Rabbi Rachel Bearman

My Grandfather's Military Service

This spring, I sent a request to the national military archives for the records of my grandfather and my great- grandfather- both of whom...

I Love Being Jewish

When I was in first grade, I wrote the following in my school journal: “I am Jewish. I love being Jewish. I go to temple on Friday. I...

A Letter To Leslie Knope

Dear Leslie, I’m sure that you’re busy helping your friends find meaningful careers or being the Governor of Indiana or just generally...

A D'var Torah About Recent Events In Israel

Photo link: https://www.loc.gov/resource/matpc.22786/ This week, a lot has been happening in Israel. These developments and the various...

A D'var Torah For Pride Shabbat

Most Shabbat evenings, as we gather to pray and welcome the Sabbath, I can feel the strands of tradition that link everyone in our...

Holiness, Not Perfection, Is Our Goal

This week’s Torah portion, B’har - B’chukotai, is made up of the last chapters in the book of Leviticus and, as our B’nai Mitzvah will...

In Response to the Recent Incidents at Ridgefield High School

On Wednesday, the principal of Ridgefield High School and the Superintendent of Ridgefield schools sent emails to the parents and...

The Heart Is The Only Thing That Matters

The Levites as well as the priestly and rabbinic traditions that would eventually emerge as our tradition evolved were almost...

Dear Morris

Dear Morris, This letter is part of an ongoing project. I have been researching our family’s history for many years now and have really...

A Pharaoh Who Knew Not Joseph

This week, I had a hard time turning off the news. I was especially troubled by and fixated on the reports that many in our government...

Inauguration Day 2017

Sometimes when I sit down to write, the sermon pours out of me. I type as quickly as I can because it feels like the words have been...

A D'var Torah for January 13th 2017

Liminal spaces are the transitions between two safe, or at least known, things, times, or places. In the Jewish Tradition and in many...

Standing Up and Standing Together

In the days before the election and in the week and a half since the election, our country has been filled with venom. Every time we...

My 2016 /5777 Kol Nidre Sermon

A month or so ago, I received a very nicely worded invitation for TBC to participate in “The Mega Challah Bake Women’s Unity Event.” The...

I Have A Guitar: A Rosh Hashanah Sermon

I’m not sure how many of you know this about me, but I have a guitar. It’s a really beautiful guitar, and I’ve actually had it for more...

Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon 2016 / 5777

I have been a rabbi for two and a half years now and have been a religious school teacher since I was 17. These experiences mean that I...

Dear Hilma

This letter is part of an ongoing project. I’ve been researching our family’s history for many years now and have really enjoyed all of...

Rainbows Are a Sign of Strength

Last night I drove to Norwalk to participate in a vigil for the 49 people who were killed in Orlando this past Sunday. I had heard about...

A Prayer for Our Journey Towards Peace

God, There's so much in my mind and my heart right now that it's hard for me to figure out exactly what to say. I wish that I was a poet...

Why Should I Belong?

In last week’s Torah portion, Kedoshim, we heard what I believe to be one of the most important commandments in the Jewish tradition,...

"True service to God is service to one