Category Judentum

How Can We Rejoice? A Sukkot Message Two Years After October 7th

My sermon for Erev Sukkot addresses a direct and painful collision in the Jewish calendar: the beginning of 'z’man simchateinu', the season of our joy, falls on the exact second anniversary of the October 7th atrocities. It explores how the sukkah itself, with its flimsy walls and lesson in vulnerability, will not let us hide from this echo. This year, those walls are a stark reminder of the vulnerability imposed on so many. The sermon grapples with how we can possibly celebrate in the face of this memory, the ongoing hostage crisis, and the fresh grief from the recent antisemitic attack in Manchester. The message redefines Sukkot's joy not as a distraction, but as an act of defiance, resilience, and sacred memory—a way to honour those who no longer can, by choosing to build, gather, and sing because we remember.

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 is a good life in itself. This sets the stage for the final, honest hour of Yom Kippur, when we must choose how to live without guarantees. The sermon is a call to live with "doubt in the head, faithfulness in the hands" , holding our values high even when the future is unknown and letting our hearts lead us through the gates.

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 service of Kol Nidrei and the work of teshuvah (turning) are presented as the spiritual keys to restarting time. This is a message not about forgetting the past, but about finding the courage to believe that change is possible, to allow our stories to move forward, and to take the small, brave step of winding just one clock.

Shabbat Shuvah

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 Torah portion Vayeilech and the prophet Hosea, this sermon reframes Yom Kippur not as a day of judgment, but as a hopeful destination on a communal journey.

Reclaiming a Torah of Pride, Not Pain

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 also difficult corners. By bravely entering one of these "cold rooms" and examining the notes left by our ancestors like Rashi and Maimonides, we discover that the verse's original purpose was not to shame identity, but to forbid deceit and prevent harm. This sermon reframes a weaponised text as a call for authenticity and challenges us to ensure our "house of tradition" is a warm, safe, and welcoming home for all, illuminated by the central truth that every person is created in the image of God.