Recent Sermons
Safety First! – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – October 26, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, A few nights ago, we heard a beeping sound coming from the landing at the top of the stairs. We went and checked, and it turned out that it was the smoke detector. The battery had died and needed to be changed. The problem was, we didn’t have the right kind of battery. Since we couldn’t disconnect the detector and since it was too late...
read moreTree Of Life – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – November 2, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, The story is told of King David.* King David asked God to know how long he would live. God told him, “Ordinarily, humans do not know when they will die. But I’ll make an exception for you. You will die on Shabbat.” This saddened David greatly for it would bring sorrow to Shabbat. “I would much rather die on Sunday,” David replied. “That...
read moreA Noble Legacy – A Weekly Letter from Rabbi Alexander Davis – October 12, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, Over this past week, I enjoyed reading about the 2018 Nobel Prize winners. These leaders in their fields are changing our world for the better. So, too did Alfred Nobel himself. Nobel amassed a fortune as a Swedish munition’s manufacturer. Among other things, he invented dynamite. What motivated him to dedicate his estate to honor and reward those who benefit humanity? It was...
read moreAnd Man Shall Rule Over Woman – A Weekly Letter from Rabbi Davis – October 5, 2018
Shalom Chaverim To the woman God said, “In pain will you bear children. Yet your desire shall be for your husband. And he shall rule over you” (Gen. 3:16). Given the news from the past few weeks, I was drawn to this verse from this week’s parasha, Bereshit, the beginning of the Torah. In the aftermath of Adam and Eve’s transgression (eating the forbidden fruit),...
read moreSukkot: Sheltering America’s Homeless
Sukkot: Sheltering America’s Homeless 13 Tishrei 5779 – September 22, 2018 Rabbi Alexander Davis This past summer, I traveled with my family back to my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I always love visiting Portland. I think of it as one of America’s great cities- the beautiful skyline, parks, food scene, bookstores, vibrant downtown, and more. But Portland has gained another kind of reputation; unfortunately it’s...
read moreNew For Sukkot – A Weekly Letter From Rabbi Davis – September 21, 2018
Shalom Chaverim, With Yom Kippur behind us, we turn our attention to Sukkot. Usually, right after I break my fast, I go outside and start building my sukkah. But this year, the timing made that nearly impossible. We go from Yom Kippur to Shabbat to Sukkot in quick succession. So, l had to start building long before Sukkot. This reminds me of a teaching. For...
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