Contact Chai

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Pride Shabbat service on June 26th. We held an auf ruf for Team Mishkan’s own Michael Palmer and Jane Mintz. Then, we heard a special Pride guest drash from teen Daniel Kutcher and their parents (Matt Kutcher & Rebecca Richards). From all of us at Mishkan Chicago — happy Pride.

01:09 — Auf Ruf of Michael Palmer & Jane Mintz

09:35 — Lecha Dodi to Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen

14:58 — Lecha Dodi to Born This Way by Lady Gagaa

18:27 — Guest Drash by Daniel Kutcher, Matt Kutcher, and Rebecca Richards

If you value this down-to-earth Jewish wisdom, help us create more inspiration and community by becoming a Builder. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. If you’ve been checking out the community, we invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/builder-drive-2026/

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.

https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen

If you value this down-to-earth Jewish wisdom, help us create more inspiration and community by becoming a Builder. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. If you’ve been checking out the community, we invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/builder-drive-2026/

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

Transcript

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on June 20th. Rabbi Steven reflected on Juneteenth and America’s history of slavery through the lens of Exodus. Moses is portrayed as exceptionally bold in making demands of those in power in his fight to liberate his people. Moses even stood up to God! Maybe we’re not quite up to that level of chutzpah. But how can we boldly speak up for the dignity of all?

If you value this down-to-earth Jewish wisdom, help us create more inspiration and community by becoming a Builder. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. If you’ve been checking out the community, we invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/builder-drive-2026/

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.

https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen

If you value this down-to-earth Jewish wisdom, help us create more inspiration and community by becoming a Builder. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. If you’ve been checking out the community, we invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/builder-drive-2026/

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

Hello and welcome to Contact Chai. Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on June 12th when Rabbi Steven delivered a sermon deflating the naive notion that progress is inevitable rather than the product of hard fought victories, like our spiritual ancestors setting out to vanquish Canaan who we read about in the parsha or our queer ancestors who struggled against bigotry who we honor during Pride month. How will we promise to carry forward a legacy of courage?

If you value this down-to-earth Jewish wisdom, help us create more inspiration and community by becoming a Builder. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. If you’ve been checking out the community, we invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/builder-drive-2026/

***

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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on June 6th. If you somehow missed the news, Rabbi Lizzi met the pope. The Vatican is not short supply of lavish iconography, and it got her thinking about the different relationships our traditions have with religious imagery. Because while Judaism is on guard against anything that smacks of idolatry, we have sacred symbols of our own. Can our reverence for these symbols as Jewish people or Americans border on idolatry?

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Today’s sermon is a Shabbat Replay of our Shavuot Shabbat service. We were joined by acclaimed author Rodger Kamenetz who served as our scholar-in-residence during Shavuot. Rodger delivered a sermon on the poetry of Torah. What sacred meaning can we uncover when we appreciate the artistic flourishes in the TaNaKh?

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Today's episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on May 16th in which Rabbi Lizzi drashed on the Counting of the Omer and the lead-up to Shavuot. Unfortunately, we had some technical problems at the service, but R' Lizzi was kind enough to re-record!

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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

Transcript

Following Morning Minyan, Rabbi Lizzi sat down with Nigel Savage to discuss Jewish Climate Trust, a new initiative to organize the resources of the Jewish community toward meeting the moment on climate change.

Nigel is the founding CEO of Jewish Climate Trust, a “think-and-do tank” working to catalyze the Jewish community’s response to the climate crisis; he was previously the founder of Hazon (now Adamah) which under his leadership became the largest environmental organization in the Jewish community. He has twice been named a member of the Forward 50 and was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Jewish Theological Seminary.

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

Transcript

Rabbi Lizzi sits down with Alan Morinis, author of the enormously popular and profound "Everyday Holiness: The Jewish Spiritual Path of Mussar."

Read more about Alan and purchase his latest book "The Shabbat Effect" at the link below.

https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/shabbat-effect-9798881807870/

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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. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/

https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/

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