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How did astrology guide our ancestors? And how can astrology help us reexamine our calendar today? At our December 15th Virtual Friday Night Shabbat, Rabbi Steven dove into the surprisingly mystical history behind our tradition's interpretation of the Jewish calendar.

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

At our December 8th service, Rabbi Steven connected the ancient themes of Hanukkah to the present-day realities of antisemitism and hatred which we must overcome together.

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

In honor of Transgender Day of Remembrance, we were honored to welcome special guest drasher Avery Komlofske to our Virtual Friday Night Shabbat service on November 17th. Avery is a graduate of Mishkan’s conversion and affirmation program, Blueprint, and he related his experiences of transitioning and converting to the gendered trials and tribulations of Esau in this week's parsha. Rabbi Steven also led us in the Mourner’s Kaddish for all we have lost this year to acts of transphobic violence.

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

"Empathy is not endorsement. Empathizing with someone you profoundly disagree with does not suddenly compromise your own deeply held beliefs and endorse theirs.”
-Dylan Marron

This episode is a Shabbat Replay from our November 11th Friday Night Shabbat.

Big programming note — Rabbi Lizzi is taking a well deserved sabbatical. This means that while we will continue with our Morning Minyans every weekday and you'll still see services, sermons, and minyan content in this feed, we won't be hearing from R'Lizzi until February 2024. We hope you'll enjoy hearing from Rabbi Steven and guest hosts in the meantime!

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/im-going-on-sabbatical/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Big programming note — Rabbi Lizzi is taking a well deserved sabbatical beginning next week! This means that while we will continue with our Morning Minyans every weekday and you'll still see services, sermons, and minyan content in this feed, we won't be hearing from R'Lizzi until February 2024. We hope you'll enjoy hearing thoughtful content from Rabbi Steven and guest hosts in the meantime.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/im-going-on-sabbatical/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

When the world tries to rob us of our humanity, our response is to be more human.

This episode is a Shabbat Replay from our October 27th Friday Night Shabbat. 

Big programming note — Rabbi Lizzi is taking a well deserved sabbatical. This means that while we will continue with our Morning Minyans every weekday and you'll still see services, sermons, and minyan content in this feed, we won't be hearing from R'Lizzi until February 2024. We hope you'll enjoy hearing from Rabbi Steven and guest hosts in the meantime!

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/im-going-on-sabbatical/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

What do Abraham and Debbie Friedman have in common? Find out in this episode taken from our October 26th minyan!

Big programming note — Rabbi Lizzi is taking a well deserved sabbatical. This means that while we will continue with our Morning Minyans every weekday and you'll still see services, sermons, and minyan content in this feed, we won't be hearing from R'Lizzi until February 2024. We hope you'll enjoy hearing from Rabbi Steven and guest hosts in the meantime!

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/im-going-on-sabbatical/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

At our October 21st Saturday morning Shabbat service, we welcomed community member Joel Braunold to give a talk on the present crisis in Israel in Gaza. Joel is the Managing Director of the S. Daniel Abraham Center for Middle East Peace, and he holds dozens of relationships with policy makers and NGO heads in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank.

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

Don't tap that screen — tap into your best self! At our October 20th virtual service, Rabbi Lizzi delivered a drash connecting the themes of Parashat Noach to our own present catastrophe. Sometimes, even if we want to stay informed, it does us a lot of good to unplug, step away, and rest. Thankfully, Shabbos is here to invite us to do just that!

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript

In this morning's virtual minyan, Rabbi Lizzi read from How Lovely the Ruins: Inspirational Poems and Words for Difficult Times, a poetry collection she has been turning to during this painful time.  Just try not to cry.

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. Our Thursday sessions are hosted by Mishkan's Founding Rabbi, Lizzi Heydemann. You can join in yourself or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-summer-fall-2023/

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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.

Transcript