The Voices of Emanu El Podcast

Rabbi Josh Fixler, with writing partner Scott Esserman, reflects on a childhood story from his grandfather, who once stood outside a Berlin movie theater under a sign that read “Jews not wanted,” and links it to the Torah’s repeated command: “Do not oppress the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Through teachings from Parashat Mishpatim, the Talmud, and Rabbi Kalonymos Kalman Shapira, he shows how God’s tears o...

In this episode of the Voices of Emanu El podcast, guest Rabbi Seth Stander retells the giving of the Ten Commandments as God’s “rock words,” adapted from Rabbi Mark Gelman’s beloved story. With humor and heart, he explores what it means to worship more than “stuff,” to use God’s name for gratitude not curses, and to see Shabbat as a we...

In this week's episode, Rabbi Pam Silk begins with a 1984 classroom and a silent Wile E. Coyote cartoon to show how music brings stories — and our spirits — to life. From the Shema on the lips of our youngest learners to Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea, at the Sea of Reeds, she explores how song builds bridges between individuals, unites communities, and connects us across generations. This Shabbat Shirah teaching lifts up Miriam...

In this week's episode of The Voices of Emanu El, Rabbi Josh Fixler explores the ninth plague’s “thick darkness” and asks a haunting question: Will you be paralyzed by the darkness, or will you be the light? Through Rashi, Midrash Tanchuma, and the teachings of Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter and the Kotzker Rebbe, we explore how spiritual bl...

At a recent professional retreat, Rabbi Pam Silk chose a simple pin that read “Be kind” and found it echoing through this week’s Torah portion, Va-eira. Drawing on the story of Moses, Aaron, Pharaoh, and the plagues, she explores how Jewish tradition insists that true freedom demands empathy, restraint, and responsibility toward those over whom we hold power. Citing Rabbi Ben Hollander, Rashi, and the Jerusalem Talmud, Rabbi Silk r...

This week, guest Rabbi David Segal explores how the term “Judeo‑Christian” has shifted from a specific historical idea to a vague political slogan and why that matters for religious freedom today. Drawing on the Torah story of midwives Shiphrah and Puah and the work of Thomas Jefferson and James Madison in Virginia, he shows how Jewish ...

On the first Shabbat of 2026, Rabbi Pam Silk reflects on Jacob’s stark, honest words to his sons in Parshat Vayechi and what they reveal about real leadership and responsibility. Moving from childhood memories of New Year’s cards to the Torah’s challenging images of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, and their brothers, we explore how truth-telling, even when uncomfortable, can shape character and community. Rabbi Silk invites us to bala...

What if Dinah and Joseph were always telling a queer story the Torah never quite finished? Rabbi Josh Fixler revisits Dinah’s disappearance and Joseph’s “coat of many colors” as a princess dress, drawing on classical midrash and modern scholarship to uncover a trans-affirming reading of these siblings. ​

We explore:

✅ Dinah’s trauma, erasure, and the reality that so many victims lose their voice in the record of history.

​✅ Joseph’...

On this Mother’s Day Shabbat, Rabbi Pam Silk reflects on the many faces of motherhood: joy and exhaustion, gratitude and grief, presence and absence. Drawing on Torah, contemporary stories, and the language of Jewish blessing, she honors mothers, grandmothers, caregivers, and all who “mother” in less conventional ways, while making space for those who find this day complicated or painful. This heartfelt sermon invites listeners to ...

In this searing Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Pam Silk departs from her planned d’var Torah on the Jubilee year to confront the anguish unleashed by the murders of two young Jews, Sarah Milgram and Yaron Lishinsky, in Washington, DC. She names their killings as an act of terrorism fueled by anti-semitism, exposes how contemporary anti-zionism often masks and amplifies Jew-hatred, and reflects on the chilling reality of Jews being targeted ...

Rabbi Pam Silk begins with a childhood memory of being told to “turn off the lights,” then turns to Parashat Baha’alotecha to explore the menorah, the divine cloud, and the fire that guided our ancestors through the wilderness. She reflects on how intentional light — both physical and spiritual — can orient us when we feel stuck under “cloud cover,” craving certainty yet unsure where to go next. This uplifting sermon calls listener...

Starting with a love letter to The Container Store, Rabbi Oren Hayon moves from color‑coded bins and lucite organizers to Parashat Bamidbar and the wild revelation of Shavuot. He contrasts the Torah’s obsession with census, structure, and perfectly ordered camps with the thunder, fire, and uncontainable holiness of Sinai, asking what it means to seek both spiritual scaffolding and sacred spontaneity. Rabbi Hayon invites listeners t...

In this Pride Month teaching, Rabbi Josh Fixler and Cantor Rollin Simmons revisit the rebellion of Korach to explore what happens when voices are silenced and belonging is denied. Drawing connections between the Torah’s challenge to authority and today’s struggles for LGBTQ+ dignity and inclusion, they ask how Jewish communities can honor holy dissent, expand compassion, and create space for every soul to stand proudly at Sinai. Li...

Rabbi Josh Fixler explores the spiritual weight of names: how Torah names reveal destiny and how the labels we use today can wound or heal. Through stories from Jewish text and modern life, he considers what it means to misname, rename, or courageously claim one’s true name in a world that often flattens identity. Listeners are encouraged to reflect on how language shapes relationships and how choosing names with care can become an...

In this special High Holy Day episode of Voices of Emanu El, Rabbi Oren Hayon leads a Kever Avot service from the quiet grounds of Congregation Emanu El’s cemetery, Emanu El Memorial Park, in the “sacred valley of time” between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur. Drawing on Geraldine Brooks’ memoir Memorial Days, the Hebrew poetry of Psalm 118, and the teaching that “grief is praise,” Rabbi Hayon reflects on love, loss, and the honest, u...

Join Rabbi Oren Hayon for a moving exploration of heritage, legacy, and spiritual inheritance. In this Heritage Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Hayon draws from the Torah to reveal how we, like Isaac, are called to uncover the wells of Jewish wisdom left by our ancestors and keep them flowing freely for future generations. Using the metaphor of Isaac's work to reopen the wells his father Abraham had dug — only to have them sabotaged — Rabbi ...

Cantor Becky Mann joined us in November for a weekend as our Music at Emanu El Artist in Residence. In this shabbat message, she explores the powerful message of lifting our eyes to find hope, healing, and divine presence even in our most challenging moments. Through the stories of our ancestors — Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — we're reminded that God is often found in the moments we least expect.

Key themes explored:

✨ The power of p...