Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Lost and Found – June 11, 2022

Graduation season reminds us that time moves forward inexorably. Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that even though it is human nature to resist change, we live best when we move forward with openness to becoming our best selves in whatever circumstances the future brings.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Rights and Obligations – June 4, 2022

The story of Ruth, read on Shavuot, demonstrates the value of putting others’ needs above our own. Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that our Jewish tradition teaches that we are not free to do whatever we please, but that living in society requires us to accept limits on our freedom.

Sermon – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky – Do Not Wrong One Another – May 21, 2022

What can the Torah teach us about facing the horrors and hatred we see in Buffalo and the world around us? Rabbi Witkovsky explores the injunction in Leviticus, “Do not wrong one another,” and implores us to stand up against hate wherever it is found.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Holy Living – May 7, 2022

What defines a life of k’dushah, of holiness? Responding to that ages-old question, Rabbi Cosgrove finds that a life of holiness includes both observance of ritual detail and commitment to ethical behavior, pride in the distinctions that set Jews apart and responsibility to all humanity.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Holocaust Memory – April 30, 2022

How shall we remember the Holocaust? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches us both the pitfalls of remembrance and that memory should inspire us to live meaningful Jewish lives and to respond compassionately to present-day suffering of others.

Sermon – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky – Remembering Others and Centering Ourselves – April 23, 2022

The Passover seder asks us to not only think of the lives of our ancestors in Egypt, but to see ourselves “as if” we were there. So too when we recall the loved ones we have lost: We can think of them and their lives, reflecting on what they taught us and left for us. Rabbi Witkovsky introduces Yizkor with a memory of his beloved cousin Fran and asks us to examine how we recall our loved ones.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – To Sign or Not to Sign – April 16, 2022

How do we show our loyalty to the Jewish state? Rabbi Cosgrove explores the reasons to sign or not to sign a recent rabbinic letter regarding the question of funding right-wing Israeli organizations. 

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – The Pipeline Problem – March 19, 2022

The future of the Jewish community is threatened by a shortage of clergy, with not enough people choosing to become rabbis and too few rabbis choosing to serve congregations. We all have a role in addressing this pipeline problem.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Heartbreaking, Inspiring, and Complicated – March 19, 2022

Rabbi Cosgrove describes the heartbreaking, inspiring, and complicated moments of his recent trip to the Poland-Ukraine border.  While acknowledging the complexity of the situation, he reminds us that we must also do whatever we can to provide relief.

Sermon – Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove – Our Esther Moment – March 5, 2022

The story of Esther hangs on the question of whether to reveal one’s identity in public no matter the consequences. In light of current events, Rabbi Cosgrove urges us to stand up for our values and to commemorate Purim with heroic generosity to aid the Jews, and all the people, of Ukraine.