pandemic — Rabbi Adam Lavitt — Sermons & Writing

Telling Your Most Life-Giving Story (Shabbat Vayigash)

At times we all feel overwhelmed by the challenges we are facing. But when we can take a step back and tell our fullest story – though it’ll include moments of challenge, they will only be a part, not the entirety of our story. When Joseph meets his brothers, he tells a full story: “Do not be distressed or reproach yourselves because you sold me [into slavery]; it was to save life that God sent me ahead of you” (45:5). Joseph acknowledges what his brothers did, but what happened to him is only part of his story.

sermonAdam LavittDecember 10, 2021hope, Joseph, story-telling, faith, pandemic

Returning to Love (Shabbat Ha'azinu)

Today, we come back into a sense of closeness with the divine presence. This Shabbat before Sukkot, we begin to see God not as transcendent king, but as immanent nurturer: We take refuge in God’s sheltering presence. Find protection and support - in the words we prayed earlier - in the sukkat shalom, the Holy One’s shelter of peace.

sermonAdam LavittSeptember 18, 2021Sukkot, love, pandemic, wilderness, prayer

Opening our Eyes to the Good (Shabbat Re'eh)

[W]ith the impact of climate change, wildfires raging out West, continued political unrest, and the spread of the Delta variant…[t]hough we are in a much different place than we were last year, we are heartbroken and afraid. Divine light, the Source of All Blessing, at times feels altogether absent. It is precisely because of this that Torah says to us this week: Re’eh / “Look! I put before you this day a blessing and a curse.” (Deut. 11:26).

Adam LavittAugust 6, 2021gratitude, pandemic, climate change, purpose

Step by Step (Shabbat Mattot-Masei)

This week, Torah tells the story of our ancestors’ settlement in the Promised land. We usually think about their travels as one grand journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. But Torah breaks their travels into many small parts: Our parasha starts: These are the marching-stages of the Israelites who left the land of Egypt (Numbers 33:1)…. In the midst of wilderness moments in life — times of danger or uncertainty — we simply can’t make sense of our situation; it’s only as we arrive near the end of the journey that we can speak about how we got there.

Adam LavittJuly 9, 2021miracles, wilderness, pandemic, gratitude

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