PODCAST · religion
Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast
by Rabbi Jim Egolf
Podcast of Sermons, Readings and Jewish Resources from Rabbi Jim Egolf
Episodes
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Kol Nidre 5787
Delivered at Temple Emanuel in Rochester, NY. References https://www.securecommunitynetwork.org/articles/the-forward-how-an-all-american-boy-became-a-mississippi-synagogue-arson-suspect/ https://veritenews.org/2026/01/12/synagogue-fire-mississippi/
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Rosh Hashannah 5787...The Turning...
I hope you find meaning in the sermon and if not here, in a sweet and meaningful new year.
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Masai - The Meaning of the Journey
Shalom, it has been a long time. We also celebrated our oldest becoming Bar Mitzvah at his camp. In this podcast are some reflections about our journey to this new place...
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Hanukkah - Celebrate Our Light
Happy Hanukkah! Let us pause for a moment and consider one element we often take for granted.
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Thoughts on Syria
Before our president speaks, I wanted to offer some Jewish perspective on the situation in Syria.
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Balak 5773 - When Donkeys Cry
Remember the TV show Alice? Apologies for swiping Flo's second most famous catch phrase, but it seems to fit with this week's Torah portion. On the road to curse the Israelites, the pagan prophet Balam rides his donkey and encounters an angel. His treatment becomes a cautionary tale for how we...
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Chukat - Answering Change
This week's Parasha tells of Moses' final 'sin' that will excluded him and Aaron from entrance into the Promised Land. Yet, Moses' response this week was his response to a similar problem before. What changed? When in our lives do our same answers lead us to unintended consequences and, when does...
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Korach-How Our Arguments Can Bring Heaven to Earth
This weeks Torah portion carries the name of a person. I always teach that if you have a name for a Torah portion, either the person did something very good or, well, not. Pirkei Avot makes a direct mention of this Torah portion when it comes to disputes, and Jewish tradition has a rich history...
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Fear, Faith, and Twelve Spies
The Torah portion this week speaks to the episode in the wilderness when the Israelites are ready for their first attempt to enter into the Promised Land. Things do not proceed according to plan and the ancient community is split by the choices before them. While the circumstances may be…
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Only One Day of Passover?
Looking at B'ha-alotkha we find an observance from the Torah that might drive many of us to plan long trips during a certain Spring holiday. The Torah speaks of the situation when one cannot observe Passover due to being ritually impure from contact with a dead body, or if one is on a 'long…
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Elijah in the Whirlwind
For all of us affected by the storms in Oklahoma, a reflection, a biblical reminder and a prayer. II Kings Chapter 2
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Shemot 5773-Learning to Be...and Then Do
In the aftermath of the recent shootings in our country, I felt that we needed to rethink how we react/respond to these horrible events. As Jews we are familiar with the face of evil whether it be Pharaoh, Haman, or Hitler. A natural response can be to become angry, yet this may actually get in…
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Today, We Are Jacob's Daughters
With the events in Newtown, Conn. in hearts and minds I wanted to look to Torah. There in the portions that surround parashat Miketz, the Torah portion of Hanukkah, we find two emotional moments echoing the events in Newtown. In Genesis 45 we read the episode when Jacob is told that Joseph is…
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Becoming the One You Were Meant to Be - Kol Nidre 5773
I delivered this sermon at Kol Nidre this year. It was sparked by several events including the scandal at Penn State during this past year. We wonder how such events could happen, especially at a school known for academic integrity. Yet, this is a lesson, and even the members of the Penn State...
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Rosh Hashannah Morning 5773 - The Men and Women with Nehemiah at the Water Gate
Is it just in our nature to be fearful of the stranger or the 'other' in our society? What happens when Jews forget acceptance and understanding and even begin to create strangers out of fellow Jews in our midst? This sermon examines the 'otherness' we experience in the world and in ourselves…
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Be and Beware Your Tefillah
Shannah Tovah U'Metukah! A sweet and happy Jewish New Year to all of you. This podcast is my Rosh Hashannah evening service and in it we will explore the meaning of the phrase, V'Ani Tefillati, I am my ... Tefillah. I would invite you to give to the cause mentioned in this sermon and add your…
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Who Do We Think We Judge?
