Park Avenue Synagogue Podcast

Parashah Study – Rabbi Witkovsky & Rabbi Linden: Pinhas and the Role of Righteous Anger– July 9, 2020

Rabbi Witkovsky and Rabbi Ethan Linden are joined by Rabbi Jessica Fisher of Beth El in New Rochelle as they discuss the anger of Pinhas and how the Torah and the rabbis treat his violent actions. Is righteous anger something to avoid? Or can it push us to make the world a better place?

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Parashah Study – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Hukkat: Are There Reasons Behind the Rules? – July 2, 2020

We are starting something new this week! Rabbi Witkovsky is teaming up with Rabbi Ethan Linden, the director of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, for the next few weeks! Camp might not be in session, but that won’t stop two rabbis named Ethan from trying to bring interesting Torah to our communities! In this podcast, we discuss an old question: Are there reasons behind the commandments in the Torah, and how could one’s answer to that question shape our lives. Subscribe and stay tuned – Rabbis Witkovsky and Linden will be bringing in many different guests throughout the summer!

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Archive – James Farmer on Contemporary Moral Issues (1964)

On April 5, 1964, James Farmer, the national director of the Congress for Racial Equality, spoke at PAS on the topic of "Contemporary Moral Issues." His lecture, presented more than 55 years ago, resonates today as we continue to confront inequities in our society.

Sermon - Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Staying in the Conversation - June 27, 2020

Rabbi Witkovsky calls on Jews engage in conversations about justice and inequality. We cannot stay on the sidelines of Black Lives Matter, but must work to make our community an anti-racist one. We must stay in the conversation, even when we are uncomfortable with certain aspects of a protest movement.

For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Sermon - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: Speaking Privately - June 20, 2020

Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that public speech can change the world and also destroy it. Important as public protest may be, giving feedback privately will often forward our causes better than rash responses in social media.

For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Parashah Study – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Sh’lah L’kha and Overcoming Powerlessness – June 15, 2020

Rabbi Witkovsky takes a message of hope from the week’s parashah. For those feeling overwhelmed by challenges, this parashah calls on us to acknowledge our ability to act and do good.

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Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: That's My Bible – June 6, 2020

Rabbi Cosgrove shows us how the Bible can provide inspiration, guidance, comfort, and even challenge, as we seek to respond to the systematic racism that infects our country.

For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

 

Sermon - Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: To Begin Again - May 30, 2020

At any Yizkor service, mourners are called on to stand together – separated in their grief. This year we are “together apart” more than ever.  Rabbi Cosgrove urges us to follow the examples of Ruth, Naomi, and Boaz, reaching beyond our own pain of loss to help ease the grief of others. 

For more information about services and programs at Park Avenue Synagogue, visit our website at https://pasyn.org.

Parashah Study – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Privilege and Oppression: Grappling within Our Texts and Our Times – June 5, 2020

Rabbi Witkovsky and Rabbinic Intern Viktoria Bedo discuss the disturbing Sotah ritual described in parashat Naso. Is there any meaning to be made from this oppressive ritual? And perhaps most importantly, can the way we treat this Biblical account of privilege and oppressions teach us anything about how to address such issues today?

 

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Parashah Study – Rabbi Ethan Witkovsky: Making Sense of the Census – May 21, 2020

This week we begin the book of B’midbar, and we do it with a census of the Israelites (or some of them). Rabbi Witkovsky interviews Benny Witkovsky, a Sociology PhD student who comes from a great family. They talk about the censuses in the Torah and the United States and try to tease some meaning out of those numbers.

More information available at www.pasyn.org or follow us @parkavesyn or https://www.facebook.com/parkavenuesyn