Sermons

Join Rabbi Will Hall at Temple Beth Shalom for a thoughtful Rosh Hashanah sermon about authentic presence, human connection, and the power of attention. Rabbi Hall reflects on a personal story about high school reunions, social media, and our obsession with visibility. He reminds us that: -Profiles aren’t people—photos and posts can’t capture the full story of a life. -Judaism embraces the messy, the imperfect, and the uncurated—from creation to our ancestors’ stories, holine

Join Rabbi Will Hall at Temple Beth Shalom for a heartfelt Rosh Hashanah sermon on finding gratitude amid life’s noise. In this teaching, Rabbi Hall shares a humorous and profound story about a man overwhelmed by the chaos of his home. Through the guidance of his rabbi, he discovers that the very sounds he once found annoying—the laughter of children, the singing of his wife, even Grandma’s snoring—can become sources of gratitude and joy. Key themes include: -Recognizing the

Shabbat Shalom from Temple Beth Shalom in Austin, Texas. In this moving and timely sermon, Rabbi Will Hall (RWH) reflects on sacred memory, responsibility, and the choices that shape who we are—both as individuals and as a Jewish people. Drawing from Parashat Chayei Sarah, Rabbi Hall explores Abraham’s insistence on honoring Sarah with intention and dignity, and how this connects to another moment of profound significance: the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on

In this courageous Yom Kippur sermon, Rabbi Will Hall of Temple Beth Shalom explores what it truly means to live as a Jew in today’s world — without apology, without auditioning for acceptance, and without shrinking our Jewishness to fit someone else’s definition of “good.” Tracing centuries of history, from ancient scapegoating to modern politics, Rabbi Hall reveals how antisemitism continually shifts — demanding either the “good Jew” who conforms or the “bad Jew” who is con

Shabbat shalom from Temple Beth Shalom! In this week’s sermon, Rabbi Will Hall explores the timeless lessons of the Torah’s creation story through the lens of today’s digital world. Reflecting on the ancient narrative of Adam, Eve, and the serpent, Rabbi Hall examines how misinformation and partial truths can twist reality, sow fear, and isolate us — just as they did in the Garden of Eden. Using the experience of a false missile alert in Israel as a modern parallel, Rabbi Hal