A Free Pulpit
In 1905, Stephen S. Wise was under consideration to serve as rabbi at Temple Emanu–El in New York City. When he learned that his sermons would be reviewed in advance by the temple’s board of trustees, he withdrew himself from consideration and founded a “free” synagogue where anyone who addresses the congregation can say what he or she wishes.
Since establishing freedom of the pulput, our bimah has served as a platform for some of the most important voices in our community, our country and behind. And our rabbis have a rich tradition of speaking about the defining issues of our times.
Featured Sermons
On The Character of Man: What a Piece of Work
“The contrast between our high self-image and the base evil we are capable of has long baffled and intrigued the greatest minds of our species,” says Rabbi Ammi Hirsch. The Psalmist praised the human creature…
Unveiled
“Imagine if suddenly the walls disappeared and we could see all around us,” Rabbi Samantha Natov challenges us on Sukkot. By emphasizing physical experiences, she says, the holiday “connects us to our spirituality and communal…
October 7: A Year Later
On Yom Kippur, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch shared the range of emotions experienced by Jews since October 7, 2023, including anger, love, sorrow, mutual responsibility and determination to recover. Addressing young adults directly, he urged them…
The Most Important Verse in the Bible
“What is the most important verse in the Bible?” asks Rabbi Ammi Hirsch on Erev Yom Kippur. “You have all these grand ethical principles: monotheism, equality, justice, humanity, mercy, loving-kindness, freedom — and one of…
God’s Presence
“Many of us wonder if it’s possible to feel God’s presence,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov, but divinity is everywhere — all around us. “Over these days of repentance and return, may we reconnect with our…
Through the Looking Glass
“Glass is not fragile in all ways just because it is fragile in one way,” says Rabbi Rena Rifkin, reflecting on her recent visit to the Corning Museum of Glass. And like glass, the Jewish…
The Tests of Our Time
“For Jews, our deepest anxieties for the safety of our people — the product of centuries of repressed traumas — have reawakened and our confidence in the West’s ability to withstand the test of civilization…
A Message of Jewish Resilience
Rabbi Ammi Hirsch opens the Rosh Hashanah evening services with a message of resilience: “There is a stone slab in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It was carved around the year 1,200 BCE and stands…
The Path Home
“The entire Jewish community is carrying the crushing weight of our communal trauma,” says Rabbi Samantha Natov, but Rosh Hashanah brings new possibility of wholeness and return. “Turning towards Jewish community can restore a sense…
Free Will
Why does God let bad things happen? It’s a question Rabbi Dalia Samansky’s sixth-grade students — and many of us — have asked. “Judaism teaches that humans have agency over our actions,” says Rabbi Samansky.…
Sermons From Our Rabbis
Rabbi Tracy Kaplowitz
Rabbi Rena Rifkin