Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch Of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on the synagogue’s refugee relief mission to Greece and Germany. “We are a tiny corner of the world on 68th Street, but still, we did a lot of good.”

There is an essential truth that should govern our behavior, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “You can give of yourself without depleting yourself. The spirit of God rests upon you. You can — you must — share it with others.”

What the Bible is teaching more than anything else is that human beings need other human beings,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this sermon. “Practically everything we have, and everything we know, comes from other people.”

In a day and age when “it is hard for us to appreciate Jewish independence because it is our daily reality,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch finds inspiration for renewed commitment to Israel in his favorite biblical passage.

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch urges our community to support the synagogue’s refugee relief work. “I hope you will tell your friends, share our moral indignation, and resolve to do something yourselves.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on our recent mission to Israel. “I wish I could persuade those of you who have not been to participate in this transformative, life-altering journey — because words fall short.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch finds inspiration (and humor) in an incapacitating experience with a kidney stone. “The touch of a human hand — not the philosophy of eternal reward — is Judaism’s best response to pain and suffering.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to the spate of threats against Jewish institutions across the country. “The only way to defeat hate is to confront it.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch looks back on the more than four decades that have passed since the landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade. "When it comes to the core of what drives us in life, our concerns are moral."

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on this era of instant gratification and “alternative facts” and reminds us: Jewish tradition is emphatic that there are no shortcuts in life.

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch responds to President Trump’s immigration ban and announces a congregational refugee relief trip to Greece and Germany. “Step into the shoes of the refugee,” he says. “Try to imagine yourself on a tempest-tossed rickety boat...

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reminds us that we must always preserve and defend the Jewish tradition’s core values. “Our greatness is not only in cherishing and speaking of these values, but in living up to them and instilling them in the lifeblood of the nation.”

Reflecting on hate speech that has recently plagued the small Jewish community of Whitefish, Montana, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch considers the words of Martin Luther King Jr.: "All that is required for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing."

Through the lens of the biblical story of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on a deeply Jewish idea: that there is a guiding force in the universe. “Joseph could not unravel what forces brought him to the throne of...

"Twas the seventh day of Hanukkah, and all through the night, Jews were observing Shabbat with delight." Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch mesmerized listeners of all ages with his fun take on a classic poem.

“What looks sacrilegious to some — arguing with God — is sacred religion to Jews,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this sermon. “God is searching not only for good people, but for good people who are willing to fight for others, even within a sea of...

In his first sermon since Americans voted Donald Trump to be the next president of the United States, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch offers words of consolation and action. “I have not witnessed this widespread and communal sense of loss, anxiety, fear, and...

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch examines the human inclination to lie. As an example, he condemns UNESCO's draft resolution that "simply erased" any connection of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. "We must train ourselves to value and defend the...

In his Yom Kippur sermon, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on heroism and our quest for meaning. “If we really look, we will discover that everything is broken,” he says. “We are all infirm. We might look whole from the outside, but we are a collection...

In his Kol Nidre sermon, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch considers the US presidential election and Judaism’s demand that we speak about — and act upon — the moral challenges of our time. “Beyond all of the critical issues – the economy, race relations...