Rabbi Rachel Bearman

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,...

Finding Hope and Inspiration in the Union Haggadah

Passover has always been my favorite holiday. Sure, Chanukah brought presents and Purim offered the opportunity to dress up like my...

Are You A Vashti or an Esther?

For as long as I can remember, I’ve dressed up as Queen Vashti for Purim. For all of my life, I compared the characters of Vashti and...

What's in a name?

As a family historian, I have spent a huge amount of time searching for names. Names are the keys to unlocking the vast treasures of...

Dear Theobold

Dear Theobold, I wonder sometimes what you would think if you knew that your life and the lives of your wives and children have been a...

Dear Anna

Dear Anna, This letter is part of a new project I’m starting. You see, over the last five or six years, I’ve been fascinated by our...

What the Jewish Tradition Teaches Us about Healing

These are my remarks from a recent interfaith service that explored what our individual traditions can teach us about healing. The value...

Sukkot Craft: Blessing Blossoms

Presenting Blessing Blossoms! Pick your favorite prayer and create your very own! Hang them in your sukkah or anywhere you like to fill...

A Sermon For Yom Kippur 5776 /2015

Since I have two sisters and parents who were determined to raise polite children, I have been apologizing for small things for as long...

Kol Nidre Sermon 5776 / 2015

I remember the first time that I put on a white robe like the one I am wearing tonight. It was on Yom Kippur afternoon during my junior...

Sundays Are My Favorite

I’ve pretty much always loved Sunday School. When I was a little girl, my dad taught Sunday School, and he would bring my sisters and me...

Rosh Hashanah Sermon 2015/5776

Contemporary Jewish communities like to talk about how each of us is on an individual Jewish journey. In fact, this is one of my...

Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon- 2015/ 5776

Choosing what to speak about on Erev Rosh Hashanah was relatively easy for me this year. After all, a few months ago we opened the front...

BlogElul Day 22: End

BlogElul Day 21: Love

I couldn't have said it better myself.

BlogElul Day 20: Dare

To celebrate the fact that five years after I bought this shofar, I am finally able to make noise come out of it, I would like to offer...

BlogElul Day 19: Judge

This is the 1866 edition of Minhag America: The Divine Service Of American Israelites For the Day of Atonement by Isaac M. Wise. "...I...

#BlogElul Day 17: Awaken

#BlogElul Day 13: Remember

For the past several years, every time I visit a family member's home, I look in closets and attics until I find albums of old...

#BlogElul Update

I just returned from a much enjoyed vactation. I was able to spend time and celebrate simchahs (joyous moments) with my family, and I...

"True service to God is service to one