Contact Chai
By: Mishkan Chicago
Language: en-us
Categories: Religion, Spirituality, Judaism, Society, Culture
Contact Chai is Mishkan Chicago’s podcast feed, where you can hear our Shabbat sermons, Morning Minyans, interviews with Jewish thought leaders, and more.
Episodes
A Hanukkah Stories
Dec 15, 2025Today's episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on December 12th, Rabbi Steven drashed on the Hanukkah story, or, rather its darker side.
Yesterday, Sunday, December 14th, Hanukkah began with news of a deadly terrorist attack in Sydney on innocent people celebrating the holiday. We will kindle lights this week to ensure that their memories will be a blessing and our tradition’s insistence that we persevere through tragedy by cultivating joy will not be smothered or diminished. We are here for you, now and always, if you need someone to speak with.
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Duration: 00:17:18Vayeshev: Responding To Events Beyond Your Control
Dec 11, 2025Get your holiday shopping done at Mishkan's first-ever Hanukkah Market! Come early to services on Friday, December 12th, at Second Unitarian to browse Judaica, jewelry, and crafts made by Mishkanite artists while sipping wine and schmoozing with friends. The market begins at 5:30 pm.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/mishkan-hanukkah-market-2025/
If Mishkan Chicago has inspired you in these trying times, if you’ve been moved by our podcasts, services, classes or events — or just knowing we’re out here doing our thing, trying to decrease polarization and increase sanity... Please, consider making a donation! We need your s...
Duration: 00:26:54Wrestling With God: Judaism's Essential Gesture
Dec 08, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on December 6th when Rabbi Lizzi delivered a drash on what it means to wrestle with our tradition’s competing understandings of God and the meaning of Hanukkah.
For our gelt, the true meaning of Hanukkah is friendship — and shopping! Find your holiday gifts at Mishkan’s first-ever Hanukkah Market. Come early to services on Friday, December 12th, at Second Unitarian to browse Judaica, jewelry, and crafts made by Mishkanite artists while sipping wine and schmoozing with friends.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/mishkan-hanukkah-market-2025/
As we...
Duration: 00:23:31Surprise Inspiration (Vayishlach)
Dec 03, 2025Get your holiday shopping done at Mishkan's first-ever Hanukkah Market! Come early to services on Friday, December 12th, at Second Unitarian to browse Judaica, jewelry, and crafts made by Mishkanite artists while sipping wine and schmoozing with friends. The market begins at 5:30 pm.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/mishkan-hanukkah-market-2025/
Today's Morning Minyan features the BimBam video "Who Did Jacob Actually Wrestle?" by author Dara Horn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc2UAY6h7PI
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself...
Duration: 00:30:43Maintaining Humanity in Times of Crisis
Nov 22, 2025Some of you may remember Julie Fishbach from Davening Team or recall her spot-on impression of Rabbi Lizzi in Purim spiels over the years. Julie is also one of many, many Mishkanites who have gone on to attend rabbinical school — including Rabbi Steven. At our November 21st service, Julie made her triumphant Mishkan return as a visiting scholar, delivering the evening’s drash.
It’s pretty incredible how much this community has grown over the years since Julie and the early generations of Mishkanites. But it’s no mystery how it happened. That growth was made possible your sup...
Duration: 00:16:53Emunah: Our Faith, God's Faith
Nov 19, 2025Today's Morning Minyan features "Beautiful People" by Aly Halpert.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:32:27All You Need Is Love
Nov 17, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on November 15th when Rabbi Lizzi delivered a drash all about love.
The Torah also calls us to love our fellow Jews. But surely not that Jew, right? The one who won’t stop posting about, y’know? The one you have blocked on Facebook? Unfortunately, Maimonides says we have to love them too. So how do we love our fellow Jews even when it’s hard?
One way you can love your Jewish community is sharing this podcast with a friend. Sharing is caring. Then, le...
Duration: 00:22:10May I Suggest This Is The Best Part Of Your Life?
Nov 12, 2025Today's Morning Minyan features "Shiviti" by Yoel Sykes and the Red Molly cover of "May I Suggest," original song by Susan Werner.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music...
Duration: 00:32:38Changing The World Ten Righteous People At A Time
Nov 10, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on November 7th, 2025, when Rabbi Steven reflected on an interfaith service and protest outside the ICE Detention Facility in Broadview.
Our tradition insists that the world can be transformed by the goodness of even a few people acting together as a mitzvot minyan; if there had been just ten righteous souls in Sodom and Gomorrah, their tale of two cities would have gone down a little differently.
And if ten righteous souls wrote us a review on Apple Podcasts or their podcast player of choice, told...
