Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph

Balancing our Jewish Lives A week ago our community was shaken, shocked and saddened by the untimely death of Rabbi Shmuel Mann of B’nai Israel in Aurora. This is a profound loss for the B’nai Israel community in particular but also to all of us in the Western Suburbs. Rabbi Mann will be sorely missed.…

What Does G-d Look Like?  Every Sunday morning I visit two classrooms in our Religious School for one of my favorite activities of the week –“Ask the Rabbi”. Usually the teacher and the students prepare a list of questions ahead of time that they want to ask me.  Some of the questions are surprisingly original…

Remembering the Holocaust November 9 and 10th mark the 75th anniversary of the riots against Jews in Germany that we know as Kristallnacht – the night of the shattered glass.  In those 12 hours of mayhem, over 7500 Jewish businesses were attacked, 1000 synagogues were set to fire across Germany and Austria, and nearly 100…

The Power of Words It is a beautiful Jewish tradition for parents to place their hands on the heads of their children and bless them on Friday nights. For sons we say, “May G-d give you the blessings of Ephraim and Manasseh”. For daughters we recite, “May G-d give you the blessings of Sarah, Rebecca,…

A few weeks ago I gave a sermon in which I mentioned a film that I had seen called “Twenty Feet from Stardom.” In the sermon I cited the famous story of Rabbi Zusya, who feared that when he died and went to heaven he would be asked not “why were you not Moses,” –…

The phone rings on the wall of Mrs. Gerda Weinblatt’s kitchen in her apartment at 303 Avenue S in Brooklyn.  “Mrs. Weinblatt?”  a voice says.  “I have Worthington Rosecroft of Lakeview Capital on the line.  Please hold.”                                    …

Twenty Feet from Stardom This past Monday I saw a movie called “Twenty Feet from Stardom”.  It focuses on the careers of a number of African American women – Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fisher, Tata Vega  and Judith Hill, to name a few – who provided the background voices to the likes of Mick…

Second Chances Members of our congregation are wonderful when it comes to asking questions.  Some of my best sermons, I think, are based on questions that congregants ask me.  I would venture to say that even the most inquisitive minds in our congregation have never even thought to ask the question I am about to…

This Day of Judgment  A few weeks ago, a young man, Michael Brandon Hill, walked armed into the McNair Elementary School in Georgia and barricaded himself into a small office, and threatened a massacre.  The only person standing between him and another Sandy Hook was the school bookkeeper, Antoinette Tuff. Perhaps you heard the riveting,…

The Kittel The story is told that Elijah the prophet once showed up to a wedding dressed as a beggar. “Please sir,” he asked the father of the bride, “May I come in and have a bite to eat.” Seeing this disheveled man standing before him, the father of the bride ordered to leave –…