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We've made it through the Narrow Place, but are we fully free, yet? Builder couple Martin Friedman and Felicia Savage Friedman — expert facilitators in racial justice and Raja yoga — join Rabbi Steven for to explore how each of us living authentically is connected to our collective liberation.

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 22nd. You can watch the whole thing 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

This message was originally delivered at the Mishkan's virtual seder on April 16th, 2022. You can watch the whole thing on our YouTube channel. Mishkan also invites you to our post-Passover party, The ReLeavening, on Saturday April 23rd at Half Acre Brewing. Yes, there will be pasta. And beer. And burgers. And you?

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets to The Prom are available now! Use Mishkan's special offer code PARTY49 for $49 tickets, valid for April 19 and 20 (evening only), and April 21, in the Orchestra, Dress Circle and Loge seating area.

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

Transcript

Passover is a story about freedom. But what even is freedom? Rabbi Deena breaks it down ahead of Mishkan's virtual Passover seder.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets to The Prom are available now! Use Mishkan's special offer code PARTY49 for $49 tickets, valid for April 19 and 20 (evening only), and April 21, in the Orchestra, Dress Circle and Loge seating area.

This sermon was originally delivered at the Friday Night Shabbat service on April 8th, 2022. 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.

Read the transcript of this sermon on our blog.

Are your spirits getting stale? Is your soul feeling a little overproved? Toss out that chametz and tune into Rabbi Deena's drash on the benefits of a spiritual spring cleaning.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets to The Prom are available now! Use Mishkan's special offer code PARTY49 for $49 tickets, valid for April 19 and 20 (evening only), and April 21, in the Orchestra, Dress Circle and Loge seating area.

This sermon was originally delivered at the Saturday Morning Shabbat service on April 2nd, 2022. You can watch this interview 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.

Read the transcript of this sermon on our blog.

"I have to be honest, I am sitting with a lot of feelings that are making it hard to lean into the peace of Shabbat."

In the wake of Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill and Texas Governor Greg Abbott's threats against trans children and their families, Rabbi Steven delivers a passionate drash connecting the oppression of the LGBTQ+ community to the soul-crushing slavery our ancestors were born into which obscured the truth of their identity as bearers of the image of God.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets to The Prom are available now! Use Mishkan's special offer code PARTY49 for $49 tickets, valid for April 19 and 20 (evening only), and April 21, in the Orchestra, Dress Circle and Loge seating area.

This episode is the sermon from Mishkan's Friday  service on March 25th. You can watch this interview 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.

Read the transcript of this sermon on our blog.

What can each of us do to repair the world during this year of Shmita? Rabbi Lizzi welcomes Jakir Manela, CEO of Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability, for a conversation about how we can create a healthier, more sustainable, and more equitable world for all.

Today's episode is sponsored by Broadway In Chicago. Tickets to The Prom are available now! Use Mishkan's special offer code PARTY49 for $49 tickets, valid for April 19 and 20 (evening only), and April 21, in the Orchestra, Dress Circle and Loge seating area.

This episode is the sermon from Mishkan's Friday night  service on March 18th. You can watch this interview 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

The Shabbat before Purim is Shabbat Zachor — the Shabbat of Remembering. Specifically, we remember the pain inflicted on our people by Amalek, ancestral line of Purim villain Haman (boo!). But why are we commanded to simultaneously remember and forget this traumatic memory? In this drash, Rabbi Lizzi teases out how the story and mitzvot of Purim can inspire us to live with life's contradictions and make blessings out of our pain.

This episode is the sermon from Mishkan's Friday night  service on February 25th. 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

"History may repeat itself, but it doesn't have to. The story isn’t finished, and we get to choose the role we want to play in this unfolding drama."

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Rabbi Lizzi connects current events to ancient ones, and Rashi’s retelling of the building of the Mishkan to a more modern retelling of a cinematic classic.

This episode is the sermon from Mishkan's Friday night  service on February 25th. 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

"I had a big gap from age 7 until 21 doing anything Jewish — except for coming home and watching Sanford And Son for Yom Kippur."

Jared Jackson shares how his multi-heritage African American and Ashkenazi upbringing led him to found Jews in ALL Hues over a decade ago.

This episode is abbreviated from a conversation during Mishkan's Friday night  service on February 18th. 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

"I don’t think it’s accidental that Whoopi Goldberg, both Black and female, was punished with silence when many people, generally White and male, have said much worse with no consequence. And I am grateful for those who, despite all of this, sought dialogue with her: remembering that conversation, not censure, is what helps us find and act upon our ability to grow."

Rabbi Steven meditates on Whoopi Goldberg's controversial statements in light of Black History Month and Adar.

This episode is a drash given at Mishkan's Friday night  service on February 11th. 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