Duration: 00:14:45Solomon's Ring and Our Power
Nov 05, 2025Today's Morning Minyan features a short tallis meditation on love followed by a tribute to our very own Rachel Goldberg who is now an ordained rabbi installed in a congregation in Ashland, Oregon. This episode includes a few words on Solomon's Ring, a prayer for healing, Rena Branson's song "Our Power," and Mourner's Kaddish.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support...
Duration: 00:34:25Against the Backdrop of Selfishness and Greed, Be a Blessing
Nov 03, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on November 1st. Rabbi Lizzi delivered a sermon on the sin of Sodom. Or, rather, the sins of Sodom! According to the rabbis, these included selfishness, arrogance, apathy — a failure to share their abundance of resources with the needy. In our own time of greed, how can we choose to bless our neighbors instead of, say, covering them in honey and put them on a wall for the hornets?
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/supp...
Duration: 00:24:44From the Tumultuous Waters to a World on Fire (Audio Fixed)
Oct 30, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Duration: 00:25:36From The Tumultuous Waters To A World On Fire
Oct 29, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:22:53The Border of Babel
Oct 27, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on October 24th. Chicago has been laid siege by federal forces. The America they are building, one of dehumanizing borders between nations, peoples, and neighbors, has a lot in common with that most infamous building in Jewish lore — the Tower of Babel. How can we build another America, another world?
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and...
Duration: 00:22:53Floodwaters and ICE
Oct 23, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Want to support what we do? Become a Builder or donate today!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Duration: 00:33:07In The Beginning… There Were No Kings
Oct 21, 2025The night before a contingent of Mishkanites joined the massive October 18th, 2025 No Kings March, Rabbi Lizzi gave us some framing for the longstanding Jewish rejection of the idea that any person or people is greater than another. In the beginning, there were no kings. So, how did we end up in this mess? And what can we do about it?
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:26:03A Case For Joy — R' Lizzi Yom Kippur 5786
Oct 03, 2025This sermon was delivered at our 5786 Yom Kippur service.
Support our work by donating to our High Holiday Pledge Campaign:
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mishkan-chicago/mishkan-high-holidays-2025-5786
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:28:22A Case For Joy — R' Lizzi Yom Kippur 5786
Oct 03, 2025This sermon was delivered at our 5786 Yom Kippur service.
Support our work by donating to our High Holiday Pledge Campaign:
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mishkan-chicago/mishkan-high-holidays-2025-5786
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:25:56We Have To Care About What Other People Think — R' Steven Kol Nidre 5786
Oct 02, 2025This sermon was delivered at our 5786 Kol Nidre service.
Support our work by donating to our High Holiday Pledge Campaign:
https://secure.givelively.org/donate/mishkan-chicago/mishkan-high-holidays-2025-5786
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:26:33This Is A Moral Test — R'Lizzi Rosh Hashanah 5786
Sep 24, 2025This sermon was delivered at our 5786 Rosh Hashanah service.
Registration is open for High Holidays at Mishkan! Whether you attend in-person or via our affordable, state-of-the-art livestream, you can count on Mishkan’s High Holiday services to strengthen and inspire you as we face a new year of challenges and opportunities. Tickets go fast, so save your seat today!
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:34:38Sometimes We Stand Alone — R'Steven Erev Rosh Sermon
Sep 23, 2025This sermon was delivered at our 5786 Erev Rosh Hashanah service.
Registration is open for High Holidays at Mishkan! Whether you attend in-person or via our affordable, state-of-the-art livestream, you can count on Mishkan’s High Holiday services to strengthen and inspire you as we face a new year of challenges and opportunities. Tickets go fast, so save your seat today!
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:25:00I Am Becoming Who I Am Becoming
Sep 11, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Registration is open for High Holidays at Mishkan! Whether you attend in-person or via our affordable, state-of-the-art livestream, you can count on Mishkan’s High Holiday services to strengthen and inspire you as we face a new year of challenges and opportunities. Tickets go fast, so save your seat today!
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
...
Duration: 00:32:04Observing Our Desires
Sep 05, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Registration is open for High Holidays at Mishkan! Whether you attend in-person or via our affordable, state-of-the-art livestream, you can count on Mishkan’s High Holiday services to strengthen and inspire you as we face a new year of challenges and opportunities. Tickets go fast, so save your seat today!
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
...
Duration: 00:36:19Immigration Justice, Labor Organizing, And Changing Our Perspectives
Sep 03, 2025Hello and welcome to Contact Chai. Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on August 30th when Rabbi Lizzi drashed on the power of perspective to change our lives and the world. But first, we were joined by Mishkanite Aliza Becker who shared moving words about the fight for immigration justice, and Ethan Aronson of Arise Chicago who spoke about labor organizing for Labor In The Pulpit.
