Category: Drasha
-
Probabilities Don’t Hug You Back: A Neilah Sermon for a World Without Guarantees
This Neilah sermon begins with a story from the town of Chelm, where a drought has caused a crisis of faith, and the people demand proof that God is listening. Into this debate steps Jossele, who argues that while he can’t be certain about God, he knows that a life of kindness, forgiveness, and charity…
-
The Town of Stopped Clocks: A Kol Nidrei Message on Forgiveness and Time
This sermon for Kol Nidrei begins with a story of a town where every clock is stopped at the precise moment of a deep personal hurt. This powerful metaphor explores how we all carry “stopped clocks” in our own hearts—frozen moments of resentment where we have defined ourselves, and others, by their worst mistakes. The…
-
What Do You Hear When the World Comes In?
There is a particular sound to the world when heard from inside a sukkah. The solid walls of our homes are designed to keep the world out; the thin walls of the sukkah invite it in. The rustle of the wind through the s’chach, the distant sound of traffic, the neighbour’s conversation—all of it becomes…
-
Take Words With You: A Jewish Guide to a Hopeful New Year
Between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the work of ‘teshuvah’ (return) can feel daunting. But what if the essential tool for change isn’t guilt, but language? Rabbi Adrian Schell explores the ancient Jewish “technology” of using words—for apology, for prayer, and for rewriting our own stories—as we prepare for the new year. Drawing on the…
-
The Pain of Being Unseen: A Rosh Hashanah Message of Hope and Recognition
On Rosh Hashanah, we stand before the Divine with a profound and deeply human hope: to be truly seen. This sermon explores the quiet, sinking feeling of being overlooked that we have all experienced and connects it to the central prayers of the High Holy Days. It asks: What is the greatest blessing we can…
-
When Conscience and Command Collide: Faith and Ethics in the Akedah (Binding of Isaac) Story
When Conscience and Command Collide: Faith and Ethics in the Akedah (Binding of Isaac) Story In this powerful sermon for the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5786, Rabbi Adrian Schell of The Wimbledon Synagogue offers a profound re-reading of the Binding of Isaac (the Akedah). What if Abraham’s journey up the mountain was not an…
-
That Verse in Deuteronomy: Reclaiming a Torah of Pride, Not Pain
A single verse in this week’s Torah portion, Ki Tetzei, has been used for centuries to exclude and shame transgender and queer people. But is that what the Torah truly intends? In this Pride Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Adrian Schell explores our tradition as a vast, ancient house we inherit—a place of beautiful, light-filled rooms, but…
-
A travelling companion for Elul – Psalm 27
There’s a particular feeling that comes with the start of a long journey. Maybe you’ve felt it. That moment when the bags are packed, the destination is set, and you’re standing on the threshold, full of confidence. You’ve got the map. You know the way. Nothing can possibly go wrong. It’s a wonderful feeling, that…
-
False Prophets and Hard Conversations
Let me tell you about something that happened a few weeks ago. It was late, I was tired, and I was scrolling online. I stumbled upon a video, a short, compelling documentary about South Africa and its political history with Israel and the PLO. It was about a subject I thought I knew, but this…
-
From Sun Loungers to Soul Searching
It’s mid-summer. Many of us are still brushing sand from our shoes, planning weekend barbecues, or scrolling through photos of mountains, beaches, and ice creams. The air feels slow, even the synagogue seems to exhale a little in August. And then comes Eikev, this week’s portion, nudging us softly, but persistently, toward reflection. Moses, in Eikev, warns…
