Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5780: Welcoming the Stranger

Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5780: Welcoming the Stranger

by adminNo Comments
Written by Rabbi Robin Sparr and Jo Rothman. Delivered by Rabbi Robin Sparr. Throughout the Torah, beginning in Genesis, we find stories of migration. Adam and Eve, the very first couple, are cast out from the Garden of Eden; their son, Cain, after murdering his brother, is compelled to wander the earth. Fast forward twenty generations, and we meet Abraham, whose wanderings begin with a call from the Divine to leave everything he’s ever known behind and go to a new place. Throughout his life, he meanders all over the Middle East, sometimes at God’s command, sometimes in search of water. Just like modern day migrants in developing countries, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his sons are compelled to move around, to seek water or pastures for their herds, and sometimes, to avoid wars or famine. (more…)...
Read More
Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5779: Immigration and Social Justice

Rosh Hashanah Sermon 5779: Immigration and Social Justice

by adminNo Comments
Rabbi Robin S. Sparr: When we greet one another at Rosh Hashana, particularly when it arrives so early in the fall, our first question is often, “How was your summer?” We share our adventures and projects and travels---sort of the adult version of “What I did on my summer vacation.” I do hope each of you did something pleasurable and rejuvenating during the summer, and are feeling refreshed and ready to begin a new year. Permit me to ask a somewhat different version of the question: what DID you do over the summer in the realm of tikkun olam, repairing the world and making it a better place? (more…)...
Read More