Registration is open for High Holidays at Mishkan! Whether you attend in-person or via our affordable, state-of-the-art livestream, you can count on Mishkan’s High Holiday services to s...
Duration: 00:33:26May We Rejoice
Aug 28, 2025At our service on August 22nd, we welcomed BluePrint graduates who have chosen conversion into the Jewish people. Terri Shih drashed about her experiences which brought her to Judaism and shared her wishes of rejoicing for us.
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High Holiday registration is open! Save your seat by registering today:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:13:01Opening The High Holidays
Aug 25, 2025In this special episode recovered from The Mishkan Vault, Rabbi Lizzi speaks with renowned tech entrepreneur Harry Gottlieb about the spiritual technology of teshuvah and the power of the High Holidays in our modern world.
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High Holiday registration is open! Save your seat by registering today:
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/mishkanchicago/1790206
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 01:00:19Army of Healers: Nitsan Joy Gordon and Jawdat Kasam
Aug 20, 2025Rabbi Lizzi spoke with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in the Army of Healing movement. Nitsan Joy Gordon and Jawdat Kasab of Together Beyond Words are the recent recipients of the 2025 IIE Victor J. Goldberg Prize for Peace in the Middle East. This was a powerful conversation that unfolded slowly and with trust, and we felt really honored to welcome Jawdat and Nitsan into the community to share about their transformational work.
Support Together Beyond Words:
https://beyondwords.org.il/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/<...
Duration: 01:07:57It’s Not You, It’s Moshe
Aug 18, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on August 16th when Rabbi Steven delivered a drash on Deuteronomy. Moses is just not that into us, and he’s written us a whole book detailing how we messed up our chances with the most eligible prophet in the land. What lessons can we learn from this retelling of Israel’s relationship with Moses and God?
This sermon features a lot of audience participation, and we’ve done our best to retain what we can of Mishkanites’ responses while cutting out what the microphone couldn’t sufficiently...
Duration: 00:22:17Coming Home To Judaism
Aug 11, 2025At our August 8th, 2025 service, a BluePrint conversion graduate shared her story as someone who found her spiritual home in the Jewish tradition.
Builder Drive 2025:
Creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism is a group effort. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. We invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support...
Duration: 00:16:52Minyan, Music, Talmud
Aug 07, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Duration: 00:33:59Honoring Our Pain
Aug 05, 2025Rabbi Lizzi shares the timeless wisdom of Tisha b'Av at our August 2nd, 2025 service.
Builder Drive 2025:
Creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism is a group effort. Mishkan Chicago relies on Builders, people who have chosen to invest in the longterm sustainability of our community. We invite you to take the next step and become a Builder to help us welcome even more people into a space to bring their whole selves and be part of something larger than themselves.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/makeyourgift/<...
Duration: 00:22:43Tisha B'Av Preview
Jul 31, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Transcript
Duration: 00:30:57Hands As Tools For Work & Holiness — Guest Teacher AnnMerle Feldman
Jul 23, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Transcript
Duration: 00:35:02Euphemisms for God: A Deep Dive into the Amidah
Jul 09, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Transcript
Duration: 00:43:56Modeh Ani Three Ways
Jul 03, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Transcript
Duration: 00:35:08Pride Month As A Palace In Time
Jul 02, 2025Hello and welcome to Contact Chai. Pride Shabbat was a beautiful celebration of what makes this community special, a place to bring our whole selves to something larger than ourselves. Rabbi Steven drashed on Pride, love, and our obligations to our fellow humans.
We also kicked off Builder Drive 2025! Our community is only possible through the support of our Builders, and for years our Builders have depended on the dedicated service of our beloved Builder Experience Manager, Amy Nadal. This month, we’re saying goodbye to Amy as she strikes off on her her next opportunity, so to...
Duration: 00:22:17The Divine Duel
Jun 26, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Transcript
Duration: 00:52:50Grasshoppers and Giants: The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Jun 23, 2025Hello, and welcome to Contact Chai. Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on Saturday, June 21st, when Rabbi Lizzi delivered a drash on that famous scene in which the spies come back with a less than rosy report on what they were up against in Canaan:
"If we’re snagging that land, it might cost us our lives. Those guys are huge!"
Values like preserving our land or our lives may be useful, but they can limit our perspective on what is truly possible. As war rages on in our day, how c...
Duration: 00:26:22Do You Believe In Miracles?
Jun 21, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
Transcript
Duration: 00:43:29Torah For Navigating the Wilderness
Jun 20, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on Friday, June 13th, when Rabbi Lizzi spoke about our ancestors’ harrowing experiences as they navigated the wilderness. How can learn from their wisdom and failure as we chart a course through our own uncertain time?
