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Read Rabbi Knopf’s Recent Posts
- Leaning Into Love: A Jewish Message for Lent/Easter 2020 April 27, 2020
- Wearing a face mask? You’re doing a mitzvah. Make a brachah! April 14, 2020
- What God Needs Now: A Brief Pandemic Passover Reflection April 12, 2020
- A Eulogy for Helen Zimm (z”l) April 8, 2020
- Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic March 23, 2020
Tag Archives: spirituality
Leaning Into Love: A Jewish Message for Lent/Easter 2020
I was honored to be invited to offer remarks at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church (Richmond, VA) during the Lenten season. Unfortunately, those plans were…altered…by the pandemic. But my message has been posted on YouTube. You can check it out here:
Posted in Reflections, Sermons
Tagged coronavirus, covid-19, current-events, ethics, health, healthcare, justice, love, politics, religion, social justice, society, spirituality
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What God Needs Now: A Brief Pandemic Passover Reflection
“Once, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai was traveling out of Jerusalem. Rabbi Yehoshua was walking behind him and saw the Temple in ruins. He said, ‘Alas for us, for this place which lies in ruins was where the people Israel atoned … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections, Sermons
Tagged coronavirus, covid-19, current-events, faith, health, healthcare, Jewish holidays, love, Passover, personal, religion, society, spirituality
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A Eulogy for Helen Zimm (z”l)
Today, I had the painful honor of burying my dear friend and teacher, Helen Zimm. The experience was made even more painful by the fact that most of Helen’s family and virtually all of her community were not able to … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged coronavirus, covid-19, current-events, faith, history, holocaust, hope, Jewish holidays, Jewish People, jewish state, love, Passover, personal, religion, society, spirituality, women
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A Pandemic Blessing and Prayer
Ever since Lilah, our oldest child, was born, Adira and I have sung a prayer called “B’shem Hashem (The Angel Song)” to our children each night at bedtime, using a melody from Rabbi Solomon Carlebach. It’s a lovely ritual, but … Continue reading
Posted in Reflections
Tagged coronavirus, covid-19, current-events, faith, health, parents, personal, religion, spirituality
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The Promises of Israel
Sermon from Kol Nidrei — October 8, 2019 It is striking that we initiate Yom Kippur with Kol Nidrei, a liturgical poem that both highlights the promises we make and alludes to the fact that we have an unfortunate … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged American Judaism, community, culture, current-events, faith, history, human-rights, Israel, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, justice, middle-east, peace, personal, philosophy, politics, religion, social justice, society, spirituality, terrorism
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Inner and Outer Work
This speech was originally given at the Spring Keynote event for the Chrysalis Institute (now The Innerwork Center) on May 2, 2019. Within a six week span in late 2016, two things happened that changed my life: The first was … Continue reading
Posted in Sermons
Tagged current-events, justice, personal, politics, religion, Religion and Politics, social justice, spiritual transformation, spirituality
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Think Different: A Sermon on the Tower of Babel
Toward the end of Parashat Noah we encounter an intriguing but perplexing story: After the flood, Noah’s descendants multiplied and began to settle in the land of Shinar, otherwise known as Babylon. There, they decide to build a great city … Continue reading
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Tagged community, culture, current-events, faith, parashah, politics, religion, society, spirituality
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