Author: Rabbi Gabriel Botnick

High Holiday 5787 Sermons

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To watch Rabbi Botnick’s sermons on YouTube, click here.

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Below, you can find text versions of the rabbi’s sermons:

  • Rosh Hashanah – Night 1
    • When Life Doesn’t Go to Plan
    • What might Jewish tradition teach us about disappointment, uncertainty, and the limits of our control? A reflection on the practices that can help us meet the unexpected without being overcome by it.
    • Click here to read

  • Rosh Hashanah – Day 1
    • What Do We Want Judgement to Accomplish?
    • Judgement can expose wrongdoing and protect others, but it can also become destructive. This sermon considers what our response to wrongdoing should ultimately seek to bring into the world.
    • Click here to read

  • Rosh Hashanah – Night 2
    • The Things That Stands Between Us
    • There is one thing that often prevents us from admitting our mistakes, repairing the damage we’ve caused, or accepting another person’s sincere apology. This sermon explores the inner barrier that must be moved aside before genuine teshuvah can begin.
    • Click here to read

  • Rosh Hashanah – Day 2
    • A World on Fire
    • Climate change cannot be solved through personal virtue alone. But that does not leave us powerless. This sermon explores what Jewish tradition asks of us as individuals, communities, and citizens.
    • Click here to read

  • Kol Nidre
    • When Fear Does Not Have the Final Word
    • Antisemitism has never depended upon Jews actually being guilty of the things said about us. But when argument, reassurance, and explanation no longer seem enough, how should a Jewish community respond? This Kol Nidre sermon turns to Jewish history in search of another possibility.
    • Click here to read

  • Yom Kippur Morning
    • When Small Lies Become Something More
    • A small lie can seem inconsequential, particularly when it protects us from embarrassment, conflict, or discomfort. But what happens after we tell it? This Yom Kippur sermon considers the hidden consequences of the stories we tell others, and ourselves.
    • Click here to read

  • Ne’ilah
    • When a Closing Becomes an Opening
    • The words “I wish you long life” can sound strange when spoken to someone mourning a death. Beginning with that distinctly British Jewish expression, this Ne’ilah sermon explores what those words might ask of the living as the gates of Yom Kippur begin to close.
    • Click here to read

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