Pride Shabbat is nearly here! We hope you will join us next Friday, June 27th, in Northcenter Town Square at 6:30 pm for a glitzy, glamorous service complete with a temporary tattoo and glitter station to get into the Pride spirit, and followed by ice cream and snacks catered by Schmaltz & Vinegar. Will...
Duration: 00:34:25When Afraid, Be A Blessing
Jun 09, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on June 7th, when Rabbi Steven delivered a drash on how we can productively respond to violent antisemitism. Dwelling on our fear and succumbing to paranoia may not be a healthy reaction to hatred and violence, but there is no point in pretending that we are not afraid right now. So how can we live out God’s call to be a blessing, especially when we are scared?
Mishkan’s New Arrivals Support Team is holding a Food & Supplies Drive at our service this Friday...
Duration: 00:17:42American Judaism #3: Andrew Rehfeld — Are Rabbinic Seminaries In Crisis?
Jun 06, 2025Andrew Rehfeld, President & Professor of Political Thought of Hebrew Union College, presents his findings on the state of American Judaism. Are seminaries in crisis? What can be done about the shortage of rabbis?
View From The Top: A Discussion Series w/ Rabbi Lizzi
Rabbis are on the front lines of leading communities, speaking out for moral clarity and Jewish values, and representing Jews in multi-faith spaces. But there is a rabbinic pipieline problem in the world outside of Orthodoxy, and this moment in American Jewish history has been called “the end of the Golden Ag...
Leaving the Wilderness, Finding Judaism
Jun 04, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay from our Shavuot Shabbat service on May 30th. Caroline Miller, a Davening Team member, lay leader, and BluePrint class conversion graduate delivered a sermon about her experience rediscovering herself in Jewish community after years in a personal wilderness.
For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to jo...
Duration: 00:20:46American Judaism #2: R'Deborah Waxman — Boldness & Holy Chutzpah in Reconstructing Judaism
May 30, 2025Join Rabbi Lizzi and Rabbi Deborah Waxman, President and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism, for a conversation about the state of American Judaism and the boldness and "Holy Chutzpah" in Reconstructing Judaism
View From The Top: A Discussion Series w/ Rabbi Lizzi
Rabbis are on the front lines of leading communities, speaking out for moral clarity and Jewish values, and representing Jews in multi-faith spaces. But there is a rabbinic pipieline problem in the world outside of Orthodoxy, and this moment in American Jewish history has been called “the end of the Golden Age of Ju...
The Present & Future of American Judaism #1: R'Bradley Shavit Artson
May 22, 2025In this inaugural episode of a new interview series titled "The View From The Top," Rabbi Lizzi spoke with Rabbi Dr. Bradley Shavit Artson about his perspective on the state of the present and future of American Judaism.
R'Artson (www.bradartson.com) holds the Abner and Roslyn Goldstine Dean's Chair of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and is Vice President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles. Rabbi Artson has long been a passionate advocate for social justice, human dignity, diversity and inclusion. He wrote a book on Jewish teachings on war, peace and nuclear annihilation...
Duration: 00:53:15Political Blasphemy — In Conversation With Rabbi Adi Romem
May 19, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Virtual Friday Night service on May 16th. Rabbi Lizzi was joined by Rabbi Adi Romem, one of the first female rabbis ordained by the Hartman Institute for Israeli rabbis. Together, they discussed blasphemy, in the Torah portion and in politics.
Mark your calendars for our Pre-Shavuot Shabbat Pizza Picnic at Northcenter Town Square on May 30th featuring, pizza, lawn games, an ice cream truck, and a performance by the Teen Davening Team. Register now to enjoy all that dairy goodness in community.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/eve...
Duration: 00:39:53In Conversation with Israeli Humanitarian Alice Miller
May 16, 2025"My response to trauma has to be to see everyone as human."
Rabbi Lizzi spoke with Alice Miller, the CEO of Natan Worldwide Disaster Relief, an Israeli organization providing all-volunteer medical, dental, and humanitarian support all over the world. Their conversation was wide-ranging, fascinating, and surprising.
Learn more about NATAN and support their work at https://natanrelief.org/donate/
Anyone interested in learning even more about Natan should contact Alan at alan.s@natanrelief.org
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inc...
Duration: 00:50:08Not Giving Up Our Seat at the Table
May 14, 2025Today's episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on Friday, May 30th. Rabbi Steven delivered a passionate, vulnerable sermon on how it can feel to be Jewish in public at times — unwelcome and misunderstood. How can we boldly show up as our whole selves when even progressive interfaith spaces can sometimes harbor real, if less explicit, antisemitism?
