Writing Coaching For Your High Holidays Sermons
The high holidays call for some of the most intense writing you do all year. The sanctuary will be full, and this is your chance to give divrei torah and kavanot that are inspiring, memorable, grounded in your own deepest Torah, and speak to the needs, fears, and hopes of your congregation in difficult times.
I have years of experience working with rabbis as a writing coach, and I'm offering one-on-one support to help your writing for the high holidays this year be more meaningful, less stressful, done sooner, and nourishing for your congregation (and you).
Read on for details, and book a free consult to see if we'd be a good fit.
What I Offer
I will help you with any of your high holidays writing at any stage, from "I don't even know where to start" to "I know what I want to talk about but I'm not sure how to say it", all the way to "help, Rosh Hashannah is next week and I just realized I hate the sermon I wrote!", and I will see it through with you to the end.
As a writing coach I do a lot more than just help you write a great final product (though that will happen too!). I will be a guide, deep listener, and thought partner in finding the teachings that are most alive in you. I will help you write with alignment and intention, in your real voice, which I believe makes for more powerful and enjoyable writing than any hook or stylistic gimmick.
I will also give you effective tools and strategies that are customized to your unique strengths, so that you'll be able to write better and with less stress and deadline panic in the future.
I work especially well with people who resonate with any of the following:
- You have been told you're a "good" writer, but find writing stressful and you tend to avoid it.
- You love the interpersonal parts of being a rabbi but when you sit down to write you freeze up.
- You feel held back in your writing by anxiety and/or perfectionism.
- You identify as neurodivergent (autism, ADHD, etc) with or without diagnosis.
- You love writing, but can feel overwhelmed by the stakes of the High Holidays and all the many many (many) things you need get done.
- You would like to deepen your writing practice this year with a loving, sharp interlocutor who will help you write from the heart of your Torah.
The Details
I will help with your high holidays sermon writing end-to-end, from conception to completion, so that you have someone holding the process with you throughout the season. This includes:
- Two in-depth sessions (1 hour each) to create a customized plan and work on any of your High Holidays writing.
- Additional check-in calls as needed.
- Offline (asynchronous) comments on early drafts + a final read and feedback on your finished drafts.
- Support by text message during East Coast business hours.
Pricing
I am operating on a sustaining price model, with multiple price points to make this offering as accessible to as wide a range of communities as possible.
Sustaining: $1000. This represents the true cost of the offering.
Sliding: $500-700. This is appropriate for anyone for whom the full cost would be a barrier, for any reason.
Supporting: $1300-1800. This amount subsidizes the work for others who are not able to afford the full cost, and is appropriate for communities with significant discretionary budgets or other sources of wealth.
Nobody turned away for lack of funds: If none of the above price ranges are accessible, please reach out and I am very happy to discuss what will work for your community's budget.
From Past Clients
"This has transformed my whole Elul experience! I got my erev RH sermon half written and half outlined, in like 25 min. And the sermon itself went so well! You're magic!"
Ariana Katz
Hinenu
"I swear I this was by far the year when my high holiday sermons were the most talked about and the most emotionally received. They felt cohesive. They felt very impactful. People were just coming up to me, crying after both of them. Multiple people per service, and people writing me emails about them and texting me about them. That feels like a huge success."
Hannah Spiro
Hill Havurah
"I will never write sermons without you again!"
Mónica Gomery
Kol Tzedek Synagogue
"I don't know why I didn't work with a writing coach before! Thank you for your steady presence through this whole process."
Ilana Zeitman
Director for Jewish Life, Georgetown University
"These past few days after the holidays have been the most interaction and feedback I've ever gotten. And it really helped to have the accountability and thought partnership - I know you're there, and that really changed the process for me."
Yosef Berman
New Synagogue Project
About Me
I am a writing coach who has taught writing at the University of Pennsylvania for nearly a decade. My background is in working with unconventional leaders, writers held back by anxiety and perfectionism, and neurodivergent writers.
I've been working with rabbis on their writing for several years, and I deeply enjoy helping create the kind of structure, space, and safety that make it possible to write with confidence and authenticity.
I live in Philadelphia with my husband, our five-year-old, and an ever-growing herb garden.