Podcasts

In this episode of How We Talk About, Jen Stern Granowitz and Erin Beser speak with Purim Spiel Director Cantor Rachel Brook about the adult themes of the Book of Esther, a biblical text that involves forced sex, substance abuse, genocide, and mass murder.

“Laws are the love language of the Torah.” Rabbi Witkovsky explores Parashat Mishpatim and an 1838 speech given by Abraham Lincoln. He shows the importance of laws in Jewish and American tradition and of ensuring that our laws reflect our values and are followed.

In the face of sin and addictive behavior, how can Torah guide us to realize our best selves? The legacy of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, z”l, inspires us to take personal agency over our lives.

In this episode of How We Talk About, Jen Stern Granowitz and Erin Beser speak with Josh Rosenberg, Cantorial Fellow at Park Avenue Synagogue, about the challenges of praying and learning how to pray.

What lessons does the Exodus offer to our country and to us? Rabbi Cosgrove proposes five principles that can guide us as we seek to emerge from today’s narrow places.

For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Calling the domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol no surprise, Rabbi Cosgrove argues that as with Pharaoh's Egypt, the degradation of our society occurs incrementally and with the complicity of many. Reversing it will require that we take a stand to denounce hatred and injustice.

In this episode, Jennifer and Erin speak to Pamela Schwartz, Penn Family Early Childhood Center Director, about using respectful language and empowering children to take leadership and responsibility in the classroom and at home.

Reflections, retrospectives, and resolutions . . . Didn’t we already do this at Rosh Hashanah? Our tradition teaches us that sometimes we need a do-over to help reorient us toward a more courageous, more hopeful future.

We all need some strength as we work to keep everyone safe through a little self-restraint. To give us a boost, Rabbi Witkovsky discusses the Jewish values latent in the idea of restraint, including lessons from Joseph on when and how we can benefit ourselves and others through self-control.

Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that since Joseph in Egypt, Jews have found the strength to form imagined community and make spiritual connections even when we are physically separated. We must reach out to others, reminding them and ourselves that we are never alone.

Manhattan Congregational and Hebrew School Directors Jennifer Stern Granowitz and Erin Beser co-host this professional development podcast for educators who teach Jewish subjects in Jewish schools.

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.