Mark your calendars for our Pre-Shavuot Shabbat Pizza Picnic at Northcenter Town Square on May 30th featuring, pizza, lawn games, an ice cream truck, and a performance by the Teen Davening Team. Register now to enjoy all that dairy go...
Duration: 00:21:22Holiness V. Chosenness V. Being Above the Law
May 08, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
Transcript
Duration: 00:41:08Standing Together: We Have More In Common Than You Think
Apr 30, 2025Rabbi Lizzi spoke with representatives of the Standing Together movement, whose mission is to bring equality, political, and climate justice to all citizens of Israel, and peaceful coexistence with Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. On the Eve of Yom HaAtzma’ut, which celebrates 77 years of Israeli independence, Itamar Avneri and Angela Mattar — a Jewish and Palestinian leader — spoke about the challenges and bright spots they’re seeing, and how we here in Chicago can push for the Israel we know is possible.
Website of Standing Together
https://www.standing-together.org/en
May...
Duration: 01:02:30Strength, Discipline, Compassion: Omer Day 10 and Yom HaShoah
Apr 25, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Links referenced in today's episode:
Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe's Omer song:
https://soundcloud.com/ariel-root-wolpe/hineni-muchan-umzuman-i-am-ready?
Velveteen Rabbi Omer explanation and image of Kabbalistic Sefirot: https://velveteenrabbi.blogs.com/blog/2018/07/seven.html
Taffy Brodesser-Akner's NYT Piece, "The Holocaust Story I Said I Wouldn't Write": https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/06/magazine...
Duration: 00:38:28Love is A Radical Act
Apr 21, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on April 19th when Rabbi Steven drashed on the power and danger of anger. We can get pretty uncomfortable with this emotion these days, with good reason, and it can be awkward how present righteous anger is in the haggadah. How can we harness this potent feeling in a healthy way in pursuit of justice?
This Sunday, April 27th, at 10:00 am, Mishkan is thrilled to once again join our friends at Lawndale Christian Community Church for an interfaith service. Lawndale once held a thriving Jewish community, but ra...
Duration: 00:21:24Reading Ezra in an Age of Mass Deportation with Rabbi Sarah Bassin
Apr 10, 2025Rabbi Lizzi is joined by her friend Rabbi Sarah Bassin, Rabbi in Residence for HIAS. R’Sarah has developed a curriculum titled “Reading Ezra in an Age of Mass Deportation,” and she shared her insights into this alarming moment with our Morning Minyan crew.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
Tran...
Duration: 00:46:39Small Steps to Redemption
Apr 07, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on April 5th. Rabbi Steven drashed on the power of the seder to both ground us in history, reminding us that our people have survived tyranny before, and to uplift our spirits, eating and drinking and remembering the joyful dance of Miriam.
If you are looking for a seder, you’re in luck. We are so excited to announce that thanks to the generosity of Builder volunteers and our partners at OneTable, Mishkan is able to offer Community Hosted Seders this year. If you want to spend an i...
Duration: 00:19:30Getting The Seder Ball Rolling
Apr 04, 2025Are you looking for a seder? We are so excited to announce that thanks to the generosity of Builder volunteers and our partners at OneTable, Mishkan is able to offer Community Hosted Seders this year. If you want to spend an inspired, down-to-earth evening with fellow Mishkanites, we would love to have you. These seders will be hosted in the homes of Builders all over the city (and one virtually). Deadlines to RSVP are fast approaching and tables are filling up, so register now!
https://dinners.onetable.org/partners/mishkan-chicago-seders-2025
The song in today's episode...
Duration: 00:37:52Spiritual Preparation for Passover
Apr 02, 2025Sell your chametz with this handy form!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeogC725eWYVK8mYF6SUuTzvUAQKXBjtU9VTAlmdsK6Cg593g/viewform
Check out our Passover Programs, including "Ugh, I'm Bored!" a workshop with Rachel Mylan on engaging kids at your seder:
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/events/category/holiday/
Join us for services at CJDS this Saturday, April 5th. Come early at 8:45 am to study Pirkei Avot with Rabbi Steven.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/saturday-morning-shabbat-040525/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs...
Duration: 00:19:39Come Close to the Broken Heart
Mar 27, 2025Today's minyan features a new song by former Mishkan Leadership Fellow and current rock sensation Ezra Furman!
"Come Close" by Ezra Furman:
https://open.spotify.com/track/6qUhcvhfcdH2HqeVg9gjdM?si=723e2aa086ee4d7e
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
Transcript
Duration: 00:38:01Building A Community And Harnessing The Power of AI
Mar 24, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday service on March 21st.Mishkan’s former board chair, Mark Achler, shared his considerable depth of knowledge on artificial intelligence, examining the ethics of this emerging technology from a Jewish lens. What are the positive — even lifesaving — applications of A.I.? How is A.I. already being exploited by the powerful? And is there anything we can do about it?
