What is God's love language? Here's a hint: it isn't receiving gifts — at least, not according to  Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. Rabbi Deena explores how God's clear instructions for building the sanctuary can inspire us to ask for the love we need.

This episode is a drash given at Mishkan's Saturday morning  service on February 5th. For full recordings of Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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

Transcript

"...Halfway through the presidency of George W. Bush,  I stood on the Washington Mall and I held my sign. It said: Another Jewish woman who loves life and kids for choice."

In a time when abortion access is being restricted under the guise of "religious liberty," Rabbi Lizzi reminds us that our religious tradition upholds the right to choose.

This episode is a drash given at Mishkan's Friday night service on January 28th, as we celebrated Repro Shabbat. Repro Shabbat is an initiative by the National Council of Jewish Women, an opportunity for congregations, organizations, and communities to celebrate the critical importance of reproductive health. For full recordings of Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar. Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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

Transcript

Ruben Shimonov is the National Director of Sephardi House and Young Leadership at the American Sephardi Federation. He is also the founder of the Sephardic Mizrahi Q Network, a space for queer Jews of Sephardic and Mizrahi backgrounds, as well as a talented calligrapher whose art reflects his multicultural upbringing. He joined Mishkan's Rabbi Steven fascinating conversation with Rabbi Steven about queer identities, Ashkenormativity, and how Sephardic and Mizrahi communities have contributed to Jewish history and liturgy in often unsung ways.

This episode is an excerpt from our Friday Night Shabbat on January 21st, 2022. For full recordings of Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

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

Transcript

Just as Martin Luther King Jr.'s struggle for voting rights didn't end with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, Moshe's fight for liberation didn't end when the Israelites packed their bags full of Egyptian gold and hit the road. It's a long way to freedom, and boy are Moshe's arms tired!

This episode is Rabbi Deena's sermon from Mishkan's Friday night service on January 14th, 2022. For full recordings of Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

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Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

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

Transcript

After Pharaoh loses his firstborn son, he finally lets the Israelites leave. But not before asking Moses and Aaron: "Bless me, too." It's a strange little moment — just three words! — so, of course, the rabbis have written pages about it. Their takeaway? Even pharaohs can change.

This episode is an extended excerpt  from a Torah study led by Rabbi Steven following the Saturday morning service on January 8th. For full Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

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

Transcript

For five weeks, Mishkanites gathered for a discussion-filled study of "Can We Talk About Israel? A Guide for the Curious, Confused, and Conflicted." This thought-provoking book exploring one of the world's most complex, controversial topics was written by Daniel Sokatch of the New Israel Fund. Daniel was kind enough to join Rabbi Lizzi for the following Q&A session to conclude the book study.

For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar. Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

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

Transcript

We can't escape death, which doesn't stop us from spending our whole lives trying. Yet in the back of our minds we have this idea that when it's our time to go, we'll be at peace with ourselves and our loved ones, even if we didn't spend our life preparing for the inevitable.

Jacob's deathbed blessings shows us that's not how it works. He died as he lived — pitting brothers against each other over blessings. How can we have faith like Joseph to let go of grudges?

This sermon was from the Friday night service on December 10th. For full Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

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

Transcript here

“Don’t smile because it’s over, cry because it happened."⁠

Why do we so often cry after a huge accomplishment? Why does it never feel truly satisfying when a dream comes true? What is honey times 60? Rabbi Deena unpacks Joseph's tears after achieving his lifelong dream.

This sermon was from the Friday night service on December 10th. For full Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

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

Transcript here

What would Judah Maccabee think of the commercialized, semi-assimilated, kid-friendly version of Hanukkah we celebrate today? R'Steven Philp takes us through the history behind our modern Hanukkah traditions.

This sermon was from the Saturday morning service on December 4th. For full Friday services, click here. For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar.

Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, written by Kalman Strauss.

In response to the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse for killing two activists in supposed self-defense, Rabbi Lizzi Heydemann shares timely wisdom from the Talmud on rodef — self-defense against a pursuer. While the rabbis enshrined the right of self-defense, Jewish tradition also warns against wearing weaponry and looking for a fight. Rabbi Lizzi asks whether the tense reunion of Jacob and Esau in this week's parsha might have ended in tragedy if Jacob had gone into the standoff brandishing weapons.

To watch  our full service from Friday,  November 19th, click here. Check out upcoming Shabbat services and programs here.

Learn more about Mishkan Chicago. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook.

Be sure to like and subscribe to our podcast for updates on new episodes, and please leave a review. We want to hear from you!

Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, written by Kalman Strauss.