My sermon topics for this year-Plus!

As we prepare to enter the High Holidays together, I want to share a bit about what guides me in this sacred season.

My sermons are never the sole focus of my preparation. The entire service is the teaching. Wisdom comes to us from dozens upon dozens of sources across Jewish civilization. Stepping into the sanctuary is wisdom. Beating your chest is wisdom. The liturgy itself is our wisdom. The very face of the person beside you is wisdom.

And yet—I do have important words to share with you this year. I am bursting at the seams with ideas, hopes, and teachings. I will be speaking on Erev Rosh Hashanah and on Kol Nidre.

• Erev Rosh Hashanah: “The most important Jewish wisdom for meeting this moment: How we can keep on keeping on.”

• Kol Nidre: I will be speaking about Israel. For those who may not know me well, I am Israeli, the child of a mother who was a refugee from Morocco to Israel. I am also a lifelong peace activist and a Zionist. Today I serve as co-chair of the J Street Rabbinic Cabinet.

These sermons come directly from my heart. I am speaking only to you—the people who step into the room or join us on Zoom. I speak from notes, and we are not recording. Why? Because if my words carry value, they will be remembered not through a recording but through your lives—through how you live, breathe, and embody what touches you.

On Rosh Hashanah day, our words of wisdom will come from our student Rabbi, Reuven. They are currently studying for the rabbinate through the Jewish Renewal movement and bring a unique spirit of inspiration.

On Yom Kippur day, we will be uplifted by Marge Eisman and her masterful Torah storytelling, a gift she has shared with us in years past.

I am truly excited to speak to you and with you this year. Together, we will create something new—through lifting our hearts, souls, and voices—as we welcome 5786 and shape our Kehilla Kedosha, our holy community.

With anticipation and love,

Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg