Congregation Schaarai Zedek

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, where you'll find live recordings of sermons, divrei Torah, teachings, and reflections from our Erev Shabbat and High Holy Day services. Whether you're listening on your commute, during a walk, or from home, we're glad to have you with us.

This Episode: "Lord, Prepare Me to Open the Gates"

Delivered by Rabbi Preston Neimeiser on Yom Kippur, Sept. 21, 2026.

What does it take to open the gates of righteousness? Rabbi Neimeiser begins with the words of Psalm 118, which inspired the name of Congregation Schaarai Zedek, and traces a path through generations of Reform Jewish leaders who understood that changing the world begins by opening and changing ourselves.

From the 17 Reform rabbis who answered Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s call to action in St. Augustine in 1964 to the evolving practices and institutions of Reform Judaism, Rabbi Neimeiser explores a tradition that has never stopped wrestling with how to meet the needs of each new generation while remaining rooted in Jewish identity, learning and responsibility.

Along the way, he reflects on the people, camps and experiences that shaped his own Jewish life, including the recent loss of Paul Reichenbach, a longtime leader of the Reform Movement whose influence reached generations of young Jews.

On Yom Kippur, as we confront our own mortality and consider the legacy we will leave behind, Rabbi Neimeiser reminds us that while the institutions and programs that formed us may change or disappear, the work continues. By making ourselves sanctuaries and giving the next generation the tools to make and remake the world, we help hold the gates open a little longer.

In the new year of 5787, may we walk through those gates not alone, but together, hand in hand with God and one another.

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, where you'll find live recordings of sermons, divrei Torah, teachings, and reflections from our Erev Shabbat and High Holy Day services. Whether you're listening on your commute, during a walk, or from home, we're glad to have you with us.

This Episode: "Loyalty, Actually"

Delivered by Rabbi Joel Simon on Kol Nidre, Sept. 20, 2026.

What makes a person, relationship, community or cause deserving of our loyalty? And what happens when something or someone we love disappoints us?

Beginning with an unexpected question on a restaurant survey, Rabbi Simon explores the complicated nature of loyalty, from the Israelites and the Golden Calf to the relationships, institutions and communities that shape our lives today.

Drawing on Jewish tradition and the tension between love and rebuke, Rabbi Simon considers the difference between loyalty and blind allegiance. True loyalty does not require us to ignore wrongdoing, abandon our values or remain silent. Instead, it can call us to use our voices, make room for truth and accountability, and recognize that love and disappointment can exist within the same relationship.

On the sacred night of Kol Nidre, when we reflect on the promises and commitments that bind us, Rabbi Simon invites us to examine our own loyalties: Which should we renew? Which require us to speak up? Which remain worthy of our patience and commitment? And which may finally require us to let go?

In a time when many feel disconnected from people and communities that once felt like home, this sermon asks how we can remain true to our values while leaving room for disagreement, compassion and relationship, building bonds in which we can feel supported, safe, trusted and, ultimately, at home.

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, where you'll find live recordings of sermons, divrei Torah, teachings, and reflections from our Erev Shabbat and High Holy Day services. Whether you're listening on your commute, during a walk, or from home, we're glad to have you with us.

This Episode: "HinAIni – Keeping it Real in an Artificial World"

Delivered by Rabbi Joel Simon on Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 12, 2026.

Artificial intelligence is becoming part of nearly every aspect of our lives, from the way we work and learn to how we communicate, create and even seek advice. But when does AI help us, and when does relying on it mean surrendering something that should remain authentically ours?

Beginning with his own experience using ChatGPT to help prepare a lesson at Jewish summer camp, Rabbi Simon explores the balance between embracing the possibilities of new technology and preserving the human thought, relationships and responsibility that give our lives meaning.

Drawing on Jewish teachings about pride and humility, the ethics of learning, and the biblical call of Hineni, "Here I am," Rabbi Simon considers where AI can serve as a valuable tool and where our humanity must remain at the center.

As we enter the new year of 5787, this sermon invites us to ask not simply how we will use artificial intelligence, but how we will remain authentically present in a world increasingly shaped by it. In our decisions, creations, relationships and life's paths, may we always be able to say: Hineni. Here I am. This is me.

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, where you'll find live recordings of sermons, divrei Torah, teachings, and reflections from our Erev Shabbat and High Holy Day services. Whether you're listening on your commute, during a walk, or from home, we're glad to have you with us.

This Episode: "Responding to Ye: A Sermon on Accountability and Repentance"

Delivered by Rabbi Joel Simon on June 19, 2026.

In response to Ye's (formerly known as Kanye West) scheduled concerts in Tampa and his long history of antisemitic rhetoric, Rabbi Simon explores one of Judaism's most profound teachings: teshuvah, the process of repentance and return.

Drawing from the writings of Maimonides and Jewish tradition, Rabbi Simon explains that true repentance is far more than expressing regret. It requires acknowledging the harm caused, making amends where possible, and demonstrating lasting change through one's actions. Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism and the influence of public figures, he asks what genuine accountability would look like for someone whose words have reached millions.

More than a response to one individual, this sermon is an invitation to consider the responsibilities that accompany influence, the courage required for authentic transformation, and the Jewish belief that while forgiveness may be possible, it must be earned through meaningful action.

This sermon was later adapted into an open letter published by the Tampa Bay Times.

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, featuring sermons, teachings, conversations, and special programs from Congregation Schaarai Zedek in Tampa, Florida.

This Episode: Understanding Israeli Perspectives

Recorded live on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at Congregation Schaarai Zedek.

In this special joint program presented by Congregation Schaarai Zedek and the Saint Leo University Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies, Rabbi Joel Simon and Dr. Matt Tapie lead a live conversation with Yossi Klein Halevi, senior fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem and co-host of For Heaven’s Sake.

Originally planned as a conversation about how dialogue around Israel has shifted since Oct. 7, 2023, the program also took on added urgency as Halevi joined remotely from Israel during the ongoing conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran. Together, the speakers explore Israeli perspectives on this moment, the meaning of Israel in Jewish life, the challenges of interfaith and communal dialogue, and what it means to hold difficult conversations with honesty, nuance, and shared purpose.

This episode offers a thoughtful and timely discussion of Jewish peoplehood, moral complexity, and the ongoing work of understanding across difference.

Welcome to the Schaarai Zedek Podcast, where you’ll find live recordings of sermons, divrei Torah, teachings, and reflections from our Erev Shabbat and High Holy Day services. Whether you’re listening on your commute, during a walk, or from home, we’re glad to have you with us.

This Episode: “The Sinai Standing Between Haman’s Persia and the Ayatollah’s Iran”

Delivered by Rabbi Joel Simon on March 6, 2026.

In the aftermath of a dramatic week in world events and on the eve of Purim, Rabbi Simon explores the parallels people often draw between the ancient story of Esther in Persia and the realities of the modern Middle East. While acknowledging those echoes, he shifts the focus away from politics and toward a deeper Jewish question: how do we respond to fear and uncertainty?

Turning to the Torah’s story of the Golden Calf, Rabbi Simon examines a teaching from Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and the Midrash suggesting that Jewish history might have unfolded differently had the Israelites waited patiently for Moses to return from Mount Sinai. Rather than blaming ancient sins for modern hatred, Rabbi Simon reframes the lesson: the Golden Calf was not primarily about idolatry—it was about the human urge to replace uncertainty with easy certainty.

Throughout Jewish history, tyrants and enemies have come and gone, but the real challenge for the Jewish people has remained the same: what kind of people will we choose to be in moments of fear?

Contrasting the Golden Calf—born from panic—with the Mishkan, the sanctuary built with patience and intention, Rabbi Simon reminds us that while we cannot control the existence of hatred in the world, we can control what we build in response. Each generation stands, metaphorically, at the foot of Sinai, deciding whether to respond to uncertainty with fear, despair, and reaction—or with faith, compassion, and covenant.

This sermon invites listeners to reflect on how Jewish values guide us through uncertain times and challenges us to continue building a world rooted in patience, dignity, and hope.

The Elixer of Life and the Deadly Poison – Yom Kippur 2025/5786 – Rabbi Michael Weiss by Congregation Schaarai Zedek

Nostalgia Isn’t What it Used to Be – Kol Nidre 2025/5786 – Rabbi Joel Simon by Congregation Schaarai Zedek

Holy Conversations in a Fractured World – Rosh Hashanah 2025/5786 - Rabbi Joel Simon by Congregation Schaarai Zedek

Standing on the Parted Shores of History – Erev Rosh Hashanah 2025/5786 - Rabbi Joel Simon by Congregation Schaarai Zedek