Derlivered on Rosh Hashanah Morning 2023 at Congregation Kol Ami, Thornhill, Ontario. Let me ask you a question: Have you looked at the sky today? The story is told that once the great Rebbe Nachman of Bratzlav was looking out his window and he noticed one of his disciples, Chaim, rushing down the street towardContinueContinue reading “Stop and See: A Sermon for Rosh Hashanah 5784”
Tag Archives: judaism
“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”
The Need for Rest: What We Can Learn From the Land
Have you ever thought to yourself, “I’m so busy! I can’t take a break or else I’ll never catch up.” It’s a universal concern – we’ve all felt that way at one time or another. This week’s parashah addresses this issue – only it’s not talking (directly) about people, but rather about land. “Six yearsContinueContinue reading “The Need for Rest: What We Can Learn From the Land”
“The Earth God Has Given” – Blessings as Mindfulness and Gratitude
The practice of saying blessings is very ancient in Judaism. In this Talmudic text, the sage Rabbi Levi gives a beautiful explanation and meaning for the practice: Rabbi Levi raised a contradiction between two texts in the Psalms: On the one hand, it is written: “The earth and all it contains belongs to the Eternal”ContinueContinue reading ““The Earth God Has Given” – Blessings as Mindfulness and Gratitude”
Rabbi Micah Streiffer 