Blog & Sermons

To view the dialogue shared from the bimah last Friday, April 8, on the long and fruitful interfaith partnership between Rabbi Gordon and...Read more...

Shabbat Shalom! This week, when President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke before Congress, as he sat there in his army fatigue t-shirt, speaking in simple words with no histrionics, I was struck by his courage and his ability to truly lead...Read more...

In my teaching, I’ve often tried to navigate the distinction between fact and truth. Often, particularly in teaching Torah, someone will ask me: Did it happen? Is it true? Did this person live? Was there an Abraham? Were we in...Read more...

As you all know, this is the last time officially, formally, I will be speaking to all of you on Rosh Hashanah morning. So, I thought you would indulge me in a little bit of nostalgia as I look back at my own experiences as a rabbi...Read more...

It wasn’t long after the coronavirus struck with full force last March that the clergy and staff of Sukkat Shalom realized that High Holy Day services would be very different this year.  It was clear that hundreds of congregants wouldn’t be able to gather as usual at the Church of Latter-Day Saints in Wilmette.  Neither would members of the congregational choir be able to sing together.

What to do?

Fortunately,...Read more...

For the past 15 years, we have been co-teaching the Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten class at Sukkat Shalom’s Family School. The two of us connected immediately and became a team from Day One, sharing similar values and teaching philosophies. 

This history has made it easier for us to collaborate in creating interesting and fun lessons for our students during the challenging times of this pandemic. “Virtual” teaching has...Read more...

Charles Dickens wrote: “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.”

I had hoped on this Shabbat to comment on the results of Tuesday night’s Georgia election and its meaning in history. It was the best of...Read more...

We are in the Hebrew month of Heshvan. Traditionally this month is seen as different from all the other months of the year because, unlike all the other months, there are no festivals, holidays, or observances that occur in Heshvan....Read more...

Ten days ago, we were profoundly saddened by the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. It was not a...Read more...

Well, here we are. I don’t think anyone could have imagined just six months ago that the High Holy Days would look like this. Our lives have been turned upside down. The sense of safety and security that I know I took for granted before the pandemic, has come crashing down around us, leaving...Read more...

About a half-hour before Rosh Hashanah services of 2002 were to begin, a mini-tornado ripped through Wilmette, largely along Lake Avenue. Trees were down, roads were blocked, and power was out. A hailstorm brought a covering of...Read more...

We are living in a turbulent time. Long-held beliefs and assumptions are being questioned. Certainly, White America is being confronted with the reality of systemic racism that has been ignored for far too long. It is fitting that we are beginning to...Read more...

I am struggling to articulate a path through the pain and worry I feel. I truly fear for our nation. Ever since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, I have worried about our physical, psychological, and economic health. I have wondered how we would emerge...Read more...

These are truly challenging times. Due to the current pandemic, we have had to shelter at home, avoid human contact with those outside our immediate family, and close our...Read more...

We find ourselves in uncharted waters. It is far too early to know the long term impact of this Coronavirus pandemic. We pray for the health and wellbeing of all of you, your families, and dear ones. At Sukkat Shalom we are taking every precautionary...Read more...