L’fi Dati, Archived Editions
Reflections on Social Issues and Teachings
of Samuel H. Weintraub, Rabbi Emeritus
Throughout Rabbi Sam Weintraub’s 25-year tenure as Kane Street’s pulpit Rabbi (1996–2021), his commentaries on Jewish life, interpretations of Torah, and his reflections on social issues were published to the Congregation and the broader community. They were also featured in our weekly publication, Kane Street Connections, as well as its predecessor (published monthly between 2009 and 2012), Kane Yirbu. The following is a compendium of many of those writings.
May 10, 2021 – A Shavu’ot Message from Rabbi Weintraub: How We Progress?
March 12, 2021 – Passover 5781: Why the Plagues?
March 8, 2021 – When Passover Falls on a Saturday Night
January 5, 2021 – 2020 and 2021
November 20, 2020 – Transgender Day of Remembrance Teaching
November 5, 2020 – A Spiritual Perspective on the [2020] Election
August 24, 2020 – Bayom Hahu – “On This Day”
June 22, 2020 – Juneteenth and How Jews Can Fight Racism
June 1, 2020 – Yizkor, Shavu’ot and Our Burning Cities
May 12, 2020 – Leviticus, COVID-19, and Indirect Responsibility
March 25, 2020 – The Use of Computers on Shabbat and Holidays in the new COVID-19 Reality
September 5, 2019 – T’shuva and its Processes: As the Jew Turns
August 7, 2019 – After El Paso and Dayton: A service of Remembrance, Reflection and Re-commitment
May 30, 2019 – Shavu’ot 5779 Message
February 16, 2019 – Confronting American Anti-Semitism
November 17, 2018 – Jacob’s Ladder and the Decline of Conservative Judaism
November 3, 2018 – Solidarity Shabbat sermon following the Pittsburgh Synagogue attack
October 27, 2018 – Response to the Attack on the Pittsburgh Tree of Life Synagogue
August 21, 2018 – Listening around Rosh Hashanah
June 20, 2018 – Family Separation
May 14, 2018 – Restoring a Moral Agenda to America: The Poor People’s Campaign
March 6, 2018 – Me’avdut L’cherut – From Slavery to Freedom
January 29, 2018 – “To Work and to Preserve” Judaism and the Environment
October 4, 2017 – Las Vegas
August 14, 2017 – Charlottesville
December 2016 – How Chanukah Speaks to us Today
December 2016 – The challenges of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish activists on campus
September/October 2016 – High Holidays 5777 Message
July 23, 2016 – Bilam’s Ass and this Campaign Year
May 9, 2016 – Torah text, the Tribe of Dan, Ferguson and Baltimore (PDF)
February 6, 2016 – Spirituality and Politics, Social Change, and my Trip to Israel (PDF)
November 28, 2015 – ISIS, Refugees, and our Father Jacob (PDF)
December 18, 2014 – Michael Brown and Eric Garner – A Jewish Perspective (PDF)
April 2014 – Yizkor: The How of Jewish Memory
January 2014 – Uniting Jewish Culture and Jewish Belief
December 2013 –Preschool Chanukah letter
September 2013 – The Choice Is Ours
November 2013 –Aging with Honor and Happiness
April 2013 – On Passover and Israel
March 2013 – Changes in Shabbat Services
February 2013 – Jewish Response to Global Warming
January 2013 – What We Can Learn from Sandy Hook (PDF)
December 2012 – Hurricane Sandy and Teshuva
November 2012 – Changes to Shabbat Morning Services
October 2012 – The Joy and Obligation of Hospitality
September 2012 – Open Beit Midrash
July 2012 – Shiva Asar B’Tammuz
June 2012 – Stop and Frisk
May 2012 – Jewish Tradition And The Voice Of Conscience
April 2012 – All These Miracles
March 2012 – Purim And Tzedaka
February 2012 – Ask The Rabbi
January 2012 – Story of Exodus – Change in the World
September & October 2011 – When We—and the World—Are Aroused From Slumber
November 5, 2010 – Toldot, “Enough!”
July 3, 2009 – Chukkat-Balak – “Don’t Lose Yourself When You “Lose It”
June 26, 2009 – Korach – “Exposing Ourselves”
June 19, 2009 – Sh’lach L’cha – “Protecting Ourselves”
June 12, 2009 – B’ha’a’lotcha – “Your Heart and Your Mouth”
June 5-6, 2009 – Naso – “Being Identical Is Special”
May 22-29, 2009 – Bamidbar/Shavuot – “Live Beyond Your Means”
May 15-16, 2009 – B’har-B’chukotai – “The Rear View”
May 8-9, 2009 – Emor – “Showing up is 90% of Success
May 1-2, 2009 – Acharei Mot-K’doshim, “Monitoring Your Heart’s Intake”
April 24-25, 2009 – Tazria M’tzora, “What’s inside a problem”
April 2009 | Nisan 5769 – “Passover: External and internal observance”
March 27, 2009 – Vayikra, “Hold that spice!”
March 20, 2009 – H’Chodesh, “I am beautiful!”
March 13, 2009 – Ki Tissa, “Avoiding Panic”
March 7, 2009 – Zachor, “Keeping Judaism Fresh”
February 27, 2009 – Terumah, “How Do We Slow Down”
February 20, 2009 – Mishpatim, “The Great Vision of Jewish Law”
February 13, 2009 – Yitro, “Becoming More Jewish”
February 6, 2009 – B’shalach, “We Are How We Eat”
January 30, 2009 – Bo, “Why Choseness is OK”
January 23, 2009 – Va’era, “Why believe in one G-d?”
January 16, 2009 – Sh’mot, “Fighting Justly”