Rabbi Cy Stanway's Podcast

Send us Fan MailThe Torah drops a line that sounds impossible to reconcile: Moses tells Israel that God didn’t choose them because they were numerous, “for you are the fewest of all peoples.” But wait, aren’t Abraham’s descendants promised to be like the stars and the sand? And weren’t the Israelites so many in Egypt that Pharaoh panicked and enslaved them? We take that tension seriously, because it’s not just a textual problem, it’s a blueprint for Jewish identity. We walk through how classic commentators tackle the contradiction, including readings that depend on timing, on being “small” relative to empires, and on Rashi’s striking idea that love is more demanding when it attaches to the few. From there, we zoom out to the bigger theme: humility isn’t pretending we don’t matter. It’s refusing to let impact turn into ego. A message meant for the whole world doesn’t require a majority, it requires persistence and a willingness to carry meaning when it’s unpopular. Then we test that idea against history and the present. Crusades, inquisitions, forced conversions, and genocidal regimes should have ended the Jewish story by any rational measure, yet empires vanish and Jewish life keeps rebuilding. We also talk about modern antisemitism in America and Israel, the strange convergence of hate from opposite directions, and an unexpected post October 7 reality where some secular Jews leaned in more strongly to Jewish identity and connection to Israel. If you’re searching for language to hold fear and faith at the same time, this conversation aims to give it to you. If this resonates, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who likes Torah, Jewish history, and big questions, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of the “fewest of all peoples” idea do you most agree or disagree with?

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Send us Fan MailShabbat Hazon is the Shabbat before Tisha B'av and gets its name from the prophet Isaiah who 'saw' (Hazon) the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I offer a couple of thoughts about how we can commemorate this moment in Jewish history.

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Send us Fan MailIn this episode I riff on Parashat Pinchas and the different kinds of leadership hinted at in the text.  

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Send us Fan MailI am delighted to be the Senior Interim Rabbi of B'nai Israel this year!  This is the audio from my 'Happy to be Here' video!

Send us Fan MailRabbi Stanway and Rabbi Garten discuss the most troubling story of Aaron and Moses and the episode of 'the thing that must not be mentioned'!

Send us Fan MailIn this CHRI episode, Rabbi Stanway discusses the portion Vaeira with Rabbi Steve Garten, specifically the disputation with God and Abraham around Sodom and Gommorah and the Binding of Isaac.

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Send us Fan MailAfter 27 years, my tenure at Beth Miriam has come to an end as I head into serving a wonderful interim congregation in Gainesville Florida for the year.  This last service excerpt features a couple of speakers, a presentation, a blessing and my personal remarks.

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Send us Fan MailIn this dvar Torah, I reflect on the Torah portion and its connection to the Aaron Family and my one bright vision for Temple Beth Miriam in the future. My 27 years of service to the temple is coming to an end on May 30, 2025 as I embark on an interim career serving other congregations and, though there are decades of memories and hopes, this sermon reflects a hope that is filled with light.

Send us Fan MailPassover and memory....past and present

Send us Fan MailRabbi Stanway and Rabbi Steve Garten discuss this week's parasha and focus on the meaning of Shabbat, especially in a modern society.

Send us Fan MailThe Bibas family has inadvertently become the new symbol for the Palestinians - and it isn't flattering.

Send us Fan MailMy thoughts on the hostage release.

Send us Fan MailIn this dear Torah, I reflect on the comments made by one of our congregants, Grace, who has now been declared cancer-free. Her words were the perfect jump off point to my reflections on how we as a congregation move forward.  Grace's comments are included as the first part of this recording.

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Send us Fan MailIn this sermon for Yom Kippur morning, I tell the true story of one of my chaplaincy patients and the lesson she taught me that I carry with me to this day.

Send us Fan MailIn this sermon I discuss the opportunities and challenges to being a beacon in a dark and angry world

Send us Fan MailStella Stanway shares her reflections about being in Israel immediately after October 7

Send us Fan MailRosh Hashanna Morning Sermon 2025

Send us Fan MailThis year has been filled with brokenness.  How do we as Jews react?  How should we be living? 

Send us Fan MailA short d'var Torah on Karachi and just one small lesson his little rebellion can teach us.

Send us Fan MailThe audio of Skylar's bat mitzvah sermon - June 14, 2024

Send us Fan MailRabbi Stanway's remarks during the Community Yom HaShoah event, May 2024.

Send us Fan Mailhttps://templebethmiriam.org/birthright-to-israel-jacob-swartz/

Send us Fan MailIn this short d'var Torah, I point out the use of a strangely worded command and what it may mean on this Shabbat.

Send us Fan MailIn these days of rising anti-Semitism on the cusp of Hannukah, I ask the question, 'How do you identify?'

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Send us Fan MailI offer a few thoughts about Veterans' Day and the reality of war

Send us Fan MailOn the 85 anniversary of Kristallnacht, I offer these thoughts in light of the violence toward Jews in 2023

Send us Fan MailMy reflections on the last four weeks.

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Send us Fan MailIn this sermon I take a phrase from Jeremiah and apply it to this Yom Kippur.

Send us Fan MailThese are my reflections after the first full week of war in the MidEast.

Send us Fan MailIn this sermon, I speak about our brokenness and how, despite it, we can create.

Send us Fan MailIn this sermon, I discuss the Jewish ideas of a good year, not necessarily a happy year.

Send us Fan MailMy reflections on the titanic changes in Israel that may create another failed Maccabean state.

Send us Fan MailIn this periodic radio appearance, I speak with Rabbi Steven Garten about Moses' punishment for hitting the rock (twice) to provide water for the Israelites even though God told him to speak to the rock.  

Send us Fan MailThis is the audio of the Siyym service for 2023, the last Kabbalat Shabbat Family service led by our upper grades.  The video with audio can be found at this link:https://Temple-Beth-Miriam.livecontrol.tv/3e51d9b5

Send us Fan MailIn this d'var Torah, I explore Ramban's interpretation of  “The Eternal One spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai” and what it mean's for us today as autonomous Jews.

Send us Fan MailIn this dvar Torah I discuss the hazard of literally reading the passages such as 'an eye for an eye' which so many people ascribe to. I argue that the Rabbis were much more advanced than sticking to the literal text and that tradition of interpretation created what we now call Judaism

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Send us Fan MailIn this d'var Torah, I explore the meaning of the portion dealing with the leper in today's Torah portion. I discover it is relevant today as it was thousands of years ago.

Send us Fan MailIn this episode I discuss the death of Nadav and Abihu and Aaron's (non)reaction and what it has to teach us.

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Send us Fan MailIn this episode, I introduce you to Nachson ben Aminadav, a leader as brave as Moses but totally unknown to most people. Who was he?  What did he do? Tune in a find out.