Shalom and thank you for listening. This week we are going to look at Parashat Shoftim, a Torah portion that speaks to the qualities we are supposed to look for when appointing judges. Perhaps this parasha also has some lessons for those of us who are the chief justices in our court of personal...
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And He Saved Moses...
This podcast is a reflection on our trip to Washington, DC with our confirmation class. While we were there we had a chance to tour the Supreme court and while it was nice to see an image of Moses among the 'law givers' in the court, maybe one very important image was missing...
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Hearts of Fire
The Torah portion this week continues with God's charge to Moses to continue to mission of freeing the Israelites. Even after speaking from the heart of the Burning Bush, Moses continues to protest God's call. Perhaps the question for us, like Moses, is not whether or not God calls to us, rather…
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Vayeitzei 5772-Between a Rock and a Holy Place
Recently I had the honor to write the Devar Acher for the URJ's 10 Mintues of Torah. I want to share my reading of this passage with you this week.
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Monty Python, Korach, and Disputes
I'd like to have an argument... Among the things we don't know about the Torah we can include what the dispute was about in the week's Torah portion. Maybe in our Torah, Monty Python, and in our nation we are so use to the argument, we have forgotten why we disagree, and why we must get along....
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Behar 5771 - On the Mountain of Meaning
So the bad guy is dead...now what? While several rush to attach a meaning to bin Laden's death, what does it really mean or is his death meaningless when the liberties we thought were promised to us as Americans are...denied...stolen...or treated as anachronisms?
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Kedoshim 5771-Nobility, Nobels, Nightmares and...Hope
The images from this week were truly amazing. Royal weddings, massive destruction, and this week we read the Torah portion concerning how God defines holiness in our Torah. Funny thing about holiness and nobility, at least God's definition, it is not what we usually associate with such words,...
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V'Yikrah 5771-Questions We Should Consider About the Muslim Hearings
I was not alive for the McCarthy hearings, but they seemed to have the effect of turning Americans against Americans which is something most would consider un-American. Our country has put itself forward many times as one of the places that upholds freedom and justice, thus I found it disturbing…
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Egypt and a Tabernacle in the Desert
When we think of our sacred structures, (synagogue, mosque, church) we often think of them as ends in and of themselves. This week's Torah portion comes to remind us that religious structures are really vehicles for the greater connection to God we all strive to achieve. That ability to connect…
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Empty Chairs Filled with Hope - V'yigash 5771
The Empty Chairs we have in our lives can signal many things. For Jacob it must have been difficult to see a place empty of Joseph every time the family gathered together. In our day, an empty chair can be both a symbol of loss...and of hope.
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Defined by Our Wounds - Va'Yishlakh 5771
When we hurt we often don't focus on the choices before, rather we focus on the pain. Jacob is wounded in this week's Torah portion, yet at the same time he is also blessed by the 'Eish' he wrestles in the middle of the night. So, is it our wounds that define us, or is it the decisions that we…
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Mimus Polyglottos - Yom Kippur Morning 5771
I grew up in Monroeville, Alabama. The only claim to fame that Monroeville has is that it is the setting for the fictional town presented in the book To Kill A Mockingbird. The question for us today is are we, too becoming mockingbirds? Do we become all too ready to repeat the answers that we…
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Kol Nidre 5771-To Love Our Neighbors...
When it comes to the issues facing the United States on the topic of religion, it has become very difficult to have conversations without emotions. Even survivors of the events of 9/11 argue over what is the correct course of action regarding the proposed Islamic Center in New York. When it comes...
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Wanted! A Prophetic Paradigm Shift - Rosh Hashannah Day
It is hard to imagine, but at several points in history Jews and Arabs have managed to come together and do sacred work. It started when Isaac and Ishmael went to bury their father Abraham. What seemed natural then appears to be almost impossible today. This summer I began to be worried when read...
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RH Eve - Our Homes and Our Values
This Rosh Hashannah I wanted to share the idea that our values are the real foundations of our homes. As we go through life, we often take our values with us whether it is praying with our feet, to the value that we place on our Judaism, home is an interpretation of our most deeply held sense of...
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Chukat 5770 - Unseen Rudders Set The Courses
The recent events off the coast of Israel and Gaza have bothered many. In this podcast I will explore our moral and religious duty to the issue at hand and explore those article who may (or may not) be hitting the mark. ARZA Statement NYT - Oren Krauthammer NYT - Kristof NYT- Gordis WSJ - Halevi...
