Shtender

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Re’eh (August 22, 2014): Whether or not Michael Brown’s killing was racially-motivated, the wounds it exposed and the tensions it ignited cannot be ignored by the Jewish community. The Torah calls for us to build a just society.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Eikev (August 16, 2014): The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is not about a disease. It’s about poverty and injustice. What we Jews can and should do about it. Please pardon the echo in this episode of The Tisch. We had technical difficulties in the recording that we hope […]

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Eikev (August 15, 2014): What Robin Williams’ life and legacy can teach us about being the best we can be.

Rabbi Knopf’s Saturday message for Parashat Va-Et’hanan (August 9, 2014): When we insist that our favorite parts of synagogue life are untouchable and immutable, we can inhibit our ability to reach the next generation of Jews.  

Rabbi Knopf’s Friday message for Parashat Va-Et’hanan (August 8, 2014): Worrying about what other people have that we don’t is corrosive to our souls and keeps us from true happiness.  

How to criticize more constructively, a sermon for Parashat D’varim.    

In this haftarah introduction for Shabbat Hazon, Rabbi Knopf argues that the greatest threat to Jewish survival was not foreign enemies, intermarriage, or lack of ritual observance. It is losing track of who we are supposed to be and what we are called to do on the most fundamental level: fighting for fairness and equality […]

Most of us want to be comfortable and avoid struggle. But in this D’var Torah on Parashat D’varim, Rabbi Knopf argues that sometimes, seeking out new challenges is the only way we can flourish.  

With Israel under attack by Hamas rocket fire, many feel powerless to do anything constructive. The most constructive thing we can do is to never lose hope that peace is possible.    

How the biblical Cities of Refuge and Planet Fitness can serve as models for synagogue rejuvenation.    

In his first sermon as rabbi of Temple Beth-El, Rabbi Knopf shares the values that guide his approach to Judaism and his rabbinate.    

The Torah’s command that we not sit comfortably while our brothers and sisters go to war teaches us about how to relate to Israel during a time of crisis, and also to others in our daily lives who are struggling.    

In his last sermon at Har Zion Temple, Rabbi Knopf talks about the values that animate him as a rabbi.    

In his sermon on Parashat Korah, Rabbi Knopf argues that one simple word can change your life, your institutions, and your world: ‘Why?'”