Welcome to Torah Talk: Rabbi Debi's Torah Reflections!
We are blessed to have Rabbi Debi share her wisdom, insight, and spiritual guidance with our community. This collection of sermons offers an opportunity to revisit her meaningful words, reflect on the teachings that move us, and deepen our connection to Jewish life and tradition.
Whether you're looking to reconnect with a message that spoke to you during services or exploring these teachings for the first time, we hope you'll find inspiration, comfort, and renewed purpose in these reflections.
January Drash: Parashat Shemot
“As we gather tonight, I want to begin with gratitude – for those of you who were able to attend the CCIJT last Sunday evening, you will recognize this beginning from the remarks that Rabbi Cohen made about how to start when connecting with whatever you reach for in times of need.
December Drash: Facing Esau: Practical Wisdom, Generous Hearts, and Humble Faith
Parashat Vayishlach opens with Jacob preparing to meet his estranged brother Esau after years of separation. The Torah tells us Jacob was “greatly afraid and distressed” (Genesis 32:8). He feared confrontation, yet he also longed for reconciliation.
Drash on Chayei Sarah: Leadership Rooted in Legacy and Love
In Parashat Chayei Sarah, we begin with a paradox: the portion is titled “The Life of Sarah,” yet it opens with her death. This juxtaposition invites us to consider what it means to live a life of enduring impact — a life whose values echo even after we are gone. What remains of us when our lives as we experience them today are over?
Where Were You Then, Where Are You Now? A Reflection on October 7th, 2025
October 7, 2023, is a pivotal moment for this generation, the kind of date people instantly recall when asked, “Where were you when?” Like Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy assassination, the Challenger explosion, and 9/11, it divides life into before and after. Two years on, I ask you...
Erev Rosh Hashanah Sermon
“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! ….. I pause expectantly - they reply - "It’s Superman!” Great job!—and now it's 2025, and at long last, we have a Jewish Superman. Yes, I said Jewish Superman. You might have heard: the most recent Superman film features David Corenswet, the first Jewish actor to play the iconic role in a major motion picture. It’s more than a casting choice...
Rosh Hashanah Sermon
On January 1, 2005, Frank Warren launched a blog named PostSecret, a pre-social media community mail-art project, inviting complete strangers to decorate a homemade postcard with a secret they’d never spoken aloud, then mail it anonymously to his home in Maryland. He handed out 3,000 self- addressed postcards around Washington, D.C., asking people to reveal a regret, fear, betrayal, desire, or confession—as long as it was true and never shared before.
Erev Yom Kippur Sermon
To celebrate their 25th anniversary, my mother asked my father which he’d prefer: To take professional photos… or renew their vows. She told him he could choose—and whichever they didn’t do at 25, they’d do at 50. Now, I can imagine my father not being thrilled about either option.