Sermons | cantor-lauren

D'var Torah: Toldot's Tasty Dishes (November 2022)

After celebrating Thanksgiving, we all have food on the brain. This D'var Torah explores the multiple food references made in Parshat Toldot, specifically with regards to lentil soup and different types of game meat.

Read the written sermon here.

Sermon in Sondheim: Broadway Shabbat (June 2022)

One of my biggest passions is Broadway. I enjoyed collaborating with my choir and musical team on creating a Broadway Shabbat that connected liturgical themes to Broadway showtunes. The highlight was a sermon I offered in tribute to Stephen Sondheim, z'l, who both knowingly and unknowingly imbued Jewish themes into his beloved musicals. Musical selections include "Getting Married Today" from Company, "The Sun Sinks Low" from A Little Night Music, "No One Is Alone" from Into the Woods, and "Sunday" from Sunday in the Park With George. Read the written sermon here.

D'var Torah, Chukat: Reflections on Highland Park (July 2022)

I've always found the Jewish rituals for mourning to be some of our smartest traditions. They help us to process our grief in stages. In this D'var Torah, I explore the ways in which the Israelites mourned for Miriam and Aaron. I offer these strategies as examples of ways we can all grieve through tragedy and difficult times, specifically in response to the July 4 parade shooting in Highland Park, Il. Read the written sermon here.

Sermon in Song: A Time for Peace (November 2021)

In honor of the convergence of Veteran's Day and Kristallnacht, I offered a Sermon in Song that talked about various liturgical references to peace, including "Shalom Rav," "Sim Shalom," and "Oseh Shalom." Musical selections include "Sim Shalom" by Cantor Lauren Phillips Fogelman, "Shalom Rav" by Dina Pruzhansky, "Oseh Shalom" by Benjie Ellen Schiller, and "Prayer" from the musical Come From Away, which features peace liturgy across multiple faith traditions. Read the written sermon here.