Rabbi Julie’s sermon for Parshat Vayechi, January 11, 2025

When I was in college, my grandmother would write to me every few weeks. Her letters were handwritten on stationary in an elegant, loop-filled cursive that embodied a penmanship common for someone born at the turn of the century, in the early 1900’s. Though my hand-writing was a paltry simplification of hers, I knew how to write a handwritten letter. After all, email had just been invented and I didn’t know anyone in my parents generation, let alone my grandparents generation who used it. And long-distance phone calls were still quite expensive. In those days, college students actually checked their mailboxes everyday and I looked forward to receiving those letters. They were filled with the most mundane details. Dear Julie, Today I had lunch with Aunt Alma and went to my exercise class in the swimming pool. But they were also filled with so much love. It was my grandmother’s way of saying, I miss you, I’m thinking of you, I’m proud of you, I love you, even though those words were never actually written on the page. Continue reading →

Rabbi Julie’s sermon for Parshat Vayeshev, December 21, 2024

I once heard a story about a freshman at the University of Colorado, Boulder who was struggling with her intro to chemistry class.  The story probably stuck with me because I struggled with my intro to chemistry class in college.  In fact, for many, many years afterwards I would have anxiety dreams involving the periodic table.  This young woman, named Libby, was in the chemistry lab late one night, trying to follow the instructions of the experiment, but struggling to get it right. Continue reading →