Introducing Geshem, the ancient prayer for rain, Rabbi Cosgrove suggests that we pray for abundant rain not to sustain crops, but to wash out the crowded outdoor holiday gatherings that jeopardize public health and cast shame on the Jewish community.

Sermon –Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Our Story Begins...
Genesis is the origin story of our world, and like any good origin story, it imparts both superpowers and a mission to its heroes. Rabbi Witkovsky discusses the origin stories of the Torah and the United States. What lessons we can learn from them? Is it time for a reboot?

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: A Pause to Remember – Yizkor
Rabbi Cosgrove encourages us to appreciate Yizkor of Shemini Atzeret as a moment to linger with our memories of loved ones and to find guidance for stepping into the new year inspired by their values.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: Ask Not – Kol Nidrei
Rabbi Cosgrove challenges us to step up to the ideal of Yom Kippur, to commit to acting to mend our world, our community, and our personal relationships.
For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Sermon –Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Live Like You Were Dying
Perhaps no one in the country for the last few years has been more keenly aware of the repercussions of their own death than Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Sermon –Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Navigating the Nonideal
Jewish law differentiates between ideal and nonideal situations. Rabbi Witkovsky uses this distinction to help us navigate the nonideal world in which we find ourselves. We must choose the values that are truly important to us and fight for them.

Lecture – Ahmane’ Glover: Creating Your Own Prayer Space
Engage your senses – and your soul – as we explore what makes space sacred and how we can create our own sanctuary for prayer and reflection with Ahmane’ Glover. Glover is a spoken-word artist and cultural organizer who has explored the sacred in community with The Kennedy Center, Catalyst for Pe

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: Let There Be Reconstruction – Rosh Hashanah
Judaism has survived periods of calamity because visionary leaders have transformed Jewish life to accommodate changed circumstances.
For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Sermon - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: A Treasury of Life – Erev Rosh Hashanah
The pandemic has contracted our horizons and cost us innumerable losses, but we can still find hope and meaning in what we do. Rabbi Cosgrove encourages us to find and create beauty and joy even within the smaller scale of our lives.

Sermon - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: Ya Gotta Believe
Rabbi Cosgrove finds parallels between the life of the incomparable Mets pitcher, Tom Seaver, and the message of the Torah reading: wherever we are today is not where we can be tomorrow. As we approach Rosh Hashanah, let us all act with strength and courage to make tomorrow a better day.

Parashah Study – Rabbi Witkovsky & Erin Beser: Priest, Parent, and Teacher
Expert educator Erin Beser joins Rabbi Witkovsky to talk about Parashat Shoftim, the different roles we play in society, and what happens when those roles break down.

Parashah Study – Rabbi Witkovsky & Rabbi Linden: Plausibility and Pedagogy
Rabbis Ethan Witkovsky and Ethan Linden discuss Deuteronomy as a book looking to create an idealized society. In this regard, it is similar to synagogues and summer camps, which also try to create a rubric for the holiest society.