Found In Translation: Weekly Divrei Torah and Sermons from the BJ Rabbis and Guest Teachers

Rabbi Felicia Sol reflected on the challenge of living through a time marked by rage, despair, and moral uncertainty. She asks us to consider how we might deepen our understanding of redemption seeing it not as a reward for suffering, but as a call to renewed moral responsibility.

We live in a moment that mirrors Yosef’s contradiction: a time in which we are both vulnerable and powerful, both threatened and influential, both capable of grace and capable of harm. We know about pits, betrayal, exile, suffering, and survival. We know that antisemitism is alive and on the rise. And we also know what Jewish power and rage can do. We know what it means to be part of systems that...

In this sermon, former BJ Senior Rabbinic Fellow and current Director of Rabbinic Leadership Programs at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Rabbi Sarit Horwitz explores hunger, brokenness, and hope in Parashat Miketz, showing how physical and spiritual longing are deeply intertwined—and how hope can emerge even when we feel utterly shattered.

As we kindle our menorahs this year, Rabbi Becca Weintraub reminds us that even in the depths of despair -- whether that is Joseph in the pit or the Beautiful Six in captivity in Hamas tunnels -- sacred light still has the power to shine.

We were honored to welcome the lead finalist in our rabbinic search, Rabbi Alex Braver. In his d’var Torah, he reminds us that spiritual life isn’t about perfection, but about return — again and again, to what matters most.

Rabbi Roly Matalon urges us to remember that Judaism doesn't merely compel us to survive, but to rise. Of course, we must work to ensure our safety as a Jewish community, but we cannot stop striving to nurture our moral and spiritual lives.

In a moment when fear, pain, and fragmentation run deep, Rabbi Felicia Sol examines the detrimental effects of inherited, unhealed trauma and how we might find the courage to wrestle our way into a new narrative.

In a moment when Jewish fear, pain, and fragmentation run deep, Rabbi Felicia Sol examines the detrimental effects of inherited, unhealed trauma and how we might find the courage to wrestle our way into a new narrative.

Rabbi Shuli Passow reminds us that Jewish resilience means taking the long view. Maybe things won’t change in our lifetime — but they will change. So we keep choosing hope, keep doing mitzvot, and keep showing up. That is the story of our people.

Rabbi Becca Weintraub explores the contrast between Sodom’s callous treatment of others and Abraham and Sarah’s radical hospitality—reminding us that true abundance comes not from what we have, but from how we care for one another.

Rabbi Felicia Sol reflects on 2025 NYC mayoral election and her hopes for moving forward. In a world ablaze with division, we must cling to our compassion and refuse to pour oil on the flames.

In his D’var Torah on Parashat Noah, Rabbi Roly Matalon reflects on a different kind of flood, one of fury, fear, and division in our community, city, and world. The world wasn’t saved because of Noah’s righteousness, but because of his compassion. Noah was transformed through the daily, difficult work of feeding the animals in the ark, as we learn from the Midrash. Roly asks: What might shift if...

With the final living hostages home and a fragile ceasefire holding, we’ve entered a new chapter. But we can't go back to the way things were before. Rabbinic Fellow, Joe Blumberg asks: How do we begin to build a new world — not from a clean slate, but with renewed purpose?