Rabbi Rachel Bearman

#BlogElul Day 3: Search

Today's ‪#‎blogelul‬ theme is ‪#‎SEARCH‬ and I've decided that I don't like it. Searching feels stressful because there's a clear...

#BlogElul Day 2: Act

This is the prayer God utters: May My mercy conquer My anger. In all My actions toward My children, may My compassion prevail." And this...

#BlogElul Day 1: Prepare

When you and the cantor are working hard to #prepare for the High Holy Days, the podium on the bima fills up quickly! #blogelul #elulgram...

#BlogElul 2015

I have decided to participate in #BlogElul again! I have to admit that I considered skipping it this year. It's been a very busy...

Celebrating American Jewish History

American Jewish History is a fascinating, complicated, compelling, and beautiful story. It may surprise you to know that Jews first came...

I Am A Better Rabbi Because I Was A St. Mary's Girl

A St. Mary’s Girl and A Rabbi: A Chapel Talk by Rabbi Rachel Bearman I’ve wanted to be a number of things in my life. When I was really...

#ThrowbackThursday

Do you ever think about the decisions, promises, friendships, and relationships that have shaped who you are and who your family is? I am...

Genealogy as Time Travel

My deep and abiding fascination with my family's history is a subject that demands far more than one blog entry. So for now, I'll just...

Remembering Miss Pretti

I just heard that Miss Virginia Pretti passed away on Friday. As the Head of the St. Mary’s Lower School, Miss Pretti showed each of us...

Sisterhood

My love of Sisterhood seems to have been inevitable. After all, I am the oldest of three girls (no brothers), an alumna of an all girls...

Torah Study

I started attending weekly Torah study classes when I was 16. Over the past 12 years, I have covered multiple chumashim (printed...

#BlogElul Days 28 & 29: Give & Return

Well, this last post is late... but I've decided that considering I was also preparing for my first HHD's at my new congregation, I did...

#BlogElul Day 27: Intend

Learn more about myself, my congregation, my community, and my world. #Intentions5775 #hhds

#BlogElul Day 26: Hope

After all the preparation, all of the planning, all of the work... one just has to #hope that things will go well, that people will see...

#BlogElul Day 25: Begin

“I keep turning over new leaves, and spoiling them, as I used to spoil my copybooks; and I make so many beginnings there never will be an...

#BlogElul Day 24: End

I always expect endings to be absolute and that everything about an experience can be walled off inside a discreet and manageable unit....

#BlogElul Day 23: Love

I've always enjoyed watching movies with epic love stories. Watching two people fall in #love just makes my heart happy. But... over...

#BlogElul Day 22: Dare

Whenever we played TRUTH OR #DARE as kids, I always chose the "boring" option of truth. I was nervous about humiliating myself in order...

#BlogElul Day 21: Change

"Don't even try... things will never #change." I've heard this too many times to count and have felt discouraged enough at different...

#BlogElul Days 17-20: Awaken, Pray, Ask, and Judge

As I #awaken from a stupor caused by an incredibly busy week that while difficult, made me feel very honored to be the rabbi of my...

"True service to God is service to one