RABBI DANIEL KIRZANE
  • Home
  • About
  • Sermons
  • Teaching
  • Ritual in Education
  • Publications
  • Weddings

Voices from Prison

3/26/2021

0 Comments

 
On the eve of Passover, we consider the blessing of freedom. This week, we draw inspiration from within the halls of prison to frame the deeper meaning of freedom.

Read More
0 Comments

God of Mercy

3/5/2021

0 Comments

 
We read from Parashat Ki Tisa during the annual cycle and on the three Festivals plus the High Holy Day season. The refrain of these Torah readings is the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, the repeated insistence that God treats all of us better than we deserve.

Read More
0 Comments

Inspired and Empowered to Act

2/19/2021

0 Comments

 
This week's Torah reading, T'rumah, is terrific. (Even though it has a bad reputation as repetitive and boring!) Not only is it my bar mitzvah Torah portion but it also reminds of one of Judaism's core principles: Torah both inspires us with wisdom and also empowers us to interpret its truths, applying them uniquely in our own day and age.

Read More
0 Comments

On Breaching the Capitol Walls

1/8/2021

0 Comments

 
On January 6, riotous supporters of President Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol, scarring a majority of Americans who felt violated by this grotesque attack. My comments this Shabbat focus on the desecration of this sacred space and its impact on us as witnesses.

Read More
0 Comments

Preparing for Election Day

10/30/2020

0 Comments

 
A historic election looms in the week ahead. People will differ on how whether the election results are tragic or triumphant, and our tradition urges us not to let these differences tear our communities apart. Like Abraham, we prepare to step into a new land with courage, conviction, and compassion.

Read More
0 Comments

First woman Rabbi, First Bat Mitzvah

10/16/2020

0 Comments

 
Each year on Parashat B'reishit, we commemorate the life and legacy of Regina Jonas, the first woman to attain ordination as a rabbi. This year, we also pay tribute to Roslyn Lieberman Horwich, the 92-year-old woman who was our congregation's first bat mitzvah. These historic firsts are inspirational on the grand and the local scale, reminding of us the cascade of firsts that pave the way for future generations of achievement.

Read More
0 Comments

the Aspaklaria of Race

9/27/2020

0 Comments

 
This year's Kol Nidre sermon focuses on antiracism from a Jewish perspective. I suggest that we have a Jewish obligation to look at the world through a "racial lens," drawing on the rabbinic concept of aspaklaria to deepen our understanding of this critical and timely issue.

Text available below the recording.​

Read More
0 Comments

Choosing a King, Choosing a President

8/21/2020

0 Comments

 
The Hebrew Bible's view of kingship is more democratic than the medieval picture we've inherited, and I believe the offices of the Israelite king and the American president overlap in several ways.  Therefore, it is appropriate to turn to the Torah for guidance on a Jewish frame for considering which presidential candidate deserves our vote.

Read More
0 Comments

Privilege and Redemption

7/31/2020

0 Comments

 
We are beneficiaries of those who have gone before, and the power and privileges associated with these blessings come with obligations as well.  Torah insists that we never forget what is the source of our prosperity while remaining ever committed to working (hard) for justice.

Read More
0 Comments

A Vision of Redemption

7/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Shabbat Chazon is so named because of the prophecy that begins the book of Isaiah.  The prophet calls us to account for our own behavior and models our responsibility to speak out against leaders who pollute society with greed.  As we prepare for the mournful commemoration of Tisha B'Av, we take Isaiah's message to heart and gird ourselves for the work of teshuvah that lies ahead.

Read More
0 Comments
<<Previous
Forward>>
    Picture

    About

    “To be effective, the preacher's message must be alive; it must alarm, arouse, challenge; it must be God's present voice to a particular people.” 
    ~A. W. Tozer

    Archives

    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    May 2014
    September 2013
    April 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    April 2011
    January 2011
    October 2010
    September 2010
    September 2009

    RSS Feed

    Tweets by @dkirzane
Contact Me
  • Home
  • About
  • Sermons
  • Teaching
  • Ritual in Education
  • Publications
  • Weddings