Author Archives: Rabbi Lisa Sari Bellows
Yom Kippur: Choosing Life in a Breathless Time
A few months ago, I took a quick trip to see my oldest child, Gabriella, who lives in Washington, D.C. about a 10-minute walk from the White House. On my last day there, Gabi was working from home, and we … Continue reading
Posted in High Holidays, sermons
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Kol Nidre 2025: Do not miss the Chance: Welcoming the Stranger
When my kids were in BJE preschool many years ago, they had a Passover assembly for parents and extended family. At the assembly, they played the song “Out of Egypt to Be Free,” and along with the song, the kids … Continue reading
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It is Possible to Worry Less.
Yom Kippur 5784 Congregation Beth Am, Buffalo Grove, IL There’s an old joke about a Jewish telegram, it read “Start Worrying. Letter to follow.”[1] Then there’s the joke about four people who get lost while hiking in the desert together. It’s … Continue reading
Posted in Congregation Beth Am, Fear, Gratitude, High Holidays, Holocaust, Jewish Jokes, sermons
Tagged Beth Am, community, Faith, High Holidays, Holocaust, Hope, Jewish Jokes, Sermon
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Caring about Israel is to Care about Democracy.
Kol Nidre 5784 Congregation Beth Am, Buffalo Grove, IL One particular day when I lived in Israel as a first-year rabbinic student was particularly memorable. Friends and I gathered to watch the historic Oslo Accords in my small apartment—the old city … Continue reading
Posted in Congregation Beth Am, High Holidays, Israel, sermons, Uncategorized
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Enough
I have never talked or heard about toilet paper so much in my life. I have also not been to as many grocery stores. I am saying out loud now: I. Have. Enough. We are living in a stressful time; … Continue reading
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Ease during COVID-19
Some thoughts I sent today to Congregation Beth Am – Buffalo Grove, IL. These are times of considerable uncertainty and anxiety. I am feeling it myself; actually, that is, when I don’t ‘catch’ myself and remember to breathe and to … Continue reading
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Suing the Nazis: A Rosh Hashanah Sermon
In my early twenties, I dreamt a version of the following dream many times: I was a young adult in a Nazi concentration camp, and I was trying to save young children and babies from extermination. The dreams always ended before … Continue reading
Posted in Anti Semitism, Congregation Beth Am, Hate, High Holidays, sermons, Shana Tova
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Staycation
For my family, a “staycation” is code for many things. It’s code for, we can’t afford a vacation right now. It’s also code for, we will stay in the cold and snowy, damp and dark Chicago winter instead of soaking … Continue reading
Posted in Gratitude, Love, Mindfulness, parenting, Uncategorized
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We Mourn. We Get up. #SolidarityShabbat
Here is a sermon I delivered Friday night November 2nd, one week after eleven Jews were murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Shabbat Morning. The sermon was delivered from an outline, written-out a touch more fully … Continue reading
Ayin Tova: To See The Good 
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