In These Times with Rabbi Ammi Hirsch
Featured Sermons
Spiritual Purity Amidst the Messiness of Life
When the Israelites first laid eyes on the Promised Land, the leaders of 10 of the 12 tribes were convinced they could not overcome the Canaanites. “Most commentators understood this episode as an indictment of…
All the Colors of the Rainbow
On the first Shabbat of Pride Month, Rabbi Samantha Natov reflects on Parashat Beha’alotecha’s call to “raise up” and “light up.” Drawing directly from the Zohar, she shares a teaching in which Moses ascends Mount…
Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism: Clarity, Courage and Moral Leadership
“We are the leaders. We must lead. We must be proactive. It is harder now. These are times that try our souls and test our convictions,” said Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch in his keynote address to…
The Power of Positive Thinking
Drawing on Broadway’s “Every Brilliant Thing,” the concept of hakarat hatov — “recognizing the good” — and research from the field of positive psychology, Rabbi Dalia Samansky argues that gratitude is not naïve optimism, but rather a…
Finding Happiness in the Wilderness of Life
Rabbi Hirsch points out, “Judaism teaches that God placed us in a world of unending challenges. Over and over our tradition reminded us – that – for one reason or another – and for better…
Living in a World of Binaries
Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz reminds us that “Parashat Behukotai is a world of binaries, good or bad. We, as a people, are either blessed or cursed.” Yet, even in periods of fear and uncertainty, Jews are…
Carrying Time in Our Pocket
Rabbi Sam Natov reflects on how, “we look around at the state of things and may believe that we are continuing on a particular path – that more immediate dark times ahead are inevitable. When…
Roald Dahl on Broadway
The new Broadway play about acclaimed children’s author Roald Dahl struck our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch as exceedingly relevant to our times. The same language and arguments Dahl used against Israel and Jews in the 1980s…
The Two Sides of Trust
Rabbi Sam Natov wonders, “how would showing our vulnerabilities to one another impact our interactions? So many of us suffer in hiding. We are embarrassed about a personal issue and we conceal it. Thankfully, “Judaism…
The Week That Was
“These are critical and fateful times” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. “Even a hundred years from now, historians will write about these very days.” Despite this sentiment, Rabbi Hirsch is steadfast in his belief that “America…
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