Do we have to forgive? There’s a story in the Talmud (Ta’anit 2a-b) that says that Rabbi Elazar ben Shimon once insulted a man – called him ugly. And then immediately realized that he had done wrong. He got down off his donkey and pleaded for forgiveness. He said, “נַעֲנֵיתִי לְךָ, מְחוֹל לִי! – IContinueContinue reading “Do We Have to Forgive? Lessons From a Gourd Plant”
Category Archives: Sermons
“As the Waters Cover the Sea”: A Prayer for Peace and Humanity
This is the sermon that I delivered on Yom Kippur morning 5785 (2024) at Am Shalom Congregation in Barrie, Ontario. This poem is called “Birkat Shalom – Blessing of Peace” by Marcia Falk נשאל מעין השלוםיזל כטליערף כמטר השלוםותמלא הארץ שלוםכמים לים מכסים Let us ask of the wellspring of peace:May peace drip like dew,AndContinueContinue reading ““As the Waters Cover the Sea”: A Prayer for Peace and Humanity”
How To Be a Prophet: A Sermon for Yom Kippur 2023
This is the sermon I delivered on Kol Nidrei 5784/2023 at Kol Ami Congregation in Thornhill, Ontario. How to be a prophet.Part 1: Nobody wants to be a prophet. Picture this: It’s festival time in ancient Jerusalem. You’re walking down the street, dressed in your finest. Leading your goat to the Temple for your sacrifice.ContinueContinue reading “How To Be a Prophet: A Sermon for Yom Kippur 2023”
“A Spectrum of Meaningful Human Difference” – Sermon for Pride Shabbat
Judaism is full of blessings. There’s a blessing for bread, a blessing for wine. A blessing for fruits and vegetables and other various foodstuffs. There are blessings for seeing and enjoying a beautiful natural scene – a rainbow, a sunset. There are blessings for doing mitzvot – like lighting candles and putting on a tallit.ContinueContinue reading ““A Spectrum of Meaningful Human Difference” – Sermon for Pride Shabbat”
Rabbi Micah Streiffer 