What if we threw a rally for Israel and nobody showed up? Rabbi Cosgrove speaks to the battle for the soul of American Jewry and the continued importance of investing in Israel’s future and well-being.
May 08, 2021
Wipe Your Tears
Occasion(s) / B’har, B’hukkotai
How do we come back from this past year’s tough times? Do we despair or do we respond with optimism that we can transcend our difficulties to craft a positive future? As Jews have done since the prophet Jeremiah, we can show resilience and choose the positive.
May 01, 2021
The Grammar of Jewish Living
Occasion(s) / Emor
Does it matter if we are precise in our observance of mitzvot (commandments)? While always a balance between exactitude and right intention, Jewish living calls on us to be attentive to the sacred grammar of doing mitzvot.
April 17, 2021
To Life!
Occasion(s) / Tazri'a, M’tzora
How do we bring a person who has been isolated because of a dreadful disease back into community? How do we all reintegrate as a community after a year of isolation and disruption?
April 06, 2021
As Difficult as Splitting the Sea
Occasion(s) / Pesach
Can a miracle be difficult for God? Follow Rabbi Cosgrove into a sea of stories and interpretations as we discover how building a relationship is like making a miracle.
March 13, 2021
Kavod Shabbat in COVID
Occasion(s) / Va-yak·hel, P’kudei
May we break Shabbat in order to keep Shabbat? The tension between working to make Shabbat and resting to have Shabbat is as old as Shabbat itself. Looking back over our pandemic year, Rabbi Cosgrove questions how our use of technology will affect how we keep Shabbat in the future.
March 06, 2021
Don't Make Me Choose
Occasion(s) / Ki Tissa
Our Jewish lives or our support for the State of Israel? Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on the vituperative reaction of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox to last week’s Supreme Court decision regarding conversion and the uncomfortable choice faced by diaspora Jewry.
February 20, 2021
From Within or Without? Leadership Lessons from Esther
Occasion(s) / T’rumah, Shabbat Zakhor
Is it better to make change from the inside or outside? On our annual UJA Shabbat, Rabbi Cosgrove looks to the Megillah for two models of leadership that can guide our choices today.
February 06, 2021
We're No Angels – In Memory of Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, z"l
Occasion(s) / Yitro
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.
January 23, 2021
Exodus in America
Occasion(s) / Bo
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.