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Read Rabbi Knopf’s Recent Posts
- A Temple For All – Parashat Ki Tissa 5783 March 12, 2023
- Don’t Hate One Another More Than Necessary March 10, 2023
- Antisemitism bills shouldn’t stifle free speech February 13, 2023
- With Israel’s Democracy In Danger, We Must Not Silence Critics January 23, 2023
- Saving Democracy is a Jewish Obligation November 1, 2022
Tag Archives: exodus
A Temple For All – Parashat Ki Tissa 5783
We usually think about human progress as the story of individuals – usually white men, if we’re being honest – that create major breakthroughs or innovations that revolutionize the way the world works: think of Edison and the light bulb, … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged exodus, Judaism, spirituality, synagogue, synagogues, temple, Torah
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Up Close and Far Away: Parashat Bo 5782
Whenever I talk to or run into someone I haven’t spoken to or seen in a while, and they say something like, “I love seeing pictures of your family on social media; your kids always look so happy and well-behaved. … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged exodus, exodus story, God, Judaism, parashah, spirituality, Torah, torah portion, wisdom
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Our Kids – Yom Kippur 5776/2015
They have become the most powerful symbols of the past year. But before they were symbols, they were people. Early each morning, sometimes before sunrise, 3 year-old Aylan would sneak quietly out of his bed, shuffle softly against the stone … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged #blacklivesmatter, equality, ethics, exodus, God, justice, our kids, race, racism, refugee crisis, social justice, syria
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Illumin8: 6th Night – Missing the Miracle
One of my favorite midrashim (rabbinic interpretations of Scripture) centers on the story of the Red Sea splitting. God dramatically splits the sea, allowing the Children of Israel to narrowly escape Pharaoh’s charging army. The Children of Israel “marched through the sea on … Continue reading
Posted in Illumin8, Reflections
Tagged Chanukah, exodus, Hanukkah, holidays, miracles, psychology
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My Song and My Strength – Parashat Beshallah 2012
The splitting of the Sea of Reeds is, perhaps, the most exhilarating scene in the Torah: The Israelites, escaping Pharaoh’s cruel slavery, hastily flee from Egypt and camp at the banks of the Sea. Meanwhile, Pharaoh’s heart is hardened one … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged exodus, exodus story, growth, Judaism, miracles, nature of god, parashah, positive thinking, psychology, rabbinic midrash, red sea, religion, sea of reeds, sedra, sermon, spirituality, theology, Torah, torah portion, wisdom
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Becoming God’s Love – Parashat Bo 2012
Since this summer, I have been teaching a short class each Wednesday morning on the Tomer Devorah, the Palm Tree of Deborah. The Tomer Devorah, which was written by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, a medieval Sephardic mystic, is about the notion … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged book of leviticus, ethics, exodus, growth, imitatio dei, Judaism, love, nature of god, parashah, religion, sedra, sermon, spirituality, theology, tomer devorah, Torah, wisdom
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Rabbi Michael Rose Knopf 