Torah from Temple of Aaron

A sermon R. Marcus Rubenstein gave on March 19th 2022 at Shabbat Morning Services at Temple of Aaron for parshat Tzav. He spoke about the need to readjust our understanding of the way in which God sees us, from seeing each of us as an individual to seeing each of us as a member of a larger community especially in preparation for the Pesach holiday.

A sermon given by R. Rachel Rubenstein on March 12th 2022 at Shabbat Morning Services at Temple of Aaron for Parshat Zachor. Rabbi Rachel speaks compellingly about the ever present voice of doubt in our lives, especially when faced with the possibility of doing the good in the world. How do we deal with that doubt? How can that doubt be productive? Finally- how can we overcome that doubt when it i...

Hey Everybody! This week you will hear the sermon I gave this past Shabbat morning service at Temple of Aaron on March 5th, 2022 on parshat pekudei. Many of us think that personal happiness or faith is the point of everything but I argue that happiness and faith makes possible the doing of the good in service of God. I hope you enjoy!

A fireside chat (without the fire that is), between Rabbi Rachel and Marcus about how one's individuality can be best expressed within community. It is a conversation the Rabbis Rubenstein had on Shabbat morning service on February 26th at Temple of Aaron on Parshat Vayakehel on Shabbat Shekalim. We hope you enjoy!

A sermon R. Marcus Rubenstein gave on February 19th 2022 at Temple of Aaron Shabbat morning services on parshat Ki Tisa. He makes the case for why we need to work to treat God and our fellow humans as separate individuals. R. Marcus explains how doing this can help us connect to each other and to the Eternal. He also has a little bit to say about dogs and cats as well. :) Enjoy!

Today you will hear a sermon given by R. Rachel Rubenstein given on Saturday, February 12th, at ToA Shabbat morning services at the Bat Mitzvah of Evie Sanders Gardner on parshat Tetzave . R. Rachel spoke about the need for committing to small daily moments to reconnect. Enjoy!

Today you will hear a sermon that R. Marcus Rubenstein gave Friday, February 11th, at ToA Shabbat evening services at the Bat Mitzvah of Evie Sanders Gardner on parshat Tetzave . He spoke about the need to find light in whatever setting we find ourselves in. Enjoy!

Rabbi Rachel Rubenstein examines how the Torah teaches us the essential building blocks of community. Rabbi Rachel's sermon was for the Saturday morning shabbat services at Temple of Aaron of "Sisterhood Shabbat", parshat Terumah on February 5th, 2022. 

A sermon R. Marcus Rubenstein gave during Shabbat morning services at Temple of Aaron on January 30th 2022 on parshat Mishpatim. He asks the question:  How do we deal with living in a confusing world? We find ourselves often in situations where it is hard to identify truth in our complicated world. How, as Jews, do we distance ourselves from confusion and elevate our deepest held values? List...

A conversation between ToA Rabbis, Rachel and Marcus Rubenstein on the conversation around abortion within the Torah. Our Conversation is in honor of the National Council of Jewish Woman, Repro Shabbat 2022. A big thank you to Coleen Dieker and Jeffrey Baldinger for our new theme music!

A sermon R. Marcus Rubenstein gave at Temple of Aaron on Saturday morning, January 22nd, 2022, on the day in which we read of the giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. After the anti-Semitic attack in in a Texas shul over last Shabbat, I reflect on our response to anti-Semitism and it's relationship to God's giving of the Torah on Mt. Sinai. I hope you find the words meaningful and may God continue to...

A special guest speaker from the Shabbat of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, Saturday Morning, January 15th 2022:  Tyrone Terrill- Founder and Managing Partner of The Terrill Group an executive management firm from 1987 to the present. He is the founding member and current president of the African American Leadership Council (AALC) of Saint Paul representing the African American community...

A sermon from R. Rachel Rubenstein that was given at Shabbat morning services on January 8th, 2022 on parshat Bo. Rabbi Rachel speaks about the first mitzvah given to the entire Jewish people, the mitzvah to mark the Jewish calendar. R. Rachel uses that mitzvah as a model of how we can each look at time with intentionality and mindfulness. 

A sermon, R. Marcus Rubenstein, gave on Saturday, January 1st 2022 at Temple of Aaron Shabbat morning services on Parshat Va-era. Jumping off a Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sermon, he pushes us to both fight our daily personal or public battles fervently but to balance that with gentle love of ourselves and our fellow. Moses did just this in his relationship with the Jewish people and God and it is...

Welcome back to Torah from Temple of Aaron. Today you will be hearing a sermon I gave at Temple of Aaron on December 25th 2021 at Shabbat morning services on parshat shmot. The sermon is about the need for each of us to have confidence in the gifts God gave us. 

A sermon given by R. Rachel Rubenstein on December 18th, 2021 at Temple of Aaron Shabbat Morning services especially honoring the St. Paul Jewish Federation. Rabbi Rachel speaks here about the value of preserving and creating our Jewish stories. Each Jew has the power to shape their own stories and build a better community for the entire Jewish community. I hope you enjoy!

A sermon R. Marcus Rubenstein gave on December 11th 2021 at Shabbat Morning Services at Temple of Aaron during Parshat Vayigash. Questions are confronted like, Does everyone have a goal? Are there goal-less people? What does God want from us in our daily lives? How should we orient ourselves in relation to the people and communities we come into contact with. How is Judaism helpfully counter-cultu...

A sermon given by Rabbi Rachel Rubenstein on December 4th 2021 during Shabbat services at Temple of Aaron on Parshat Miketz during the Chanukah holiday. R. Rachel speaks about the relationship between the harder and challenging moments of our life and how they may help us actually find light. She speaks about the biblical character Joseph, and how the events of his life can help us deal with life’...

Words of inspiration from Cantor Educator Joshua Fineblum on Hanukah and Faith from Shabbat services at Temple of Aaron, Saturday, November 27th 2021

Hello everybody, today we are going to hear a sermon from R. Marcus Rubenstein on Parshat Vayishlach given Saturday November 20th, 2021 at Shabbat morning services at Temple of Aaron. Rabbi Marcus explores how we deal with large, complicated and important communal issues in our communities. We will explore a specific case that was documented in the NY Times Daily podcast that occurred within the s...

Rabbi Rachel and Marcus discuss is it ok to let God know when you are angry. Is it ok to yell at God? Listen and out!

We had a special guest speaker at Temple of Aaron on Saturday, 11/13/21, Stewart Mednick, a Jewish veteran who spoke to us about what it is like to be a veteran and how we should treat veterans today. Although usually either Rabbi Marcus or Rachel give the sermon during Shabbat services, during Veterans day it is so pertinent to hear from a veteran who can personally testify to their experience.&n...

R. Marcus Rubenstein's sermon on parshat Toldot given at Temple of Aaron on November 6th 2021