual seats on the boat behind the captain’s chair, watching the shores of Plymouth speed away as we headed towards our favorite fishing spot. After chatting with the captain for a while, Solomon decided it was time for breakfast. He walked over to our bags and pulled out a banana.

“Is that a banana?!” the captain asked, turning white with what seemed like shock.

“Yes,” said Solomon, “this is a banana. Why do you ask?”

“Do you need that banana?”

“I was going to eat it for breakfast, but...I guess I don’t need the banana.”

“Man, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you have a banana on board.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously.”

Talmud Class: Jon Gruden's Emails, Abraham's Worst Five Minutes, and a Jewish Theory of Legitimate Cancel Culture Oct 16, 2021

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Cancel culture. What two words are more fraught, more charged than that?

Shabbat Sermon: Beyond Noah's Rainbow with Rabbi Michelle Robinson Oct 09, 2021

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Have you ever seen the cartoon of Noah’s ark floating on the water in the distance while two dinosaurs in the foreground look out and say, “Was that TODAY?” Or the one with unicorns standing at the foot of the ark saying to Noah, “We’ll wait for the next one.”

My favorite of this genre pictures Noah standing on deck as two holes gush with water. He looks down and says, “Maybe I shouldn’t have brought the termites.”

Talmud Class: Are We Noah, Safe in Our Ark While Our Nation Struggles, and is That Okay? Oct 09, 2021

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Talmud from October 9, 2021

Shabbat Sermon: The Catch With the Torah’s Most Important But Hardest Teaching with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz Oct 02, 2021

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For years now, every few months I receive a failing grade as a good citizen. Every quarter it comes in the mail: the dreaded and terrifying, triggering and retraumatizing Home Energy Report from National Grid. It compares our energy usage to that of Efficient Neighbors and Average Neighbors. It is never pretty. There are three possible grades: Great, represented by a big smiling face; good, represented by a small smiling face; and the dreaded “Using more than average,” which is represented by a sad, frowning face.

Shira and I try. We really do. But every quarter, we get the sad, frowning face. Not only do we use more energy than Efficient Neighbors, we use more energy than Average Neighbors.

That is every quarter since forever. It came then as a total shocker when, in the most recent report, for the first time ever, we did better--much better--than even our most Efficient Neighbors. We got a big, smiling yellow face with the notation that we used “42% less gas” than efficient neighbors.

I was so proud, I could not wait to bring this National Grid report to share it with you.

There is only one problem. I took one more look at this happy National Grid report and noticed that it covered a period during the heart of the summer when we were not living at home; we were living in the Berkshires on an extended Air B and B. We did not use less energy. We used no energy, which is why our report was so good.

In other words, there was a lovely report, but there was a catch that undoes the lovely report. Beware of the catch that undoes.

Talmud Class: What Do We Learn From the Sad, Violent Story of the First Family? Oct 02, 2021

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October 2nd, 2021

Shmini Atzeret Sermon: Good Mentors and Great Mentors with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz Sep 28, 2021

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Imagine a friend or loved one comes to see you with a problem. They are wrestling with a dilemma.

Should I stay where I am at in my current job, or should I take a risk and take a new job?

Should I break up with my current boyfriend or girlfriend?

Should we be open to moving cities, to starting all over again?

Somebody offended me. Should I talk to the person, or do I let it go?

They are open to your advice. They are seeking your wisdom. Now further imagine that having heard their take on their dilemma, you have an opinion on the merits of what they might do.

How we can be most helpful to the person who turns to us?

Adam Grant, a professor at Penn, recently posted a teaching about the difference between what he calls good mentors and great mentors:

Good mentors share lessons from their experience. Great mentors help you crystallize lessons from your experience.

Good mentors give useful answers. Great mentors help you ask better questions.

Good mentors walk you through their path. Great mentors help you identify your path.

Sukkot Day 5 Sermon: Sleeping in the Rain with Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger Sep 25, 2021

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Join Rav Hazzan Aliza Berger for her sermon from Sukkot Day 5

Talmud Class: The Case of the Missing Holiday, and the Case of the Missing Ending Sep 25, 2021

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September 25th, 2021

Sukkot Day 2 Sermon: Learning How to Color Hair Better with Rabbi Wes Gardenswartz Sep 22, 2021

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Very often I feel that my hair is not doing anything for me. It’s just kind of there. So before Yom Kippur, since I was about to see the entire congregation, I have to confess that in addition to teshuvah, I was thinking about my hair. I shared my dilemma with Shira: Should I go see my hair stylist, Tami, who works at Dellaria? Why, she asked. Because my hair is not doing anything for me, I answered. I think your hair is fine. Fine? Is that all you can say? Married for 36 years? All you can say is that my hair is fine? Say more, I said. OK, she said. Your hair is sparse.

Sparse? What is sparse hair, anyway? I found that very demotivating. It was the day before Yom Kippur, I had more important things to think about, so I did not see Tami before the day of atonement.

However, on the morning after the day of atonement, I was with Tami, who was cutting my sparse hair, we were making pleasant chit chat, and since I have been seeing her for years, I know that Monday is her day off. I asked her: what are you going to do this Monday, on your day off?

"I am coming in to Dellaria Salon this coming Monday."

But Monday is your day off. Why are you coming in?

"Because I want to take a class. They are having a hair expert teach a class on how to color hair. And I want to learn."

Wait a minute, I said. How long have you been a professional hair stylist?

"Over 30 years."

And in those 30 plus years, how many people’s hair have you colored?

"Thousands. Too many to count."

So you already know how to color hair.

"Yes, but I could always learn how to color hair better."