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Hineni – Here I Am: The Courage and Imagination to Change

Hineni – Here I Am: The Courage and Imagination to Change

Hineni – Here I Am: The Courage and Imagination to Change Rabbi Stephen Weiss Rosh Hashanah 5782/2021 B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Pepper Pike, OH https://venue.streamspot.com/video/4a2da1b885 A father once shared with me how he and his small son would play “hide and seek” – The game always played out the same way. Dad always counted to 100 by 5’s and then would shout out, “Here comes Daddy to…

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"...And Bless Me Too"

“…And Bless Me Too”

What if Moses had taken a page out of Isaac’s playbook and had blessed Pharaoh? Shabbat Bo 2021/5781 Rabbi Stephen Weiss B’nai Jeshurun Congregation There is one very dramatic moment that takes place on the night that the Israelites left Egypt. Pharaoh arose in the middle of the night, he and all his servants, and all the people of Egypt, and there was a great outcry throughout the land of…

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Response to the Capitol Riots

Response to the Capitol Riots

A SERMON IN RESPONSE TO THE CAPITOL RIOTS Never say, “it cannot happen here in America.” It can. Never say that any one political party will ensure our safety and wellbeing. It cannot. Where do I begin? There is so much that must be said. I will warn you up front this will be longer than a typical sermon. Let me begin with a description of events at and connected to the Capitol riots that you…

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Never Give Up!

NEVER GIVE UP!

Rabbi Stephen WeissShabbat Toledot  5781 – 2020

B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Pepper Pike, OH

https://youtu.be/GSAjE55XEiM

Don’t put a lid on me!

The Florida sky had grown dark, and Chris Nikic, a young man age 21, felt ready to quit. He had been pushing through the grueling race for more than 13 hours, even though he could not navigate the course or keep the time without help.

It…

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Gone Fishing: Living in Turbulent Times

Shabbat Vayera 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

Why does God make us wait? Why is patience such a virtue?

This has been quite a week. As I write this, the presidential election is still up in the air. There is little doubt that even once the counts are complete, there will be recounts and court cases. We will not know who will be inaugurated in January for some time. The stress of not knowing tries our…

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What's Jewish About Voting?

What’s Jewish About Voting?

Rabbi Stephen Weiss

The Rabbis of the Talmud go as far as to say that even God would not select a ruler without consulting the people.

There is a well-known story that on Election Day in Israel, the Chazon Ish (1878-1953) asked of another Jew, “Did you vote yet?” The person responded, “No.” “Why not?” the Chazon Ishpersisted. The person answered, “I don’t have the three Israeli pounds to pay the…

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Clinging to God - A Lesson in Humility

Clinging to God – A Lesson in Humility

As Rabbi Jack Riemer teaches, “to be modest in an ordinary time is difficult enough, but to be modest when you live in a society filled with so much arrogance is really difficult.”

Parshat Noah 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

There was an old…

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Choosing Better Over Bitter

Choosing Better Over Bitter

Rabbi Stephen Weiss Kol Nidre (Yom Kippur) 5781/2020

Judaism is clear on this. There are two separate obligations in Jewish law. One is to do teshuvah– to repent, say you are sorry, make amends and change your ways. The other obligation is to forgive. Neither obligation is dependent upon the other.It was a most unusual performance.…

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Calling All Angels - 1st Day Rosh Hashanah 2020

Calling All Angels – 1st Day Rosh Hashanah 2020

Yes, each one of us is accompanied through life by an army of angels. They watch over us, protect us, shelter us from harm.

 I want to take you back to the 9th century, BCE.  The rising empire of Aram is at war with the Northern Kingdom of Israel. But the Arameans cannot make any headway in the war because it seems that no matter…

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Seeing for the Very First Time

Seeing for the Very First Time

  Take us back to that time at the beginning of creation when everything was new and fresh, and we experienced it all for the first time.

Rosh Hashanah 5781 – 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss B’nai Jeshurun Congregation, Pepper Pike, OH

This evening I would like to introduce you to a man named Bob Edens.  I want to share with you his story…

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Who Loves You

Overcoming fear by remembering those who love us

Rabbi Stephen Weiss Shabbat Va-ethanan 2020

So, Rabbi Feinstein asked the girl, “Tell me something, who loves you?”

This morning I want to share a story with you that I heard from my friend and colleague, Rabbi Ed Feinstein. It is a true story. I hope that you find it as moving as I do.

The story is about a young girl in Rabbi…

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Life Out of Balance

Life Out of Balance

Rosh Hashanah 2016 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

Extraordinary moments occur all around us, all the time, and we miss them.

In the Torah reading this morning, God tells Avraham to take his son Isaac and go to “the mountain, Moriah, which God would show him, and there to offer up his only son Isaac as an offering to God. And Avraham took the two lads and Isaac and the wood for the offering, and he went to…

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Eggs and Cheese: A Lesson in Hope

Eggs and Cheese: A Lesson in Hope

Shabbat Devarim 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

Even when times are tough, God’s light is still shining into our lives, giving us the strength and the hope that we need.

I did not get to see the Cleveland Baseball Team play last night. Candle lighting time was not until 8:33, so it could have been possible to watch the first inning before Shabbat came in. But alas, we begin our Kabbalat Shabbat…

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Black Anti-Semitism and the Black-Jewish Alliance

Black Anti-Semitism and the Black-Jewish Alliance

  Who is left from those heady days when Jews and Blacks enjoyed such a close relationship and a sense of shared past, shared fight, shared destiny?

Shabbat Matot-Mas’ey 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

At the 2017 dedication of the African American Museum in Washington, DC, Congressman John Lewis was honored for his leadership in the…

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Don't Let the Seeds of Hate Destroy the Beautiful Alliance of Blacks and Jews

Don’t Let the Seeds of Hate Destroy the Beautiful Alliance of Blacks and Jews

Who is left from those heady days when Jews and Blacks enjoyed such a close relationship and a sense of shared past, shared fight, shared destiny?

Shabbat Matot-Mas’ey 2020 Rabbi Stephen Weiss

At the 2017 dedication of the African American Museum in Washington, DC, Congressman John Lewis was honored for his leadership in the Civil Rights Movement. Dr. Susannah Heschel spoke at that gathering.…

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It's The Little Things in Life...

It’s The Little Things in Life…

Rabbi Stephen Weiss Parshat Vayishlah 2013

  What were those small objects that were of such great importance to Jacob? We do not know; but we all have small objects that hold great significance and blessing for us.

In this week’s parshah, Vayishlach, we find Jacob at the end of his sojourn with Laban, returning to the land of Israel. Jacob, afraid that Esau will seek revenge, sends messengers…

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Over The Rainbow: Basking in God's Light, Celebrating Diversity

Over The Rainbow: Basking in God’s Light, Celebrating Diversity

Rabbi Stephen Weiss Parshat Noah 2012

That light is always flowing from God and brings our world into being at every moment.

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly There’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Everyone knows that iconic song from The Wizard of Oz. But did you know that the song was initially deleted from the film after a preview in San Luis Obispo, because MGM chief…