Reconciliation at the End of Life
December 21, 2018
Rabbi Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 - Vayechi - he death of a loved one gives us a unique opportunity to do teshuvah -- a change in direction, a new behavior – an experience of forgiveness that was previously thought to be prohibited, unheard of, or unimaginable. But, death changes the rules.
Evaluating Noah’s Righteousness: Static or Dynamic?
October 12, 2018
Rabbi Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 - Rashi, an 11th century Torah commentator, lays out the two sides of the Noah debate: There are those among the sages who view Noah positively. Certainly, had he been living in a generation of just individuals, he would have been more just. And, yet, others view him negatively. Had he been living in the generation of Abraham he would have been considered worthless.In other words, either we’re static in our growth, or we rise higher when those around us are reaching, as well. On this Shabbat of Parashat Noach, we need to refocus the story of Noah on the struggle *each one of us* encounters as we reach for righteousness, and not waste time on the question of whether we started out inherently virtuous. On this Shabbat, let us look to the possibility of newfound strength and capacity that can be discovered in community, rather than engage in the comparison and competition of who reaches higher.
Sukkot Shabbat Reflection On Privilege, Power, Vulnerability and Visibility
September 28, 2018
Rabbi Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5779 - In the emotional wake of the Ford-Kavanaugh hearings, Rabbi Frimmer shifts our focus from self to other, and offers the Lens of Sukkot to help us see those who live with impermanence, vulnerability, fragility, and exposure 24-7-365. Thanks to activist Dove Kent and congregant Jennifer Yashari for inspiring this post.
Praying with Sinners
September 11, 2018
Rabbi Dara Frimmer - Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Sermon 5779 - Rabbi Dara Frimmer shares a provocative and timely teaching in the name of Dr. Yehuda Kurtzer, President of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, who first taught this idea during Hartman's Rabbinic Holiday Webinar, August 27, 2018. What if "sinners" are required for us to build 'true' community and to successfully elevate our prayers to God? Video of Dr. Kurtzer's full teaching for rabbis: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uda_blV0L…&feature=youtu.be
You Shall Not Remain Indifferent
September 09, 2018
Sermon - Erev Rosh Hashanah 2018/5779
Fighting For Democracy In Our Homeland
July 20, 2018
Rabbi Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5778 - We need to reinvest ourselves in learning about Israel’s government, understanding who has power and how that power is sustained, and familiarizing ourselves with the non-profits that help to protect Israel’s democracy and create its democratic infrastructure. We need to pay closer attention to the struggles of non-Orthodox Jews in Israel, those looking for validation and legal permission to practice as they choose. It is unconscionable to tolerate a lack of tolerance for non-Orthodox Jewish identity in this supposed Jewish nation.
We Must Do Battle Where We Are Standing
July 06, 2018
Rabbi Frimmer - Friday Night Shabbat Sermon 5778 - Parashat Pinchas - We’ve forgotten what it’s like to travel with allies without google maps calling out our next turn and giving us an estimated time for arrival. We’ve forgotten the importance of flexibility - being willing to use the tools and resources we have in the moment - the skills we are learning as we do the work -- and making decisions in real time as to what is required and how we want to act. The poet Audre Lorde’s wrote, “Sometimes we are blessed with being able to choose the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution, but more usually we must do battle where we are standing.” We must learn to do battle from the place we are in. Not the place we wish we were. Not the place we were in 2 years ago. Now. This place. This time. With these people. To show up and stand up and fight for more just and compassionate immigration policies...now. Even when we don’t know where we go next. The movement starts in the place where we stand.
This Land Is Your Land
June 22, 2018
Shabbat Chukat - 2018/5778
The 51st Chimpanzee (a.k.a. How a Shared Story Helped Human Beings Take Over the World)
April 27, 2018
Shabbat Kedoshim - 2018/5778
It's time to tell a new story
April 13, 2018
Shemini Dvar Torah - 2018/5778
Finding the Afikomen (Tzafun) as a Spiritual Practice
March 17, 2018
Sermon-Kavannah Before Mourner's Kaddish - 2018/5778
Building (Again)
March 09, 2018
Sermon-Shabbat Vayakhel-Pekudei - 2018/5778
Returning to the Wilderness, Building Together
February 16, 2018
Sermon-Shabbat Terumah - 2018/5778
Are You Religious? Practice, Protest, Disruption and Discomfort
September 30, 2017
Sermon - Yom Kippur Morning - 2017/5778
Gratitude
September 30, 2017
Rabbi Dara Frimmer Yom Kippur Family Service 5778 / 2017
