Thought

Is study greater or is action greater?…Study is greater, as study leads to action. –Talmud Kiddushin 40b

How do we find spiritual fulfillment?

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
ROSH HASHANAH DAY
1 TISHREI 5783 / SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Opening a community conversation

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
YOM KIPPUR DAY
10 TISHREI 5782 // SEPTEMBER 16, 2021

Adapt to Thrive: Charting a new year within community

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
KOL NIDREI
10 TISHREI 5782 // SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

Becoming You

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
1 TISHREI 5782 // SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

Al Besser Eulogy

AL BESSER EULOGY
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
6 TAMMUZ 5781 // JUNE 16, 2021

Precious, precarious democracy

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
27 CHESHVAN 5781 // NOVEMBER 13. 2020

Good Trouble Makers: Teshuvah for racial justice

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
YOM KIPPUR DAY
10 TISHREI 5781 // SEPTEMBER 28, 2020

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Civic mensches: The foundation of a healthy democracy – Dedicated to the legacy and memory of the Notorious RBG

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
KOL NIDREI
10 TISHREI 5781 // SEPTEMBER 27. 2020

From Grief to Re-imagination

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 1
1 TISHREI 5781 // SEPTEMBER 19, 2020

Shoppers Purchase Food For Passover In Pennsylvania

S.L.O.W. D.O.W.N.: In memory of our ancestry, for the sake of our earth

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
EREV ROSH HASHANAH
1 TISHREI 5781 // SEPTEMBER 18. 2020

Hanukkah and Christmas

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
30 KISLEV 5780 // DECEMBER 27, 2019

Me’at mei-Elohim: We are divine animals

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
YOM KIPPUR DAY
10 TISHREI 5780 // OCTOBER 9. 2019

Homegrown Judaism: Co-creating community

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
KOL NIDREI
10 TISHREI 5780 // OCTOBER 8, 2019

Hayeenu Kekholmim: Dreaming up a sustainable future NOW

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 1
1 TISHREI 5780 // SEPTEMBER 30. 2019

Confronting bias: We are perfectly imperfect

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
EREV ROSH HASHANAH
1 TISHREI 5780 // SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

Life and Leadership Free of Ego

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
26 SIVAN 5779 // JUNE 28, 2019
PARASHAT SH’LACH LECHA

The Origins of Anti-Semitism

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
21 TEVET 5779 // DECEMBER 28, 2018
PARASHAT SHEMOT

Jacob’s Deception, inspired by Leonard Cohen

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
9 KISLEV 5779 // NOVEMBER 16, 2018
PARASHAT VAYETZE

Noah’s Ark + Climate Change

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
4 CHESHVAN 5779 // OCTOBER 13, 2018

What draws us to care about Israel?

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
YOM KIPPUR DAY
10 TISHREI 5779 / SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Rise Up, Together: The importance of community

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
KOL NIDREI
10 TISHREI 5779 / SEPTEMBER 18, 2018

Expanding the circles of responsibility

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 1
1 TISHREI 5779 / SEPTEMBER 10, 2018

In the beginning, G-d created spiritual return

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
EREV ROSH HASHANAH 5779
1 TISHREI 5779 / SEPTEMBER 9, 2018

One year since Charlottesville, in Vermont

D’VAR TORAH / SERMON
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
30 AV 5778 / AUGUST 10, 2018

A love founded on faith and gratitude

D’ VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
AUGUST 3, 2018 / 23 AV 5778

Torah says: Kill the women and children?!?

D’VAR TORAH/SERMON
1 AV 5778 // JULY 13, 2018
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
PARASHAT MATOT-MASEI AND W. GUNTHER PLAUT

Holy work, in harmonious key

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
MAY 25, 2018 // 12 SIVAN 5778
PARASHAT NASO

When life gives us lemons: Finding our locus of control

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
APRIL 27, 2018 // 13 IYYAR 5778

My zaidie and bubbie’s story of the war

READ THIS PIECE FROM THE VERMONT HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL

How do Stowe churches keep the faith?

