Shtender Jcast Network

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Terumah (February 20, 2014): Our interconnected world means our actions impact people everywhere, and thus we have a responsibility to ensure our purchasing decisions do no harm.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Mishpatim (February 14, 2015): In the first sermon of the series “Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary,” Rabbi Knopf explores how the pursuit of justice enables God’s presence in our world.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat B’Shallah (January 31, 2015): How to break free from the fears that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat B’Shallah (January 30, 2014): A day of rest is all well and good, but means nothing if you don’t prepare for it.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Bo (January 24, 2015): How to break free from the materialism that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Bo (January 23, 2014): On the responsibility of parents to accept kids for who they are, and of Jewish communities to meet people where they are.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 17, 2015): How to break free from the insecurities that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 16, 2014): What are we supposed to be doing when we pray?  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Shemot: How to break free from the cynicism that holds us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Shemot (January 9, 2014): In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, how Shabbat can help us make a more peaceful world.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yiggash (December 27, 2014): Reviewing the past year from the perspective of Torah.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yiggash (December 26, 2014): How to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good in our lives  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yeshev (December 12, 2014): The way to become better parents (and better everything) is to learn about and improve ourselves.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yishlah (December 6, 2014): Following the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and the failure to indict the officers responsible, a Jewish call for a more just society.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Toledot (November 22, 2014): Recent events in Israel are a reminder that we still very much live in a broken world. But Judaism believes another world is not only possible but inevitable, and we can help build it.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Toledot (November 21, 2014): What happens when we try to make others be who we want them to be, rather than who they are, and when others try to do the same to us.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 8, 2014): In the hierarchy of Jewish values, welcoming guests is more important than personal spiritual breakthroughs, a fact that has profound implications for synagogue life.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 7, 2014): The play, “The Book of Mormon” inspires Rabbi Knopf to wonder what a Jewish missionary might sound like.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Lekh Lekha (November 1, 2014): Rabbi Knopf discusses the difference between Abraham and Sarah, and how the good life (and a better world) requires a balance of each person’s traits.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Lekh Lekha (October 31, 2014): Rabbi Knopf explains the connection between Shabbat and Halloween and how, if you want, you can have Halloween every week!