Sermons
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Some of you may remember the group of Christians who visited our shul before Tisha b’Av from Living Water Bible Camp in rural Wisconsin. This Christian camp had a summer program devoted to comparative religion and the participants visited Chicago, experiencing first-hand some of the religious diversity that our city can offer, and that is…
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Three or four years ago, our community in Princeton had difficulty finding a babysitter for the last days of Pesach. Pesach coincided with Easter that year and our usual babysitters for Shabbat morning were all celebrating one of the two holidays. We realized that a Muslim student would be the ideal babysitter and that is how we…
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I want to begin by thanking all of you for your sympathy and support following the death of my grandmother last week. Sara and I are very grateful. I’m returning to New York on Wednesday and our entire family will return to Chicago the following Sunday. We are eager to begin our second year together in…
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I. The Uganda Plan is one of the most derided episodes in the history of Zionism. Stymied in his initial attempts to receive international backing for a Jewish national home in Palestine, Theodor Herzl pushed instead for a Jewish National Home in British East Africa – in the area that is today Uganda. The Uganda plan…
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I. Last Monday afternoon, AIPAC’s first rabbinic mission to Israel visited Ziv Hospital in Tzfat. This medium-sized hospital provides medical care to the Eastern half of the Upper Gallil and the Golan. For the past year, however, Ziv Hospital, along with two others in Northern Israel, has been treating a very different kind of patient from a…
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I. In just a few moments we are going to say something absurd. After we have a chance to recite our personal Mussaf prayers, the Hazan will lead us in the “tefilah shel tzibbur” the prayer of the community, the repetition of the amidah and we will recite the kedushah. We will turn to God…
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The sin of the spies – the het hameraglim – is the most severe sin in the Torah and it has the most serious and severe consequences – the journey to Eretz Yisrael grinds to a halt for 38 years. Not only is the crime more severe and the punishment terribly harsh, the aftermath of…
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When my family lived in Jerusalem 6 years ago we met and befriended a Christian family who lived in our neighborhood. We met at the local playground where we took Noam almost every day. I don’t like to stereotype, but a very tall very very blonde family of English speakers attracted a certain amount of…
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Ivory Soap is 99.44 % pure. What does that even mean? 99.44% pure what? Is it even clear why that’s a good thing? To be quite frank, I’m much more concerned that my soap will be effective at cleaning me. And if it has a pleasant smell, shouldn’t that be more important than how “pure”…
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If you’ve seen the YouTube video advertising the Purim shpiel, you know that my greatest accomplishment in the six months that I’ve been at Anshe Sholom is making sure that shul finishes on time…For a Yekke, that’s the sweetest compliment I could ever ask for. And for a Yekke there may be no more appealing…
- Parasha
- Acharei Mot
- Acharei Mot-Kedoshim
- Baha'alotcha
- Balak
- Bamidbar
- Behar
- Behar-Behukotai
- Behukotai
- Bereishit
- Beshalach
- Bo
- Chayei Sara
- Devarim
- Eikev
- Emor
- Ha'Azinu
- Hol HaMoed Sukkot
- Hukkat
- Hukkat-Balak
- Kedoshim
- Ki Teitzei
- Ki Tissa
- Kol Nidre
- Korach
- Lekh Lekha
- Ma'asei
- Matot
- Matot Ma'asei
- Miketz
- Mishpatim
- Naso
- Nitzavim
- Nitzavim-Vayeilech
- Noach
- Pekudei
- Pinchas
- Re'eh
- Rosh Hashanah
- Shavuot
- Shekalim
- Shemot
- Shimini Atzeret
- Shlach
- Shmini
- Shoftim
- Tazria
- Tazria Metzora
- Terumah
- Tetzaveh
- Toldot
- Tzav
- Va'Etchanan
- Vaera
- Vayakhel
- Vayakhel-Pekudei
- VaYechi
- Vayeilech
- Vayera
- VaYeshev
- VaYetzei
- VaYigash
- Vayikra
- VaYishlach
- Yitro
- Yom Ha'atzmaut
- Yom Kippur
- Shavuot
- Year
Rabbi David Wolkenfeld 