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High Holidays are just around the corner, and Mishkan Builders will have early access to tickets. Join or renew today before early access tickets go live next week!

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On July 22nd, the rain held off just long enough for us to get through our climate themed outdoor Friday Night Shabbat Service. Could it have been the work of our old friend Honi the Circle Maker? Listen on to Rabbi Deena’s drash to hear the deets — it starts at [34:34]. This episode is a lightly abbreviated version of our entire service, filled with singing and inspiration. If you’re looking a particular song or message, jump to the time code below.
 
Welcome:
[01:30] — “Today I Almost Killed A Friend’s Plant…” — (R’Steven)
[07:00] — Lechu Neranena L'Adonai — (ft. Davening Team)
[10:36] — Shiru L'Adonai — (Davening Team)
[12:47] — Mizmor L’David — (Davening Team)

Message:
[16:21] — Where Is God In This? — (R’Lizzi)
[22:05] — Lecha Dodi (Leonard Cohen) — (Davening Team)
[27:31] — Psalm 92 / Mah Gad Lu — (Davening Team)
[29:55] — Reflections On Our Israel Trip — (ft. R’Lizzi)
[32:31] — Hashkiveinu (Steven Chaitman) — (Davening Team)

Drash:
[34:34] — Honi The Circle-Maker — (R’Deena)
[46:13] — We Rise (Batya Levine) — (Davening Team)
[49:01] — V'hashevota (Shir Yaakov) — (Davening Team)
[50:58] — Thank you, Jane Charney and Mark Achler! 
[54:14] — Psalm 150 / Kol Haneshamah (Davening Team)

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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 of Drash

At our Friday Night Shabbat service on July 15th, Rabbi Lizzi spoke about her trip to Israel, gave an impromptu explanation of the role of angels in our tradition, and, of course, sang several songs. Our upcoming July 22nd Friday Night Shabbat service will be outdoors at Francis W Parker, preceded by a Family Shabbat Picnic. We hope to see you there!

Service Highlights:
[00:45] — Angels Are Relentless! — (teaching)
[08:17] — Welcome Angels — (song)
[11:00] — Ana B’Koach — (song)
[14:40] — Holy Interruption — (teaching)
[17:51] — Reflections On Our Israel Trip — (drash)
[44:11] —  Adon Olam — (song and closing statements)

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.

Shortly before our June 24th Friday Night Shabbat service, the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Because we were unable to livestream from our outdoor venue, a number of you in our community reached out to see if we could record the service. Thanks to the hard work of our Shabbat Producer Anna Gelman and our production team, we are able to provide this high quality recording of our June 24th, 2022 service in its entirety.
 
Service highlights:

[06:06] — Processing the news — R'Lizzi
[22:52] — Pride message — R'Steven
[29:50] — Born This Way / Lecha Dodi (Lady Gaga) — Davening Team
[31:01] — Announcements — R'Lizzi
[40:30] — Drash — R'Lizzi
[44:37] — Miriam's Song (Debbie Friedman) — Davening Team
[46:28] — We Will Be Okay — R'Deena
[49:50] — Hashkiveinu (Steven Chaitman) — Davening Team
[52:42] — For The Sake Of Heaven — R'Steven
[1:09:42] — Closing remarks + jam session — R'Deena, Davening Team

Mishkan invites you to our upcoming Pride programming, including a Pre-Shabbat Pride Happy Hour and Pride-Themed Friday Night Shabbat on June 24th. We will also be in the Chicago Pride Parade on June 26th — march with us!

Rabbi Mike Moskowitz is the Scholar-in-Residence for Trans and Queer Jewish Studies at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the world's largest LGBT synagogue. He is the recipient of  three Ultra-Orthodox ordinations while learning in the Mir in Jerusalem and in Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ. Oh, and he's good friends with our very own Rabbi Steven! That picture is of R'Mike laying hands on R'Steven during his ordination.

This sermon was originally delivered during the Saturday Morning Shabbat service on June 10th.  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

Obviously, Judaism is more than a little gay. But that's just modern Judaism, right? Wrong! Rabbi Steven delivered a delightful drash "Judaism Is Kinda Gay" in honor of Pride exploring three queer Jewish stories at the very heart of our tradition. You can watch it on YouTube or read it on our blog.

Mishkan invites you to our upcoming Pride programming, including a Pre-Shabbat Pride Happy Hour and Pride-Themed Friday Night Shabbat on June 24th. We will also be in the Chicago Pride Parade on June 26th — march with us!

This sermon was originally delivered during the Saturday Morning Shabbat service on June 10th.  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.

"I love you / You love me / We're a happy family!"

It's in your head, now.  Or, like the endless loop of school shootings on the news night after night, maybe it never left. And perhaps, infuriatingly, this earworm still has something to teach us. In this pre-Shavuot sermon, Rabbi Deena shows us how the texts and themes of the holiday demand that we wake up to America's gun violence epidemic and take decisive action.

Join the Mishkan rabbis and Justice Team this Saturday, June 11th, at the March For Our Lives to address gun violence. You can meet us at the Pre-Rally Shabbat Service.

This sermon was originally delivered during the Saturday Morning Shabbat service on June 4th.  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

"Whenever truly terrible things happen in the world, I think to myself, 'Maybe I should try being religious.'"

With all of Mishkan's rabbis off duty or under the weather, self-described "fifth string rabbi" Rebecca Stevens steps up to speak from the heart about what it is like to live through this difficult time. God warned us that They would curse us if we didn't follow Their commands. Are we listening yet?

This sermon was originally delivered during the Friday Night Shabbat service on May 27th.  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

Rabbi Lizzi is joined by Arya Marvazy, the Senior Director of Programs for the Jews of Color Initiative.⁠ Arya (he/him) is a first-generation American born to Iranian-Jewish immigrants from Tehran. For nearly 15 years, Arya has cultivated his leadership in Jewish communal service at Hillel on campus, Hillel International, and JQ International. A proud queer Jew, Arya is passionate about empowering diverse Jewish identity, enriching equitable Jewish community, and ensuring inclusive pathways toward Jewish continuity.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets are available now to Fiddler on the Roof at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, from May 17th - 22nd. Use Mishkan's special offer code ROOF45 for $45 Middle Balcony tickets.

This conversation was originally streamed during the Virtual Friday Night Shabbat service on May 20th.  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

A lot of us are (correctly!) furious about the right-wing attack on our bodily autonomy.  In fact, Mishkan is joining the march this Saturday in support of abortion rights. Yet the same Torah and tradition which inspire us to march for reproductive justice also demand that we never harm anyone — not even our enemies, and not even emotionally! So how do we love a neighbor who doesn't return the favor? Rabbi Deena drops the drash.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets are available now to Fiddler on the Roof at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, from May 17th - 22nd. Use Mishkan's special offer code ROOF45 for $45 Middle Balcony tickets.

This message was originally delivered at the  Saturday Morning Shabbat service on May 6th.  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.

During the Omer, we pray "for the sake of the unification of God." But isn't God already One? Rabbi Lizzi drops some drash.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets are available now to Fiddler on the Roof at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, from May 17th - 22nd. Use Mishkan's special offer code ROOF45 for $45 Middle Balcony tickets.

This message was originally delivered at the virtual Friday Night Shabbat service on April 29th. You can watch it on our YouTube channel.  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