Displaying 1 - 10 of 29
Stories We Tell: How Do You Use It
Have you ever had a great idea that wasn’t useful until you applied it? This week, join Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL, as she tells the story of a rabbi and a soap maker who explore this idea and realize their professions have more in common than they might have thought.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: Zoo Seder
On this special Passover episode of Stories We Tell, Rabbi Mark Kaiserman, Rabbi of the Reform Temple of Forest Hills, tells the story of a little girl who’s excited for a very different Passover seder her family is planning and how a little imagination might be what we all need right now.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: My Havdalah Set
Have you ever seen yourself as the “most” important? Have you felt your contributions mattered more than others, only to find out it actually took a group effort to accomplish your goal? This week, we’re treated to an original story by Alice Myers, actress and daughter of Rabbi Lisa Grushcow, who talks about this idea from the perspective of a havdalah set.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: The Perfect Seder
What is the real meaning of Passover? Is it ritualizing the seder and reading the Haggadah, or is there something more? This week, Rabbi Esther Lederman, the Union for Reform Judaism’s Director of Congregational Innovation, tells a story about a rabbi, a water carrier, and the prophet Elijah, and asks what it means to truly celebrate this sacred festival.
Audio file
On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah - Acharei Mot and Kedoshim - "Loving the Stranger" Isn't Always Intuitive
Let's talk about love: Torah talks about three kinds of love - and in fact, the phrase “love the stranger” appears in the Torah 36 times. Why is it written so often? Who is "the stranger," anyway? And who might be the strangers in our own lives? In this episode, which originally aired in April 2017, Rabbi Rick Jacobs talks about what it means to move from strangeness to equality to, finally, closeness and love.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: Two Frogs and a Little Encouragement
Has there ever been a moment when you wanted to give up on a goal because others said it was too hard? Has there ever been a moment when it seemed like all you could hear were cheers of encouragement to keep going? This week, we hear a story about two frogs who were in this exact same situation from Rabbi Rachel Greengrass of Temple Beth Am (Pinecrest, FL)
Audio file
A Prayer for the Shabbat before Mother's Day
A prayer for all types of mothers, to say on the Shabbat before Mother's Day (or anytime).
Stories We Tell: The Dancing Bear
All is not always what it seems, as we learn when a man from Pinsk tricks a woman in Minsk with a dancing bear and a very sweet Minchah (afternoon service). Join Rabbi Steven Bob, as he shares the tale of “The Dancing Bear”.
Audio file
Stories We Tell: The Seed
The king, who is ready to retire, is holding a contest to find his successor. He gives seeds to all of the young people in the kingdom, and tells them whoever can grow the finest tree, plant, or crop will become king. A young boy with a green thumb knows that he has a real shot at winning, but no matter what he does, he can’t seem to make these plants grow. Can he make it work in time? Rabbi Matthew Gewirtz retells the story.
Audio file