With news of a possible end to the Israel-Hamas war, and as we await the release of our hostages this weekend, Rabbi Michael offers clarity and context in this powerful episode directly tackling the painful question: are we the bad guys? Drawing on decades of travel and study in Israel and the Palestinian territories, he delves into the massive attack plan behind October 7th, the deafening antisemitic silence that followed, and the accountability necessary on the path toward peace.

This sermon originally aired on October 1, 2025.

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This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

The story of Paddington Bear was inspired by the author seeing Jewish refugee children during WWII.  As we marked Kristallnacht and read the story of the Akeidah, we looked at the ways in which our faith teaches that the Jewish community refuses to sacrifice its children.  We believe in and sanctify life, and our children are our greatest resource.

This sermon originally aired on November 15, 2024.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

Ancient Judaism imagined Yom Kippur as a time when ritually, the whole community’s sins could be erased by putting them on a scapegoat (an actual animal). How has the idea of the scapegoat transformed and affected us over time, and what can we learn from it today?

This sermon originally aired on May 23, 2025.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

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This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

As we come together as a community in the face of a recent antisemitic attack here in Clayton, MO, it can be hard to make sense of the ongoing turmoil Jews are facing every day, here at our doorstep. Now, more than ever, is when we must turn to study, to God, and to each other.

This sermon originally aired on August 8, 2025.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

The Jewish story contains the voices of both strength and hope. This episode includes inspiring stories of both strength and hope that have occurred in the last few years in Israel and in the local Jewish community.

This sermon originally aired on October 11, 2024.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

There is a perpetual question of when to dwell on the tragedies of the Jewish past and when to focus our thoughts toward a positive future. When is it too soon?

This sermon originally aired on May 2, 2025.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

After the congregation witnesses and celebrates someone choosing Judaism, we become more aware of how different it can feel to have been born into Judaism. The way we decide to daily choose Jewishness and openly share those choices with others is the greatest way we can combat antisemitism and feel proud of our faith.

This sermon originally aired on April 4, 2025.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.

The key message of Passover is also the key message of Judaism — God took the Israelites out of slavery, and that relationship defines us. It gives us a lens to view our everyday decisions, even in a world where it is increasingly hard to know what the Jewish answer is to any situation.

Sermon originally aired on April 18, 2025.

Love this episode and want to show your support? Contribute at: www.ti-stl.org/Donate

For more information about Congregation Temple Israel, visit: www.ti-stl.org

Follow us on social Instagram: www.instagram.com/congregationtempleisrael Facebook: www.facebook.com/templeisraelstlouis YouTube: www.youtube.com/tistl

This podcast’s theme song, “Oseh Shalom,” is performed by Rob Aronson.