“Twas the seventh day of Hanukkah, and all through the night, Jews were observing Shabbat with delight.” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch mesmerized listeners of all ages with his fun take on a classic poem.

“Judaism is not passive acceptance of the divine will. God wants protest for the sake of what is right,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this sermon. “The point of Judaism is to feel a kinship with all human beings. God is not only looking for good people, but good people who are willing to do justice even within a sea of injustice.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch is the senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. A vibrant Reform congregation on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Stephen Wise Free Synagogue has served as a catalyst for progressive Jewish thought, support for Israel, and committed social action in the local community and beyond for more than 100 years. Learn more at swfs.org.

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch examines the human inclination to lie. As an example, he condemns UNESCO’s draft resolution that “simply erased” any connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. “We must train ourselves to value and defend the truth,” he says

An unusual scene in Central Park inspires Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch to reflect on praying, blessings, and faith. “Try to pray for the permanent and infinite things… not only for yourself, but for others. And then–go out into the world and try to make a difference.”

“Your words are you: your character, your spirit – your essence,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this recent sermon. “When leaders lie, they coarsen public values and corrode public life.”