The High Holy Days are approaching and a rabbi is in search of inspiration for the holiday sermons. Does the rabbi turn to the words of Yehuda Halevi and Rav Kook for halachic wisdom?

This year, the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, which features workshops on sermon enhancement each August, decided to follow the lead of two Hollywood rabbis who met with comedy writer Jane Leahy for her input on their upcoming sermons.

The outcome, according to a story in the Jewish Forward, helped put together this year ’s reshaped High Holy Days Seminar, the largest trans-denominational gathering of rabbis on the West Coast. It was presented by the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, under the aegis of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and was reshaped by the board’s executive vice president, Rabbi Mark Diamond, and seminar chair Rabbi Jon Hanish.

“ Rabbis want to be on the cutting edge,” said Hanish, who organized the

Professional Writers Workshop for the August seminar. Tapping Leahy for jokes and drawing upon industry contacts, Hanish managed to assemble an impressive roster of star television writers for the workshop.

Writers included “ Leahy and colleague Lisa Albert, both writers for The AMC series “ Mad Men”; Emmyand Golden Globe- winning television writer/ producer David M. Israel of Nickelodeon’s new series “ How To Rock,” and Jason Katims (NBC’s “Parenthood” and “Friday Night Lights,” Fox’s “Boston Public”.”

“We are all working on something,” Hanish said jokingly at the beginning of the session before directing the writers and rabbis to break into working groups of two and three.

The rabbis consulted with the professional writers on several aspects of their sermons, including adding a more personal touch without being offensive, crafting the perfect endings and practicing fresh writing.

“What makes writing fresh is finding specificity,” Dahvi Waller, a veteran of ABC’s “Desperate Housewives,” told a rabbi, advising to sharpen generic terms “like it’s a real story.” “The character wears a certain necklace, or has a lisp.”

According to The Forward story, along with the Hollywood types, the rabbis got some tips from clergymen who have a knack for lighting a fire under their congregations.

Reverend Cecil “Chip” Murray, the 82- year-old former pastor of L.A.’s First American Methodist Episcopal Church, offered a priceless piece of advice.

“ If you hear the people snoring,” Murray declared, cupping a hand to his ear, “ you’re violating the 11th Commandment.”