Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

“These days, trust in our most critical institutions is in distressing decline,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who discussed how public confidence has eroded when it comes to the media, the […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses his long depressing, uplifting week — including the march against anti-Semitism on Sunday, his remarks to Fieldston students on Thursday, and his advice to parents for […]

“We are numb to the damage that our culture of shame wreaks,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, as he examines the lengths we go to protect our dignity in this week’s […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch examines generational tensions, both modern day and through the lens of this week’s parasha, Va’yerah. Ultimately, whether you are a critical Baby Boomer or a sophomoric millennial […]

After accidentally dating a d’var Torah “3019,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch began to think about the world in 1,000 years and how future generations will look back on our time.

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch questions our country’s health in the wake of the NBA-China controversy. “The general manager of the Houston Rockets sent a rather bland tweet upholding the struggle for […]

On Yom Kippur, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses the ways we seek to escape – and give meaning and purpose – to the anxiety of life. Some choose the path of […]

With new political outrage, scandals, lies, and shootings every day, it’s understandable that some of us might suffer from moral fatigue, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch said on the eve of Yom […]

In his Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch spoke about antisemitism from both sides of the aisle, slamming the right for excusing hate speech and the left for hypocrisy on […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch tackles questions of free will and morality in this crucial period leading up to the High Holy Days. “This season is about taking responsibility. Judaism insists that […]

The period before the High Holy Days, during the month of Elul, is one of the rare times in Judaism that we’re told to focus on ourselves, says Rabbi Ammiel […]

Welcoming officers from the Israel National Defense College for a special Kabbalat Shabbat service and dinner, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch spoke about the modern-day miracle of Israel and recounted how the […]

After the recent loss of his mother, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on life’s ephemeral beauty – and the central importance of mothers in our lives.

After a shooting attack on a California synagogue and an anti-Semitic cartoon published in The New York Times left American Jews reeling, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch addressed anti-Semitism coming from both […]

“In every generation, every Jew should feel as if they were personally redeemed from Egypt,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch quotes from the Haggadah. “The Haftarah reading for the second day of […]

Speaking about the recent college admissions, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says: “The impulse to cheat is always present in our lives – especially in a society like ours that so rewards […]

“Right-wing antisemitism inclines towards violence. The antisemitism of the left is camouflaged by the rhetoric of human rights, anti-colonialism, liberalism, and white privilege. It tends to be expressed nowadays through […]

In this week’s parasha, God singles out Bezalel by name – and a good name is among our most precious possessions. “Anticipating modern times when, Jewish sages warned against the […]

In this week’s parasha, Moses became so enraged that he took the tablets – described by the Torah as being carved by the very finger of God – and shattered […]

Despite the characteristic rapid social changes of our times, we know what kind of behavior is right and what’s wrong, says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who discusses the ongoing controversy in […]

“With every technological advance – something is lost.” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch braved sub-zero temperatures to encourage us to create warmth by avoiding distractions and building meaningful relationships.

As mounting accusations of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel advocacy roil the national Women’s March movement, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch announced that Stephen Wise Free Synagogue will disassociate from Women’s March Inc., and […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch discusses the painful reconciliation of Jacob’s sons in the Book of Genesis, and how we should seek to release unresolved anger in our lives. “I meet so […]

“I know that many of us are afraid. We gather today in memory, in solidarity, but also in defiance. To be a Jew is, itself, an act of defiance. We […]

“Sitting there in the Cabinet Room, waiting for the leader of the reconstituted Jewish state, I felt the mysterious, ineluctable flow of time.” Rabbi Hirsch reflected on his meeting with […]

“Nowadays, we can’t really be sure whether a hurricane is just another storm, or if, somehow, the climate itself is changing – putting into question our very way of life. […]

“For all living beings the body’s needs are to continue to exist, but, for human beings, the mind needs harmony.” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch asks difficult questions to justify religion’s relevance […]

On Yom Kippur, in the absence of an official response from the Reform movement to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Chabon’s recent criticism of Judaism as “divisive” and Jewish intramarriage as […]

On Kol Nidre, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflected on his 30 years as a rabbi and how we come to develop wisdom and faith: “The world is bigger than any one […]

“If what some people mean by ‘religion should stay out of politics’ is that we should never engage in the social challenges of our times – never speak about the […]

“Judaism survived because a privileged and comfortable adult – Pharaoh’s daughter – had compassion on a Jewish refugee child.” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch references the story of Moses and reminds us of the […]

“The very connectedness and shrinking of the world – that was supposed to bind us in a common thread of humanity – has isolated us.” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to […]

“It is one thing to point out – rightly – human suffering.  But you cannot be neutral between liberal democracy and authoritarian coercion, between respect for human life and contempt […]

A trip to the barber causes Rabbi Hirsch to confront his mortality.

“We cannot fully understand the contemporary Jewish experience, or live complete Jewish lives, without Israel being part of our Jewish identity.” In celebration of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, Rabbi […]

On Holocaust Memorial Day, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch demands that we combat humanity’s evil impulses and instill the values of tolerance, decency, compassion, freedom, diversity, and respect. “Again and again and […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch celebrates the last night of Passover by honoring the achievements of King David and our adult b’nai mitzvah class.

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch shares key points he made as a panelist on pro-Israel activism in progressive communities at the 2018 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, which was […]

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on the Florida teenagers fighting gun violence and our moral obligation to support them. “Heroism is the sustained advancement towards a moral goal when the gaze […]

“Train yourselves and your children for moral performance as you would train yourselves for physical performance,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “Do moral workouts. Spend part of every day practicing moral […]

Responding to Poland’s new law that makes it a crime to accuse the Polish nation of complicity in the Holocaust, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch remembers a Polish officer who fought the […]

“The human spirit responds to and is strengthened by goodness, kindness, social connections, family, and friends — precisely the rewiring that the Hebrew prophets emphasized nearly three thousand years ago,” […]

“Religion is more important to us than ever,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “The Torah reminds us that machines serve us — not the opposite. We seek to make technology our […]

“America is not about where you came from,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this sermon. “It’s about where you want to go.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Judaism without Jerusalem is not Judaism.”    

“Even if we are devoted to attacking the windmills of injustice, the righteous fight itself might grind us down,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “We need to step back — and […]

“With every new massacre, it has become easier for us to move on,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “Instead of just thoughts and prayers, we need deeds, actions, resolutions, and resolve.” 

After the recent terrorist attack, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch finds symbolism in the New York City Marathon. “Above all else, the race tests persistence, endurance, and our will to continue.”

Rabbi Hirsch urges American Reform Jews to establish and fund a stronger progressive movement in Israel to counter the intensifying religious extremism of the country’s ultra-Orthodox monopoly.

Eternity came before us; eternity comes after us. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch asks: “What is the significance of our brief sojourn on earth?”