Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz

Parashat Vayakhel 2018 Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz An Offering of Community There’s a certain amount of irony about looking for creative things to talk about in a sermon that’s all about creativity. There have been pages, if not volumes, of commentary given on both the obvious and the arcane aspects of this week’s reading, ranging from the technicalities of dye colours to the dynamics of volunteerism. So basically, already these few seconds into my sermon, I admit a certain kind of defeat: I have nothing original to say. But lest you think this is a poor show, I will say this: what this parashah  has  to say is important, including its used, reused and recycled truths. Parashat Vayakhel is illustrative of the power of community living, the value of volunteering and the energising nature of inspiration and creativity. In a world that often at best neglects or, at worst, stifles these things, this is a message we should gladly rehash.  In my brief appointment as ...

Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei Rabbi Esther Hugenholtz Give Us A Heart of Wisdom There’s something interesting going on in this week’s double Torah portion, Vayakhel-Pekudei. Nestled in between the meticulous detail of building the Tabernacle and its instruments, between descriptions of gold and silver, linen and wool, purple, scarlet and blue, we learn a number of things about human psychology.  Taking place not long after the unfortunate incident with the Golden Calf, the people give eagerly and generously to the building of the Mishkan. This spirit of volunteerism and fundraising is of course often cited by rabbis and lay leaders alike as a prompt for our congregations to do the same—after all, there’s no better fundraising pitch than one that comes directly from God! Yet, this is not what I want us to take a look at today. There’s another aspect of human psychology that gets a lot of airplay during this parashah and that is the notion of ‘chochmah’, wisdom. The word...

Image from weheartit This sermon was published previously on the website of Leo Baeck Collge Parashat Vayakhel Power to the People ‘Don’t you know, they’re talking ‘bout a revolution, it sounds like a whisper.’ Folk singer Tracy Chapman’s warm voice trills with restrained anticipation during the first bars of this famous song. I heard it as an idealistic teenager and was instantly inspired. It was Tracy Chapman’s music that encouraged me to learn how to play the guitar.   The days of revolutionary spirit seemed long gone. But revolutions can appear suddenly and unannounced, like a thief in the night. At first, they sound like whispers, but then their clarion call grows triumphant. These last few weeks we witnessed history in the making. With baited breath we watched the footage as Tunisia burst into flame, shortly followed by Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya. The initial euphoria over protesters marching on Tahrir Square ousting Egypt’s Mubarak was dampened by grisly reports of Gad...