Recent Sermons
Tekiah: Embrace the Covenant! – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – August 10, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, This summer, I have had the privilege of taking a number of adults to the mikvah to supervise their conversion to Judaism. They emerged from the mikvah wet from the water and from their tears of joy. Having studied and reflected, wrestled and experimented, they decided to formally and officially join the Jewish people. In some cases, these adults were introduced to Judaism...
read moreMezuzah Musings – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – August 3, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, Over the course of the past year, I had the privilege of teaching a group of talented artists. It was the sixth year of the Minneapolis Jewish Artists’ Lab, this time under the auspices of the The Well and the Sabes JCC. The Artists’ Lab provides an opportunity for artists to explore Jewish tradition while building a stronger arts community. We are one...
read moreMy Summer Reading – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – July 27, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, I have a stack of books on my office floor that I am hoping to read. There are books about art, Jewish history, Israeli politics, the Hebrew Bible, and more. I am probably overly ambitious with how much I will actually read. So far this summer, I have only gotten to one book- The Lost Book of Moses by Chanan Tigay. In 1893,...
read moreStrict Compassion – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – July 20, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, Whenever we host visitors from out of town, we end up revisiting local tourist attractions. Last weekend, for example, we went to the State capital with the shlichah we are hosting from Israel. I have been to the capital many times but rarely as a tourist. I love learning about the history, art and architecture that reflect the values that undergird our government....
read moreRescuing the Thai Boys – A Weekly Letter from Rabbi Davis – July 13, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, Like many people this week, I was riveted to the story of the Thai soccer boys saved from drowning in a cave. As I followed the unfolding drama, I couldn’t help but think about a scene in the Book of Jonah. After Jonah was tossed overboard and even after he was swallowed by the fish, he felt like he was drowning. So, he...
read moreThe State of American Democracy on this 4th of July – A Weekly Letter from Rabbi Davis – July 6, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, I was recently reminded by a colleague of an interesting confluence of the American and Jewish calendars. This week, we marked America’s independence on the 4th of July with feasting. Earlier in the week, we marked the Jewish people’s loss of independence with fasting. Last Sunday, we observed the 17th of Tammuz. On this day in the year 70 CE, the Romans breached the walls...
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