These were the words that I used at the beginning of the Viddui section of Kol Nidre this year at Temple Sinai in Washington, DC. It’s worth mentioning that this is simply the introduction. The day is long, and Yom Kippur is ultimately a celebratory day, as we come out the other side. But to arrive at the end, it is worthwhile to start from a place of humility. Only from that standpoint can we find joy and forgiveness at the day’s end.

When I committed to my year away from school, that implied that I would be leaving my internship at a small synagogue by Rockaway Beach, Queens. I offered to teach a Torah trope class so that the rabbi would have a chance to get support from the congregants, and Rabbi Epstein suggested that I write out a more clear plan. This was the plan that I wrote. There is an attached class plan with a weekly outline, below.

This writing comes from my blog and was meant to indicate a bit about my theology and the way in which I conduct my spiritual leadership. You’re welcome to find the rest of my blog here.

For a few of my weekends at West End Temple, I took on writing the sermon/d’var torah both as practice and to give the rabbi a week of rest. I was proud of this week’s sermon, which weaved the themes of song and memory to bring people together in honoring their dearly departed.

My 4th year practicum was about the Kedushat Hayom prayer on Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi Maggie Wenig appreciated my words and asked to submit them to this publication, to which I happily obliged. My d’var torah is on page 137.