Sermons

At any Yizkor service, mourners are called on to stand together – separated in their grief. This year we are “together apart” more than ever.  Rabbi Cosgrove urges us to follow the examples of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, reaching beyond our own pain of loss to help ease the grief of others. 

In honor of our annual “Seminary Shabbat,” Rabbi Cosgrove tracks the history of the American Jewish experience through the seven chancellors of the Seminary and raises the question of what sits on the docket of the soon-to-be-announced next chancellor. 

How do we respond to the loss of occasions and opportunities during the pandemic? Rabbi Cosgrove advises us how to acknowledge each other’s sorrow and be present for one another as we gather our strength to step into an uncertain future. 

Rabbi Cosgrove describes serving as clergy during the past two months and how the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed the way families experience the death of a loved one and the Jewish rituals of burial and mourning.

A sermon dedicated in honor of the medical professionals and researchers serving on the front lines of our public health crisis: Rabbi Cosgrove recounts the life and legacy of Dr. Waldemar Haffkine – revolutionary, life-saving epidemiologist, Zionist, and philanthropist.

From Moses to MLK to our present lives, leadership is measured according to the degree to which we walk the walk and not just talk the talk.  Rabbi Cosgrove calls on each of us to strive to embody our highest ideals in order to mend our broken world.

Accept Rabbi Cosgrove’s challenge from his Shabbat Hol Hamoed Pesach sermon: For each of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, call or email someone to whom you might not otherwise reach out.

On the occasion of the seventieth anniversary of Rabbi Milton Steinberg’s passing, Rabbi Cosgrove draws on his predecessor’s writing to address the question of suffering.

We all risk decision fatigue as the public health crisis forces us to make one important choice after another with limited information.

What can Purim teach us in the time of coronavirus?  Rabbi Cosgrove presents the story of Esther as a reminder that even when life feels like a lottery, we can all take agency and respond by moving the needle towards good – in our own lives and the lives of those around us.