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.
April 18, 2020
On Leadership
Occasion(s) / Sh’mini
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.
April 11, 2020
Social Solidarity . . . Not Distancing
Occasion(s) / Pesach
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.
April 10, 2020
The Question of Suffering
Occasion(s) / Pesach
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.
March 28, 2020
The Next Right Thing
Occasion(s) / Va-yikra
We all risk decision fatigue as the public health crisis forces us to make one important choice after another with limited information.
March 07, 2020
Purim in the Time of Coronavirus
Occasion(s) / T’tzavveh, Purim, Shabbat Zakhor
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.
February 29, 2020
Let There Be Disruption
Occasion(s) / T’rumah
What can synagogues learn from Blockbuster and Kodak? Using the countercultural havurot of the 1960s as a case study, Rabbi Cosgrove explores models of innovative disruption, inviting us to be open-minded in imagining the future of our community.
February 15, 2020
Standing at Sinai
Occasion(s) / Yitro
In his sermon, “Standing at Sinai,” given at Temple Sinai in Los Angeles to honor his father at his “second Bar Mitzvah,” his 83rd birthday, Rabbi Cosgrove enacted the fifth commandment, honoring his father and mother by speaking of the influence their Judaism had on his own Jewish values and cho
February 08, 2020
Making Sense of Our Moment
Occasion(s) / B’shallah
For those of us trying to make sense of the challenges facing American Jewry in 2020 – antisemitism, anti-Zionism, BDS (boycotts, divestments and sanctions), intersectionality, and more – 1960 is as good a place to start as any.
January 04, 2020
Time to Step Up and March
Occasion(s) / Va-yiggash
Aside from the out-of-town guests of this morning’s Bnei Mitzvah, whose travel plans may prevent them from joining tomorrow’s “No Hate.