Shtender

Rabbi Knopf’s Shabbat message for parachute Aharei Mot-Kedoshim (May 2, 2015): Rabbi Knopf’s first sermon for the series “Be Holy.”  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Aharei Mot-Kedoshim (May 1, 2015). How and why we should learn to forgive, even if the person who hurt us has not sought out our forgiveness.  

Guest scholar Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson shares his dynamic and inspiring vision for a compelling and relevant 21st Century Judaism  

Rabbi Knopf’s message for Parashat Tazria-Metzora (April 25, 2015): Judaism teaches that our souls and bodies are one, organic whole, which means we have a religious obligation to care for our bodies and our planet.  

Rabbi Knopf’s message for 8th Day of Passover (April 11, 2015): In his third sermon of the series “Being Jewish” Rabbi Knopf explores how being Jewish is, at its core, about standing by and marching with our fellow Jews.  

Rabbi Knopf’s message for 2nd Day of Passover (April 5, 2015): In his second sermon of the series “Being Jewish” Rabbi Knopf explores how being Jewish is, at its core, about hating injustice and fighting for what’s right.  

Rabbi Knopf’s message for 1st Day of Passover (April 4, 2015): In his first sermon of the series “Being Jewish” Rabbi Knopf explores how being Jewish is, at its core, about doubting and questioning everything.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Vayak’hel/P’kudei (March 14, 2014): In his third sermon of the series “Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary,” Rabbi Knopf explores how Shabbat enables God’s presence in our world.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Vayak’hel/P’kudei (March 13, 2014): How the Red Heifer ritual teaches us to be more compassionate.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Ki Tisa (March 6, 2014): How discovering purpose can inspire us toward a better life.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Tetzaveh (February 27, 2014): Giving blessings is a spiritual practice that can change your life. Here’s how to do it, with a little guidance from Star Trek’s Mr. Spock.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Terumah (February 20, 2014): Our interconnected world means our actions impact people everywhere, and thus we have a responsibility to ensure our purchasing decisions do no harm.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Mishpatim (February 14, 2015): In the first sermon of the series “Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary,” Rabbi Knopf explores how the pursuit of justice enables God’s presence in our world.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat B’Shallah (January 31, 2015): How to break free from the fears that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat B’Shallah (January 30, 2014): A day of rest is all well and good, but means nothing if you don’t prepare for it.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Bo (January 24, 2015): How to break free from the materialism that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Bo (January 23, 2014): On the responsibility of parents to accept kids for who they are, and of Jewish communities to meet people where they are.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 17, 2015): How to break free from the insecurities that hold us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Era (January 16, 2014): What are we supposed to be doing when we pray?  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Shemot: How to break free from the cynicism that holds us back from being the best spouses, parents, friends, community members, and citizens we can be.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Shemot (January 9, 2014): In the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, how Shabbat can help us make a more peaceful world.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yiggash (December 27, 2014): Reviewing the past year from the perspective of Torah.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yiggash (December 26, 2014): How to not let the perfect be the enemy of the good in our lives  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yeshev (December 12, 2014): The way to become better parents (and better everything) is to learn about and improve ourselves.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yishlah (December 6, 2014): Following the police killings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, and the failure to indict the officers responsible, a Jewish call for a more just society.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Toledot (November 22, 2014): Recent events in Israel are a reminder that we still very much live in a broken world. But Judaism believes another world is not only possible but inevitable, and we can help build it.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Toledot (November 21, 2014): What happens when we try to make others be who we want them to be, rather than who they are, and when others try to do the same to us.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 8, 2014): In the hierarchy of Jewish values, welcoming guests is more important than personal spiritual breakthroughs, a fact that has profound implications for synagogue life.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Yera (November 7, 2014): The play, “The Book of Mormon” inspires Rabbi Knopf to wonder what a Jewish missionary might sound like.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Lekh Lekha (November 1, 2014): Rabbi Knopf discusses the difference between Abraham and Sarah, and how the good life (and a better world) requires a balance of each person’s traits.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Lekh Lekha (October 31, 2014): Rabbi Knopf explains the connection between Shabbat and Halloween and how, if you want, you can have Halloween every week!  

Listen in as Rabbi Knopf is formally installed as the Rabbi of Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia.  

In honor of Rabbi Knopf’s installation as Rabbi of Temple Beth-El, his father-in-law, Rabbi Neal Rose, Ph.D., offers some words of Torah, connecting the Noah story with the meaning of installing a new rabbi.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat B’reishit (October 18, 2014): Why being our brothers’ and sisters’ keeper is more important now than ever.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat B’reishit (October 17, 2014): The opening chapter of Genesis, teach the rabbis, is an extended metaphor about the nature of the world and the Jewish mission in it. Rabbi Knopf unpacks the metaphor, and charges us with the mission.

In his Saturday message for the Shabbat of the Sukkot festival (October 11, 2014), Rabbi Knopf offers a fresh take on why the Torah instructs us to celebrate Sukkot.  

“In his Friday message for the Shabbat of the Sukkot festival (October 10, 2014), Rabbi Knopf compares synagogues to sukkot, the Ise Shrine, and Wikipedia.  

In his Yom Kippur message for 5775, Rabbi Knopf explains why we should focus on living a life that counts, rather than on living a life that can be counted.  

What two renaissances – separated by centuries and thousands of miles – can teach the American Jewish community about sparking our own.  

In his message for Shabbat Shuvah (September 27, 2014), Rabbi Knopf explains the deeper meaning of a High Holy Day season liturgical change.  

In his sermon for the 2nd Day of Rosh Hashanah 5775, Rabbi Knopf argues that, for the sake of the welfare of the American Jewish community and Israel, our communal conversation about Israel should be guided by our legacy as a people of the Talmud.  

In his sermon for the 1st Day of Rosh Hashanah 5775, Rabbi Knopf calls upon the Jewish community to be more inclusive to intermarried families.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Nitzavim-VaYelekh (September 20, 2014): Some refrain from Jewish observances because they think they get the point, or think there is no point. But the only way to know the ancient wisdom Jewish practice teaches is by taking a “leap of action.”  

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Ki Tavo (September 13, 2014): A personal tribute to JTS Professor Dov Zlotnick, who passed away on September 13, 2014, and to his scholarly passion, the Mishnah.    

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Ki Tavo (September 12, 2014): The capacity for change – in our lives and for our communities – sometimes requires looking at ourselves through a fresh set of eyes.    

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Ki Tetzei (September 6, 2014): The brokenness of our world might make us tempted to turn off the news and ignore what’s going on. But don’t be tempted to look away. The world needs you now more than ever.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Ki Tetzei (September 5, 2014): The prevalence of political scandals in our time – notably the recent conviction of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell – do not prove that power corrupts. Rather, power simply amplifies our innate characteristics.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Shoftim (August 22, 2014): Many of us feel that in a disagreement, there is only right and wrong, winner and loser. But often, there is more than one right way, and more than one way to win. That’s why the Torah teaches us to actively pursue compromise.

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Shoftim (August 22, 2014): This month leading up to the High Holy Days is a time for the valuable task of evaluating ourselves. But when you judge yourself, remember to judge yourself fairly.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 23, 2014): The quality of our life is often dictated by how we choose to see our life. And how we relate to the world is strongly connected to how we choose to view the world.