This Saturday, March 29th, we will gather at Mishkan HQ for an intimate morning service beginning at 9:30 am. We will have our usual children’s programming, but will not h...
Duration: 00:26:43Making an Idol of Our Safety
Mar 19, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on March 15th. Rabbi Steven delivered a stirring drash. In this moment of rising antisemitism and encroaching tyranny when free speech is being suppressed in the name of our safety, how do we respond?
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a...
Duration: 00:18:07Purim in America in 2025
Mar 12, 2025Today's minyan is an opportunity to spiritually prepare for Purim — featuring a drash by Rabbi Sharon Brous!
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
New Builder Orientation — February 27th
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/new-builder-orientation-q1-2025/
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
...
Toward A Lasting Peace: Nadav Tamir and Ezzeldeen Masri
Mar 11, 2025At our March 7th service, we were joined by guest speakers Nadav Tamir, an accomplished Israeli diplomat who serves as J Street Israel’s Executive Director, and Ezzeldeen Masri, a respected Palestinian educator who serves the U.S. Director of Outreach for OneVoice Movement and serves as the Chief Field Officer for the PeaceWorks foundation. The pair spoke candidly with our community about the peacemaking process.
JStreet
https://jstreet.org/
PeaceWorks
https://peaceworksfoundation.org/
Purim Party: You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mi...
Next Stop: Interview with author Benjamin Resnick
Mar 07, 2025Join Rabbi Lizzi for an intimate conversation with Rabbi Benjamin Resnick on his provocative and timely novel, "Next Stop."
In her review of Next Stop for the Jewish Book Council, Megan Peck Shub asks, “What would happen if, say, Israel collapsed into a black hole, triggering a global cataclysm that magnetically beckoned every Jewish person in the world? And what if the resulting antisemitic backlash triggered their destruction wholesale? Such a story might feel eerie, complicated, and uncomfortable. It might even seem hysterical. And yet it might also be familiar, as if its events, in one form or...
Don't Just Do Something, Sit There
Mar 03, 2025Hello, and welcome to Contact Chai. At our March 1st Saturday morning service, Rabbi Lizzi shared a drash about the dangers of trying to drown out our boredom with distraction and silence our doubts with idolatrous certainty. How can we find God and make meaning when life gets chaotic and scary, or worse — really, really boring?
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mishkan's Grownup Purim Party is on March 13th at the Chop Shop from 6:00 - 10:00 pm and features a hilarious spiel and a full Megillah reading!
...
Parshat Terumah: Make Yourself (Into) a Mishkan
Feb 26, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
New Builder Orientation — February 27th
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/new-builder-orientation-q1-2025/
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mishkan's Grownup Purim Party is on March 13th at the Chop Shop from 6:00 - 10:00 pm and features a...
Repro Shabbat: Alicia Hurtado of Chicago Abortion Fund
Feb 25, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our February 21st Friday service. Last week was very difficult, so we have included Rabbi Lizzi’s introductory remarks addressing our grief and pain after this opening segment. Then, you will hear a brief musical interlude curtesy of our Davening Team, followed by drashing on the theme of Repro Shabbat, an initiative of the National Council of Jewish Women which centers our Jewish values of reproductive rights and bodily autonomy.
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mishkan's Grownup Purim Party is on M...
Morning Minyan — Parshat Mishpatim: People of the Book
Feb 19, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
Become A Builder!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/
New Builder Orientation — February 27th
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/new-builder-orientation-q1-2025/
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mishkan's Grownup Purim Party is on March 13th at...
Forgiving Those We Cannot Forgive
Feb 18, 2025
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on February 15th, when Rabbi Steven delivered a personal sermon on the important nuances of teshuvah — repentance. Repentance and repair are core Jewish values, but what do we do when reconciliation is not possible?
You Are So Not Invited To Mishkan's BMitzvah
Mishkan's Grownup Purim Party is on March 13th at the Chop Shop from 6:00 - 10:00 pm and features a hilarious spiel and a full Megillah reading!
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/event/you-are-so-not-invited-to-mishkans-bmitzvah-purim-2025/
Dancing Queens: Mish...
The Ten Commandments — Morning Minyan w/ Rabbi Lizzi
Feb 12, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates. To support Mishkan's important work of creating radically inclusive, down-to-earth, inspired Judaism, we invite you to join as a Builder or donate today.
<...
