Tag Archives: Lily Lucey
Parashat Vayikra: The Value of Silence, 3/25/23
Elul, Book of Life – 9/22/22
A video message from Rabbi Julie Roth, Student Rabbi Lily Lucey, and guest prayer leader Talia Lakritz in preparation for the High Holy Days, during the month of Elul.
Elul, Elevating the Sanctity of the Day – 9/8/22
A video message from Rabbi Julie in preparation for the High Holy Days, during the month of Elul.
Elul, All the Days of My Life – 9/1/22
A video message from Rabbi Julie and Student Rabbi Lily in preparation for the High Holy Days, during the month of Elul.
Bat Mitzvah L’dor Vador (from Generation to Generation)
Last week, synagogues across America marked the 100-year anniversary of the first official bat mitzvah. The ceremony occurred on March 18, 1922 and was created by Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism, to welcome his12-year-old daughter, Ruth, into the family of Jewish adults. While that sounds like a long history, it pales alongside the roughly 1,000-year longevity of the bar mitzvah. Moreover, it took almost 60 years for the bat mitzvah ceremony to attain equal stature with the bar mitzvah at synagogues in the U.S.
To explore this evolution — and what it says about the role of women and girls in Judaism — assistant JLC education director Lily Lucey invited Shomrei women of several generations on Sunday, March 19 to recount for the b’nai mitzvah classes what the bat mitzvah represented when they were 12 or 13. Continue reading
Enveloped In Love – Our Kiddush Experience
On Feb 26, 2022, my family hosted the kiddush for Brian’s 10th birthday party – first time double digits is an exciting chapter! The moment we entered synagogue, congregants wished Brian a happy birthday. Rabbinic Intern, Lily Lucy, welcomed us into the Hinei Ma Tov JLC event, by wishing Brian a good birthday and pointing out to the other students that the birthday table covers, balloons and food items were all set up so that the congregation could celebrate Brian entering his double-digit birthday. It made Brian feel so special. Continue reading
Open Hearts: Yom Kippur Sermon by Lily Lucey (5782/2021)
Editor’s Note: Rabbinic Intern Lily Lucey originally gave this sermon during the outdoor service on Yom Kippur 5782 (Sept 2021).
“I tell you this to break your heart, by which I mean only that it break open and never close again to the rest of the world.” -Mary Oliver
By show of hands… Has anyone here ever done something wrong, messed up, or made a mistake?
Okay, so all of us. I mean, duh! Why would we even need an annual day of atonement if we never did anything wrong?
And yet, while we may know that we’re all bound to make mistakes, how many opportunities do we really give ourselves to show people our imperfections, or at least the parts about ourselves that we think are imperfections? And what happens when we do? Continue reading
Mourning Doves: Grief and Hope: Kol Nidre Sermon by Lily Lucey (5782/2021)
Editor’s Note: Rabbinic Intern Lily Lucey originally gave this sermon during the outdoor service on Kol Nidre 5782 (Sept 2021).
A fiddler on the roof. Sounds crazy, no? But here, in our little village of Anatevka, you might say every one of us is a fiddler on the roof trying to scratch out a pleasant, simple tune without breaking his neck. It isn’t easy. You may ask, “Why do we stay up there if it’s so dangerous? Well, we stay because Anatevka is our home. And how do we keep our balance? That I can tell you in one word: tradition!
Tevye captures something that is at the essence of Judaism and that is intensely heightened throughout our High Holiday liturgy: that we are always acknowledging the fragility of life, while continuing to find a way to live it, carrying with us the suffering not just of this moment but of all of our people before us and all of the generations to come. Continue reading
Doing One Good Thing: Rosh Hashanah Day 2 Sermon by Lily Lucey (5782/2021)
Editor’s Note: Rabbinic Intern Lily Lucey originally gave this sermon during the outdoor service on the second day of Rosh Hashanah 5782 (Sept 2021).
“Neat how we ban plastic straws before assault rifles.” That was one of the popular Internet memes du jour at one point this year. “Neat how we ban plastic straws before assault rifles.”
In the unlikely event that you are unfamiliar, this controversy was popularized when the powers-that-be at Starbucks announced that the stores would be eliminating plastic straws altogether over the next couple of years. For environmental reasons. Several countries, as well as U.S. cities, and various companies have already made this move or have been wrestling with the idea. Plastic straws were an easy target for someone who cares about the environment. A tiny way to make a dent. Even young children have taken it upon themselves to convince people to give up straws as a small way to make a big impact. Continue reading