Podcasts

Do you believe in miracles? As we approach Hanukkah, the holiday of miracles, Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that we need not believe in the supernatural in order to appreciate the miraculous in the mundane.

We are all imperfect, and holidays like Thanksgiving often seem to shine a light on the ways we don’t measure up to some Rockwellian standard.

As Thanksgiving approaches, Rabbi Cosgrove explores the subject of sibling relations by way of the most intense and painful sibling rivalry of the Bible – Jacob and Esau. He urges us to invest in the blessing of siblings and to express gratitude for their presence in our lives.

In posing “the Sancho question,” Rabbi Cosgrove considers how the response of our political leaders and our own responses to the recent election bear on the health of our democracy and the strength of our country.

Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that at moments of joy and sorrow, gam zeh ya·avor, this too shall pass. We can find strength and sorrow in the realization that no single moment totally defines us and we should always work for things to be different in the future.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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