Contact Chai

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday Morning service on August 17th. The saddest day of the Jewish calendar is followed by one of the most joyous. In this moving sermon, Rabbi Steven examined why this is and how the abundant love of Tu B’Av can overcome the excessive hatred behind the tragedies of Tisha B’Av. **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

At our August 9th Friday night service, Rabbi Lizzi spoke on the power of Tisha B’Av to lend us a space to mourn and process all that we have lost, both in ancient times and today. How can this holiday which appears so pessimistic — at least in comparison to the largely optimistic Jewish calendar — actually nourish our souls? **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calenda...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

At our August 3rd Saturday morning service, Rabbi Steven delivered a drash about the biblical concept of the city of refuge, places where those accused of manslaughter could seek asylum. In a modern context, how do we balance justice and compassion or employ both the righteous anger of protest and the need for strategic compromise? **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event c...

July is Builder Renewal season! Buildership powers this community and makes it possible for us to bring you services, education, podcasts, and so much more. If you are a Builder at Mishkan, we can’t wait for you to renew your commitment. Not a Builder yet? We invite you to join the community as a Builder. Not in Chicagoland? Join the 10% of our Builder community who live outside of Illinois. It wo...

July is Builder Renewal season! Buildership powers this community and makes it possible for us to bring you services, education, podcasts, and so much more. If you are a Builder at Mishkan, we can’t wait for you to renew your commitment. Not a Builder yet? We invite you to join the community as a Builder. Not in Chicagoland? Join the 10% of our Builder community who live outside of Illinois. It wo...

While the founding and associate rabbis are afar, R'Ari and Eli Newell will d'var — and donkeys will preach, too! What wisdom can we glean from looking at the Torah through a multitude of unlikely lenses, even that of a donkey? Become A Mishkan Builder: https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/ **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see...

July is Builder Renewal season! Buildership powers this community and makes it possible for us to bring you services, education, podcasts, and so much more. If you are a Builder at Mishkan, we can’t wait for you to renew your commitment. Not a Builder yet? We invite you to join the community as a Builder. Not in Chicagoland? Join the 10% of our Builder community who live outside of Illinois. It wo...

July is Builder Renewal season! Buildership powers this community and makes it possible for us to bring you services, education, podcasts, and so much more. If you are a Builder at Mishkan, we can’t wait for you to renew your commitment. Not a Builder yet? We invite you to join the community as a Builder. Not in Chicagoland? Join the 10% of our Builder community who live outside of Illinois. It wo...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay from our Pride Shabbat service on Friday, June 21st. We were honored to receive a thoughtful drash from Mishkanite Aidan Gilbert, who reflected on his life, the gains of the LGBTQIA+ community, and the need to fight to protect those gains from the ceaseless onslaught of the far right. Become A Mishkan Builder: https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our June 15th Saturday morning service when Rabbi Steven delivered a drash on the need to combat polarization with community building. Become A Mishkan Builder: https://www.mishkanchicago.org/support/be-a-builder/ **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about ou...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Shavuot Shabbat service, when Rabbi Steven shared about his experience traveling to Washington, DC with the Interfaith Alliance where he witnessed the wide spectrum of views of the Jewish and interfaith communities through the lens of the diverse perspectives we celebrate during both Shavuot and Pride Month. Unfortunately, we experienced some technical di...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on June 1st. Prompted by this week’s parsha which contains a list of blessings and curses God promises to rain down on the righteous and the wrongdoer, respectively, Rabbi Lizzi delivered a sermon on the theological concept of theodicy, that is, the question of how a loving God could allow so much suffering and, despite his warnin...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay from our May 24th Friday Night Shabbat service. Rabbi Steven delivered a drash on the power of stories. Narratives shape our lives and transform our world. How can we harness their power for good? **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our venues. Follow us...

Today’s episode is a Shababt Replay all the way back to March 15th, when Rabbi Steven was joined by a virtual panel to discuss the Progressive Chevra Kadisha of Chicago, a sacred society which prepares bodies for burial. It’s a fascinating conversation all about this beautiful and humbling ancient practice. **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Acc...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay from our virtual Friday night service on May 17th. Rabbi Lizzi delivered a drash on the complicated relationship of disability justice and the Torah. How can we make sense of a mitzvah which appears to exclude people with a disability? We must first begin by considering the examples of two sacred texts: Leviticus and the hit TV show Glee . **** For upcoming Shab...

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 upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page for information about our ven...

Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay from our May 10th Friday night service, when Rabbi Steven delivered a drash on the occasion of three holidays — Yom Ha’Zikaron, Yom Ha’Atzmaut, and Dhikra an-Nakba. What can the messages of each of these days teach us in this difficult time? **** For upcoming Shabbat services and programs, check our event calendar , and see our Accessibility & Inclusion page...

This episode is a recording of a conversation held today, May 8th, led by Rabbi Lizzi who was joined by two members of the Parents Circle, an organization of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones to war and are working together toward peace. Laila Alsheikh lives in Bethlehem in the West Bank. In 2002, her 6 months old son, Qussay, became ill and Israeli soldiers prevented Layla from t...