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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: High Holidays
When the Party’s Over — Shemini Atzeret 5783
My friend and drumming teacher, Chris Parker, once taught me a lesson about music that has always stayed with me: “Music,” he said, “is sound organized in time.” In other words, sound without time is just noise. Time without sound … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged grief, High Holidays, High Holy Days, holidays, Judaism, music, religion, Shemini Atzeret, spirituality, Sukkot, Torah, wisdom, yizkor
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Are You a Hero? — Yom Kippur 5783
By now, you’ve heard quite a bit about my sabbatical; perhaps more than you wanted to know. Apologies if that’s the case. On Rosh Hashanah, I talked about how I tried to embrace the spirit of Shabbat by refraining from … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged david bowie, High Holidays, High Holy Days, holidays, Judaism, religion, society, spirituality, superheroes, Torah, wisdom, Yom Kippur
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Why Are You Here? — Rosh Hashanah 5783
As a people that is well over three thousand years old, Jews have collectively lived through many eras of upheaval. We have endured revolutions and conquests; crusades, inquisitions and expulsions; the rise and fall of empires; civil wars and world … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged High Holidays, High Holy Days, holidays, Judaism, justice, politics, religion, rosh ha-shanah, rosh hashana, rosh hashanah, social justice, society, Torah
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Back to the Future: Rosh Hashanah Day 1 5782
The year was 1944. As the second World War raged overseas, my grandfather (of blessed memory) was a young army private, based at Camp Croft, South Carolina. To that point, he hadn’t been deployed overseas because he served as a … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged family, High Holidays, High Holy Days, holidays, Judaism, memory, religion, rosh hashanah, society, Torah, war, wisdom
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From Great to Good: Rosh Hashanah Day 2, 5777
In the 19th Century, British philosopher Thomas Carlyle argued that history is mainly about the accomplishments of great people. Since then, many thinkers have pointed out the flaws in Carlyle’s “Great Men” theory, but, whether intentionally or not, history is … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged culture, current-events, faith, health, High Holidays, High Holy Days, Jewish holidays, Jewish thought, personal, religion, rosh hashanah, spirituality
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One Community, One Campus: Rosh Hashanah Day 1, 5777
Of all the enemies our ancestors faced in antiquity, perhaps none were more fearsome than the Assyrians. Around 900 BCE, Assyria began to conquer much of what was at the time the known world. The empire Assyria built stretched from … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged American Judaism, Conservative Judaism, faith, High Holidays, High Holy Days, Jewish holidays, Judaism, religion, rosh hashanah, spirituality, synagogue, synagogues
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The Quantified Life – Yom Kippur 5775
Little Emily waits at the bus stop for her first day of 3rd Grade. She’s excited – to reunite with her friends, share some summer stories, and get to know her new teachers – but there is little unfamiliar about … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged data, God, growth, High Holidays, holidays, meaning of life, psychology, religion, sermon, social media, society
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A House of Prayer for All People – Rosh Hashanah Day 1 5775
In the Jewish tradition, each new year provides an opportunity to pause, reflect, and refocus. We consider the events of the year that has passed, celebrate our triumphs, and confront our failures. Looking … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged Conversion, Denominations, halakhah, High Holidays, holidays, intermarriage, Jewish law, Jewish People, pew report, religion, rosh hashanah, synagogues, Who is a Jew
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No inspiration without perspiration: The key to meaningful Judaism
Just before the High Holy Days, a panic seizes many Jews. Those who rarely, if ever, step foot in synagogue the rest of the year feel compelled to attend worship on the Days of Awe. They come despite knowing that … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds, Reflections
Tagged Conservative Judaism, High Holidays, holidays, Jewish People, Judaism, rabbis, religion, spirituality, synagogues, Torah, wisdom
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Ben Affleck, Batman and Us: A Spiritual Reflection on the Backlash
When news broke last week that Ben Affleck was cast as Batman for the upcoming Man of Steel sequel, the fan reaction was swift, harsh, and pervasive. Within hours of the announcement — and months before production is slated to begin on … Continue reading
Posted in Articles and Op-Eds, Reflections
Tagged batman, Batman Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck, Ben Affleck As Batman, Ben Affleck Batman, Ben Affleck Batman Backlash, growth, High Holidays, holidays, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Judaism, man of steel, Postmodernism, psychology, Religion News, Talmud, Torah
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Rabbi Michael Rose Knopf 