- 02, 12, 2018
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
The Opioid Epidemic: Nothing as Whole as a Broken Heart Parshas Mishpatim
As a very young child, I remember thinking that my family was part of a Chassidic dynasty. There is a Chassidic group known as Modzhitz; they’re most famous for their music; the many beautiful songs their Rebbes composed, such as the tune I use every month for Birkas Hachodesh. Well, Modzhitz, Motzen – they kind more »
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- 02, 06, 2018
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
MIA – DCA: Three Perspectives of Torah Observance Parshas Yisro
You learn new things all the time. I always thought that the word ‘return’ means to go back to where you started. And so you would think that when you click ‘return flight’ on an airline website that they would make sure your return flight takes you back to the same airport. Well I learned more »
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- 01, 21, 2018
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
What Should Keep Leaders Up at Night Parshas Bo
You know what I really don’t understand, how we still have blind spots. How could it be that we have self-driving cars driving around the country, that we are seriously talking about flying cars, and we still haven’t figured out how to change lines safely without smashing into an oil tanker?! We have cars that more »
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- 01, 14, 2018
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Judaism and Racism
Racism and Judaism is an important topic and therefore one that I would like to address honestly. Now, of course you should expect all topics that I discuss to be addressed honestly, but after perusing the world wide web, I think it’s safe to say that much of the Jewish treatment of this topic is more »
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- 12, 19, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Decreasing Light/ Increasing Light
There is a well-known debate in the Talmud between the schools of Hillel and Shammai about how to light the Chanukah candles. Shammai suggests that on the first night we should light eight candles, on the second night we should light seven, on the third night six, etc. etc. Hillel argues. He takes the view more »
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- 12, 14, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Jerusalem: How a Jew should Read the News Parshas Vayeishev
Everywhere I’ve gone over the past three days, shiva houses, hospitals, home visits, conversations with friends and conversations with strangers, I’ve received the same question over and over again: What do you think about the news? What do you make of Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem being the eternal capital of the State of Israel? Ill-timed? more »
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- 11, 14, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Jewish Patriotism Parshas Chayei Sarah
I’d like to begin by acknowledging and thanking all the Veterans in this room. Words cannot convey the debt of gratitude that we have to those who have bravely protected us, allowing us to enjoy the freedoms that this great country stands for. Thank you. I believe that Veterans are not only important for what more »
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- 11, 07, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Politics, Politicians, and Judaism Parshas Vayera
This Wednesday, November 8, will mark the one-year anniversary of Donald Trump being elected as president of the United States of America. I’ve shied away from even mentioning politics for the past little while as I thought we all needed a break – I certainly did. But today, I’d like to take a few moments more »
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- 10, 31, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Belief in G-d: What it Means and what it Takes Parshas Lech Lecha
“If somehow you knew, for a fact, that G-d does not exist, would you still be an observant Jew?” This was a question posed to me by one of my students last week. And without any hesitation I answered that if I somehow knew for a fact that G-d does not exist, I would more »
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- 10, 04, 2017
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- By Rabbi Motzen
- Rabbi’s Blog, Sermons
Tough Love: Holding On Yom Kippur Yizkor
Yom Kippur, 1929, Louis Fleisher, Harry Fleisher, and Henry Shorr attended services at B’nai David, an Orthodox Congregation in Northwest Detroit. The three men, decked in their Yom Tov finest, taleisim over their heads, were leading members of the Purple Gang, Detroit’s mostly Jewish mob. They had plenty to atone for. The Purple Gang controlled more »
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