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How do we see ourselves? Pesach 5770
How do we wrestle with the idea of meaning? While we all believe that we understand the concept, for many it is elusive at best. On the holiday of Passover, we are asked to engage the idea of meaning. What does that require us to do?
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Vayikrah 5770 Calling For Support
This week saw a series of horrible headlines between Israel and the United States play out on the front pages of too many newspapers. The scary piece is what has begun to happen in our country as certain generals are calling upon Israel to change and are openly questioning the relationship…
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Tetzaveh 5770 Our Masks That Define, Our Masks That Hide
In an attempt to learn Hebrew after a trip to Israel, I found myself listening to a podcast about a Purim party. What does a Purim party have to do with searching for who we are and who we might be? Good question. The answer is found in the word for costume which also may imply a search for...
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Terumah 5770 - The Idols Which Go Before, and The Sanctuary Of and By People
Terumah is the Torah portion that describes the first call for a sacred space in the Israelite community. Interestingly some believe that this parasha is out of order, and that the Golden Calf should come first. Should it? I would love to hear your take on this question!
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Haiti R.E.L.I.E.F.
Dear listeners, As you know, I usually don't ask for money unless there is a significant cause. This is one of those days where I feel the need to reach out to you for help. A group of people are going down to Haiti to help that country recover from the devestating earthquake and aftershocks that...
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Bridges - Opening Comments of Rabbi Elwell
These are the comments at our last Bridges program. Bridges is the program that speaks to the transitions in life and how we address these moments a Jews.
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The Enemies that Define - V'yeitzei
This podcast will focus on the the issues surrounding Laban, Iran and Israel. How could these be connected (you might ask)? Let's just say that nuclear threats, stealing a Nobel Prize, and executing people sentenced to ten years in prison should make us wonder about the stability (mental and...
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Chayei Sarah - Interfaithways Shabbat
This week I am going to explore the most prominent non-Jew in our Torah portion, Ishmael and ask us to consider what he teaches us about ourselves. I am doing this because Beth David is a part of InterFaithways Shabbat, a city-wide effort to deepen our relationships and understandings with...
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Va-yeirah 5770 - And Even Abraham Needed to See Humans
The name for an angel and a human messenger has never been clear in Hebrew texts. This makes some wonder why the Torah and Jewish literature did not strive for a distinction, yet maybe there is a reason for this. Perhaps the reason lends itself to why we need to hear God's word regardless of the...
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Yom Kippur Morning - Each Generation Needs to Stand
This Yom Kippur saw the end of a 104 history of a synagogue where I once served as the 'traveling rabbi.' Beth-El of Lexington Mississippi closed its doors at the end of Neilah, the end of the Yom Kippur service this year. While the community was small, it always sought to include everyone which…
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Real Kashrut
Kashrut, or keeping kosher, is often something we don't think about in Reform Judaism. Yet, perhaps we as Reform Jews need to be at the forefront of teaching what it means not just to eat by this word, but to live by it. With the horrible conditions in Postville, IA and the lack of condemnation...
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Coming To Terms - Rosh Hashannah
Coming to terms with the reality of our lives is often difficult. We want to believe in the fantasy of the fairytale ending, but more often than not, we find that fairytales end in disappointment. Unataneh Tokef is often considered the most hated prayer in our liturgy, yet it is also the one that...
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Chelm - Our Laughter, Our Willing Hearts
So, if you have never heard of Chelm, you have missed out on laughter and on the stories that make us laugh at ourselves. This past year we went through a rough year, yet I was touched by the response of my congregation to a request to help each other. This year, we need to take these willing...
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Visions That Free, Maps that Limit - Ki Tavo 5769
What happens when a leader sets a vision? We can arrive at a new place. What happens when broken maps and foolish concepts continue to contain the imagination? This is a map that did.
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Podcast of Sermons, Readings and Jewish Resources from Rabbi Jim Egolf
HOSTED BY
Rabbi Jim Egolf
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How many episodes does Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast have?
Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast currently has 46 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Podcast of Sermons, Readings and Jewish Resources from Rabbi Jim Egolf
How often does Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast release new episodes?
Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast has 46 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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Who hosts Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast?
Rabbi Jim‘s Podcast is created and hosted by Rabbi Jim Egolf.
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