READ THE ARTICLE FROM THE STOWE REPORTER

Holy Time, Holy Space

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
MARCH 9, 2018 // 23 ADAR 5778
PARASHAT VAYAKHEL-PEKUDEI

Unlikely Allies Open a Homeless Shelter in Lamoille County

READ THE ARTICLE FROM SEVEN DAYS

The real purpose of Passover

RABBI DAVID FAINSILBER
JANUARY 12, 2018 // 26 TEVET 5778
VORT // A WORD OF TORAH

#MeToo + Jewish text

CLERGY LETTER
RABBI DAVID FAINSILBER
JANUARY – FEBRUARY 2018

Working across faiths and communities to keep our neighbors warm

RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
JANUARY 2018

What it takes to keep your marriage going for 65 years

In honor of Al & Gretchen

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
DECEMBER 29, 2017 // 12 TEVET 5778
PARASHAT VAYECHI – JACOB’S LEGACY

Thanksgiving: Endless gratitude and much needed repair

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
NOVEMBER 24, 2017 // 7 KISLEV 5778

Lessons for 2017, from an ancient time

D’VAR TORAH
RABI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
NOVEMBER 3, 2017 // 15 CHESHVAN 5778
VAYERA

Telling Our Stories

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
OCTOBER 13, 2017 // 24 TISHREI 5778

Post-Charlottesville, how do we want to be remembered?

D’VAR TORAH
YOM KIPPUR DAY 5778
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER

Reduced-Guilt Judaism

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID FAINSILBER
KOL NIDREI 5778
KEEPING JEWISH GUILT IN ITS PLACE AND MOVING TOWARDS A MORE CONSCIOUS JUDAISM

The 10-Minute Challenge

THE 10-MINUTE CHALLENGE D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
1 TISHREI 5778 // SEPTEMBER 21, 2017
ROSH HASHANAH DAY 1

A story from Morris Treibitz, Alone, but not lonely,
with commentary from Rabbi David Benjamin Fainsilber

EREV ROSH HASHANAH
SEPTEMBER 20, 2017 // 1 TISHREI 5778

The voice of love wins over all

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
AUGUST 18, 2017 // 27 AV 5777

To know you are to die

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
JULY 14, 2017 // 21 TAMMUZ 5777
PARASHAT PINCHAS

Cut

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER AND THE SLONIMER REBBE
MAY 26, 2017 // 2 SIVAN 5777
BEMIDBAR

This is the moment

5 NISAN 5777 // MARCH 31, 2017
MISHKAN/TABERNACLE. 5777/2017. BAR MITZVAH.

Disco Dreidle

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
2 TEVET 5777 // DECEMBER 30, 2016

A Blessing Upon All Children

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
DECEMBER 2, 2016 // 3 KISLEV 5777

Once, we helped refugees because they were Jewish. Today we help refugees because we are Jewish.

YOM KIPPUR DAY 5777
10 TISHREI 5777 // OCTOBER 12, 2016

REFUGEE CRISIS

A Prayer for the 2016 Election

D’VAR TORAH
KOL NIDREI 5777
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
AVINU MALKEINU / אבינו מלכנו

Say more “yes” and “no” less

1 TISHERI 5777 // OCTOBER 3, 2016
OLAM CHESED

Death, mourning, loss and hope

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
9 AV 5776 // AUGUST 12, 2016

In Our Bodies

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID FAINSILBER
APRIL 8, 2016 // ROSH HODESH NISAN 5776
PARASHAT TAZRIA, MELISSA NATHAN GERSON’S WORKSHOP, MASECHET EIRUVIN
IN OUR BODIES

For All You Vermont Jews

D’VAR TORAH
RABBI DAVID BENJAMIN FAINSILBER
JEWISH COMMUNITIES OF VERMONT SHABBATON AND SUMMIT
APRIL 1, 2016 // 23 ADAR II 5776
FOR ALL YOU VERMONT JEWS