Category: Uncategorized
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Sermon on Antisemitism / February 4, 2022
Shabbat Shalom. It is good to be back after my month-long Sabbatical. I spent a lot of time reading, practicing my guitar, reaching out to friends, colleagues, and old teachers. And of course, I kept abreast of the news regarding Israel and Judaism. Like many of you I have been alarmed and concerned by the continued increase of antisemitism…
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Teach Your Children: Part ll (Parasha VeYechi)
It is the final chapter of the Book of Genesis. Jacob, reunited with his family in Egypt, is about to die. Before he does, he gathers his children around his deathbed for his final words to them. (Gen 49:1) His intention is to use his prophetic powers to tell them their futures. According to…
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Teach Your Children Well (Parashah Miketz)
This past Sunday Naperville Community Television visited our Congregation as part of a segment they were producing on “Chanukah in Naperville”. The NCTV reporter visited with Jen Weiner and her kindergarten class as they lit the Hanukkah candles in our sanctuary. The reporter went on to interview the kids about how they celebrate Hanukkah.…
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To Be a Jew is to be Thankful (Parasha VaYetze 11-19)
Every Sunday morning, I visit our Sunday school classes. Each class prepares questions they want me to answer. I have had so many great questions. What does the word “Rabbi” mean? Why did G-d create the world? Where was the first synagogue? Who was the first Rabbi? If G-d did not want Adam and Eve to eat…
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"It is Hard to be a Jew" (Parasha Toldot 11/06/21)
It can be tough to be the son of a well-known father. Sometimes sons follow in their famous fathers’ footsteps – Michael Douglas and Kirk Douglas, George W. Bush and George HW Bush, Peyton Manning and Archie Manning, are three examples that come to mind. At times some sons seem to rebel against…
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The Importance of Kindness (Parasha Chaye Sarah)
Our Torah reading for this week opens on a sad note. We are told that at age 127, Sarah has died. As you remember, Abraham and Sarah are the first Jewish people. At G0d’s command they leave their home in Aram Naharaim and travel to the Land of Canaan. There, G-d promises to give…
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We Are All Stars (Parasha Va-Yera)
In this week’s parsha, Abraham receives a blessing from G-d promising to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in heaven and the sands of the seashore. Earlier in the Torah G-d promises to make Abraham’s descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. Why are the Jewish people compared to dust,…
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God Does Not Seek Perfection (Parasha Lekh Lekha)
Last week the lawmakers in the United Kingdom banned the use of botox-style injections and lip fillers for anyone under the age of 18. Government estimates showed that there were over 41,000 non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed on under 18 year olds last year. The pursuit of beauty has accelerated world-wide under the influence of…
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Parasha Bereisheet The Eyes Have It!
In the Book of Kings G-d appears to King Solomon in a dream. Solomon, then a young man, has just ascended to the throne of Israel following the death of his father, King David. In this dream, G-d asks Solomon what G-d can give him. Solomon tells G_D that he is just a…
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Listening (Parasha Haazinu)
The Book of Deuteronomy is full of words related to “hearing”. The most famous verse in the Five Books of Moses is related to the sense of hearing –“Hear O Israel, the Lord our G-d, the Lord is One.” There are many other references to “hearing” or “listening” in the Book of Deuteronomy, including…
Rabbi Marc D. Rudolph 