Antisemitism? Here? Now? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the aftermath of October 7 has revealed not only verbal and physical attacks, but a “higher antisemitism” – a societal attitude that Jewish lives don’t matter.
October 21, 2023
Israel's Just War
Occasion(s) / Noah
Is Israel fighting a just war? Rabbi Cosgrove reviews the Jewish laws of war to provide us with a vocabulary for understanding and defending Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attack of October 7.
October 14, 2023
Moral Clarity
Occasion(s) / B’reishit
Is there any justification for murder? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that wanton killing and torture are pure evil. He calls for us to support the ADL, to condemn the acts of Hamas as terrorism and to insist that the thought leaders in our communities do the same.
October 13, 2023
To Save a Life
Occasion(s) / B’reishit
Following the terrorist rampage in Israel last week, the eyes of history are upon us. Rabbi Cosgrove calls on us to support Israel with dollars to meet the urgent needs of the moment and for the sake of pikuach nefesh, saving lives, to make donations even on Shabbat.
September 25, 2023
Israel at War . . . With Itself
Occasion(s) / Yom Kippur
Fifty years after the Yom Kippur War Israel again stands at a tipping point, its existence as a Jewish and democratic state threatened not by outside enemies but by deeply rooted internal tensions. Rabbi Cosgrove calls for a Zionism that espouses both self-defense and liberal values.
September 25, 2023
Judgment and Mercy
Occasion(s) / Yom Kippur, Yizkor
At the moment of Yizkor, what do we remember most about our loved ones? By way of the story of Judge Irving Kaufman, Rabbi Cosgrove challenges us to forgive our own foibles and frailties, to live in the present as our best selves, and to remember the best of others.
September 23, 2023
Return or Renewal?
Occasion(s) / Ha·azinu, Shabbat Shuvah
Is teshuvah, repentance, about return or renewal? Reflecting on his new “empty nester” status, Rabbi Cosgrove explains how renewal and return are both part of finding our best selves.
September 16, 2023
Missing Pieces
Occasion(s) / Rosh Hashanah
What did the late Rabbi Harold Kushner mean when he said, “We’re more complete if we’re incomplete”? Rabbi Cosgrove explores how we may understand loss and imperfections in our lives.
June 10, 2023
Be a Guest
Occasion(s) / B’ha·alot’kha
Are you a good guest? Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that being a good guest is not only about how we behave at our friends’ homes, but also how we move through the world, recognizing that we are passing through and that we owe courtesy to others and care to the earth.