Creating The Conditions For A Miracle
Feb 10, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our service on February 7th, when we celebrated Shabbat Shira, the joyful Shabbos when we sing extra songs to recall the Splitting of the Sea. Rabbi Lizzi connected the momentous but rather frightening first step toward freedom across the Red Sea to the courageous steps toward liberation taken by civil rights activists. How can we follow in their footsteps?
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on...
Refuse To Be A Bystander
Feb 03, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on February 1st, when Rabbi Steven shared about his recent rabbinic mission trip to Poland where he learned about the long history of Eastern European Jewish culture, a legacy nearly eradicated by the Holocaust. Many survivors owe their lives to non-Jews who refused to be bystanders. As Jews, we are called to do the same for our neighbors in this time of division and prejudice, but how do we balance that call with the very real need to care for ourselves as well?
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For...
You Were Once An Immigrant, Too
Jan 28, 2025Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday night service on January 24th when Builder Kalman Resnick, an immigration lawyer and legal expert, gave a detailed breakdown of the impact that Trump’s executive orders will have on millions of our neighbors. As Jews, our scriptures demand that we treat immigrants and foreigners as equal citizens, for we “were once strangers in Egypt.” What can we do to fight mass deportation?
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on In...
When Pharaoh Became A Slave
Jan 22, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
The Oldest Trick in Pharaoh’s Book
Jan 21, 2025Our Saturday morning service on January 18th, 2025 fell just two days before Martin Luther King Day, which also just so happened to be Inauguration Day, ushering in the second term of the Trump presidency. Just like in the Exodus story of our parshah, Pharaoh is back. Well, technically, it was two different pharaohs, the one Moses fled from and the one that he stood up to, but you get the idea. With Pharaoh dividing us to make us weak enough to subjugate, there is only way out of Egypt: coming together as a mixed multitude.
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What Is God's Name To You?
Jan 17, 2025Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Hope Is Not An Option — It's An Obligation
Jan 15, 2025At our Friday Night Shabbat service on January 10th, Rabbi Steven delivered a sermon on the strategic necessity of hope in dark times. In Joseph’s day, the land of Egypt was a refuge, and his family enjoyed wealth and prestige and political power. But in just a few generations, their descendants were enslaved by a tyrant in that same land. In a day when the freedom and stability that we sometimes take for granted is being threatened, how can we find inspiration in our ancestor’s struggle?
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check...
A Very Hanukkah Minyan
Dec 24, 2024It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st — think of it as a BMitzvah gift for our community!
Donate:
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/donate
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg...
Creating Our Own Light
Dec 23, 2024Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on December 21st when Rabbi Steven delivered a vulnerable and fascinating sermon on the niceties of celebrating Hanukkah as a Jew-by-Choice and in a time of rising antisemitism. How do we muster the courage to shine our light for all the world to see when the world is so frightening?
Donate:
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/donate
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Fo...
Exploring the Miracle of Hanukkah
Dec 18, 2024It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st. Are you a Builder? Come celebrate 13 years of Mishkan at our BMitzvah Bash on January 25th. Register now! Sponsorships are available if you can give a little extra help us ensure the next 13 years of BMitzvahs, services, and Morning Minyans, at Mishkan Chicago.
Donate:
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/donate
BMitzvah Bash:
Overcoming Vengeance: Esau and the Maccabees
Dec 17, 2024Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday service on December 13th. Rabbi Lizzi recounted the ancient tale of the rivalry between Jacob and Esau in light of the Festival of Lights. Just as Jacob learned from his youthful mistakes and Esau put aside vengeance, the rabbis learned from the mistakes of the Maccabees, and their rather loose retelling of the Hanukkah story continues to this day to urge us to rethink what was and what can be.
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion pa...
Setting Intentions For The Day — Minyan With R'Lizzi
Dec 11, 2024It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st. Are you a Builder? Come celebrate 13 years of Mishkan at our BMitzvah Bash on January 25th. Register now! Sponsorships are available if you can give a little extra help us ensure the next 13 years of BMitzvahs, services, and Morning Minyans, at Mishkan Chicago.
Donate:
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/donate
BMitzvah Bash:
Seeking Small Wonders
Dec 09, 2024Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday Morning Service on December 7th. Rabbi Steven delivered a sermon in which he made us all jealous of a recent trip to see the Northern Lights, and also edified us on the nature of awe from both a theological and neuroscience perspective. How can we cultivate this profound and uncanny sensation of the divine in our daily lives without vacationing in the northernmost city in the world?
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information ab...
