Shtender Jcast Network

Listen in as Rabbi Knopf is formally installed as the Rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia.  

In honor of Rabbi Knopf’s installation as Rabbi of Temple Beth-El, his father-in-law, Rabbi Neal Rose, Ph.D., offers some words of Torah, connecting the Noah story with the meaning of installing a new rabbi.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat B’reishit (October 18, 2014): Why being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper is more important now than ever.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat B’reishit (October 17, 2014): The opening chapter of Genesis, teach the rabbis, is an extended metaphor about the nature of the world and the Jewish mission in it. Rabbi Knopf unpacks the metaphor, and charges us with the mission.

In his Saturday message for the Shabbat of the Sukkot festival (October 11, 2014), Rabbi Knopf offers a fresh take on why the Torah instructs us to celebrate Sukkot.  

“In his Friday message for the Shabbat of the Sukkot festival (October 10, 2014), Rabbi Knopf compares synagogues to sukkot, the Ise Shrine, and Wikipedia.  

In his Yom Kippur message for 5775, Rabbi Knopf explains why we should focus on living a life that counts, rather than on living a life that can be counted.  

What two renaissances – separated by centuries and thousands of miles – can teach the American Jewish community about sparking our own.  

In his message for Shabbat Shuvah (September 27, 2014), Rabbi Knopf explains the deeper meaning of a High Holy Day season liturgical change.  

In his sermon for the 2nd Day of Rosh Hashanah 5775, Rabbi Knopf argues that, for the sake of the welfare of the American Jewish community and Israel, our communal conversation about Israel should be guided by our legacy as a people of the Talmud.  

In his sermon for the 1st Day of Rosh Hashanah 5775, Rabbi Knopf calls upon the Jewish community to be more inclusive to intermarried families.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Nitzavim-VaYelekh (September 20, 2014): Some refrain from Jewish observances because they think they get the point, or think there is no point. But the only way to know the ancient wisdom Jewish practice teaches is by taking a “leap of action.”  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Ki Tavo (September 13, 2014): A personal tribute to JTS Professor Dov Zlotnick, who passed away on September 13, 2014, and to his scholarly passion, the Mishnah.    

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Ki Tavo (September 12, 2014): The capacity for change – in our lives and for our communities – sometimes requires looking at ourselves through a fresh set of eyes.    

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Ki Tetzei (September 6, 2014): The brokenness of our world might make us tempted to turn off the news and ignore what’s going on. But don’t be tempted to look away. The world needs you now more than ever.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Ki Tetzei (September 5, 2014): The prevalence of political scandals in our time – notably the recent conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell – do not prove that power corrupts. Rather, power simply amplifies our innate characteristics.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Shoftim (August 22, 2014): Many of us feel that in a disagreement, there is only right and wrong, winner and loser. But often, there is more than one right way, and more than one way to win. That’s why the Torah teaches us to actively pursue compromise.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Shoftim (August 22, 2014): This month leading up to the High Holy Days is a time for the valuable task of evaluating ourselves. But when you judge yourself, remember to judge yourself fairly.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 23, 2014): The quality of our life is often dictated by how we choose to see our life. And how we relate to the world is strongly connected to how we choose to view the world.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 22, 2014): Whether or not Michael Brown’s killing was racially-motivated, the wounds it exposed and the tensions it ignited cannot be ignored by the Jewish community. The Torah calls for us to build a just society.