Waking Up To God's Presence — Minyan w/ Rabbi Steven
Dec 05, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Creating Community To Fight For Our Rights — Sarah Garza Resnick
Nov 23, 2024At our services on November 22nd, we were honored to hear a guest drash from Sarah Garza Resnick, Mishkan Board Member and CEO of Personal PAC, an organization dedicated to advocating for women's rights and abortion access. How can we meet this difficult political moment without getting overwhelmed with dread and defeatism? The answer lies in our tradition and in our community.
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.<...
A Traditional, Meditative Minyan with Rabbi Steven
Nov 20, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Saving Ourselves From Being Like Sodom
Nov 18, 2024At our services on November 15th and 16th, Rabbi Lizzi sermonized on the sin of Sodom, which, the rabbis tell us, was primarily their failure to share their abundance with others. In contrast to Abraham, whose hospitality toward the three messengers opens the story, Sodom is portrayed as operating from a scarcity mindset which drove them to selfishly hoard resources and turn away the needy from their city. And when the odd stranger does make it into Sodom, things don’t go too well for them, to put it mildly. How does our society today echo the evils of th...
Duration: 00:23:58Will You Sweep Away The Innocent With The Guilty?
Nov 13, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
This Is Not The Time To Give Up
Nov 11, 2024Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday Night Shabbat service on November 8th. Rabbi Steven connected our post-election despair to the difficulties endured by Abraham and Sarah who, yes, were given a blessing and a mission by God, but that mission entailed enduring years of work and wandering and hardship with only the promise that someday their labors would eventually lead to the founding of a blessed nation long after they had passed on. How can we keep hope alive when it feels like our struggle is in vain, like our work has no impact, like th...
Duration: 00:19:14The Way Forward is Showing Up
Nov 06, 2024The day after the 2024 presidential election, Rabbi Lizzi led us in a minyan dedicated to processing our anxieties about the future.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Election 2024: We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For
Nov 05, 2024Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our November 2nd Saturday Morning Shabbat service. The news has been a nonstop torrent of stories of depravity and demagoguery. It’s enough to make ya wonder — are people fundamentally evil? Selfish? Beyond saving? Rabbi Lizzi shared some sagely commentary on the first two parshiot, Bereshit and Noach, teachings which paint a more nuanced picture of human nature and our capacity to create real change.
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on...
Parashat Noah: Can Humanity Be Redeemed
Oct 30, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — The Sukkah
Oct 24, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://mishkan.shulcloud.com/form/reg-morning-minyan-evergreen
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — Sukkot!
Oct 17, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-spring-2024/
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, schedule, venue, and more, head to https://www.mishkanchicago.org/high-holy-days/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced b...
Duration: 00:37:00High Holiday Guest Drashes — Aidan Gilbert and Stephanie Goldfarb
Oct 16, 2024Thank you to community members Stephanie Goldfarb, Aidan Gilbert, and the many volunteers who made Mishkan's High Holiday services a success.
Aidan's d'var begins at [00:24]
Stephanie's reflections begin at [17:01]
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
"No Bad Jews" — R'Steven Yom Kippur Sermon
Oct 13, 2024This sermon was delivered at our 5785 Yom Kippur service.
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
"Sabbatical and Sustainability" — R'Lizzi Kol Nidre Sermon
Oct 13, 2024This sermon was delivered at our 5785 Kol Nidre service.
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
Preparing For Kol Nidre
Oct 10, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-spring-2024/
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, schedule, venue, and more, head to https://www.mishkanchicago.org/high-holy-days/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced b...
Duration: 00:34:07October 7th Anniversary: Choose Life
Oct 07, 2024One year after the October 7th terrorist attack, three hundred Mishkanites convened virtually (with dozens more in-person) to commemorate this painful day, as well as to envision a peaceful future. Thank you to everyone who joined us in this profound, unique moment as we held each other in community.
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-spring-2024/
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, s...
"We Cannot Let Our Grief Tear Us Apart" — R'Lizzi Rosh Hashanah Sermon
Oct 05, 2024This sermon was delivered at our 5785 Rosh Hashanah service.
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, schedule, venue, and more, head to https://www.mishkanchicago.org/high-holy-days/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
"What Did You See That Made You Want To Be A Jew?" — R'Steven Erev Rosh Sermon
Oct 03, 2024This sermon was delivered at our 5785 Erev Rosh Hashanah service.
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, schedule, venue, and more, head to https://www.mishkanchicago.org/high-holy-days/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
Produced by Mishkan Chicago. Music composed, produced, and performed by Kalman Strauss.
Transcript
The Last Day of Elul
Oct 03, 2024Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on Contact Chai.
https://www.mishkanchicago.org/series/morning-minyan-spring-2024/
For High Holiday registration and information on pricing, schedule, venue, and more, head to https://www.mishkanchicago.org/high-holy-days/
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For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar, and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us on Instagram and like us on Facebook for more updates.
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