January 9, 2026 – Seeing Our Connection to Those Around Us
When I returned a few years ago to my alma mater, I encountered for the first time not only a 2-acre cemetery but also a memorial to Confederate soldiers. Right in the middle of University grounds! This profound experience of blindness stands in stark contrast to the many instances of seeing in Parashat Shemot. Moses’s birth mother, his adoptive mother, Moses himself, and God all see, uncovering meaning that lies below the surface and recognizing their own responsibility for taking steps to bring the world closer to justice.
January 2, 2026 – Life in the Middle of Days
Jacob’s last vision on his deathbed is a symbol of the mysteries that lie beyond life. Though we cannot comprehend “the end of days,” the promise of their presence brings meaning to the life we live in middle. With every turning page, with every passing chapter, with every new year, we remind ourselves: chazak chazak v’nitchazek – “Be strong, be strong, and let us strengthen one another.”
A century after it was built, our community gathered to rededicate our synagogue’s historic sanctuary after a multi-year restoration project. My remarks reflect on the history and meaning of dedication, and I explore the values and commitments to which KAM Isaiah Israel is dedicated. In recalling the six values enshrined in our sanctuary’s beautiful stained-glass windows, I propose a seventh to which we commit ourselves in this century: community.
December 5, 2025 – The Face of Reconciliation
The story of Jacob and Esau is commonly interpreted in Jewish stories as an allegory for the confrontation between Christianity and Judaism. But behind this interpretation is the hope for reconciliation, which emerges when we see one another as bearing the face of the divine.
November 21, 2025 – Being Part of Jacob
Being Jewish does not mean simply being a descendant of Jews. How do we account for biology and genetics in the context of identity and conversion, and how do our earliest stories of Jewish family affect our understanding of ourselves?
October 31, 2025 – The Blessings of Haran: Celebrating 25 Years of Jewish Studies at UVA
I was privileged to deliver a sermon in the Rotunda of the University of Virginia on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of UVA’s Jewish Studies program, of which I am a graduate. I compare UVA to the biblical land of Haran and reflect on the important themes of justice, equity, and truth that I gained during my undergraduate education.
October 24, 2025 – Noah’s Ark: A Story of God’s Love
Though it may come as a surprise, the story of Noah’s Ark is, in the end, a story of compassion and love. God’s character changes and grows, reminding us of the everpresent possibility of rediscovery and hope.
October 10, 2025 – The Sukkot Miracle of Peace
Hanukkah is rightly called the Festival of Miracles, but it’s based on Sukkot, which is also a time to celebrate miracles. As we wait with bated breath for the potential return of Israel’s hostages and a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, we pray for the dawning of the long process of healing and peace.
October 2, 2025 – With Torah in our Mouths
Yom Kippur Morning
Good causes can be hijacked by those who seek to serve themselves. Antisemitism is a real concern which deserves genuine attention, but the federal government has fraudulently exploited the rise in antisemitism for its own political agenda. It’s incumbent upon the Jewish community to oppose this appropriation of our vulnerability and pain.
Listen to the sermon on our YouTube page.
October 1, 2025 – Summoned to Love
Erev Yom Kippur
Love is foundational to Jewish ethics and belief. The love cultivated in the family conditions us to care for those who are very close to us and to care about everyone else. In a world awash with need, it’s vital to keep in mind the difference between these two obligations in order preserve to our own wellbeing as well as our ability to do what’s morally required of us.
Listen to the sermon on our YouTube page.
September 23, 2025 – Truth and Peace in the Middle East
Rosh HaShanah Morning
Two years of brutal war have devastated Gaza and strained the Jewish community nearly to the breaking point. While reasonable people will disagree on the best path forward for the region, our tradition insists that “truthful peace” must honor the cries of pain and suffering from Palestinians as well as Israelis.
Listen to the sermon on our YouTube page.
September 22, 2025 – From Justice to Holiness
Erev Rosh Hashanah
Our congregation inherits a history of justice and envisions of future of holiness. How can we honor the traditions of our Reform forebears while also committing to a new understanding of modern religious life?
Listen to the sermon on our YouTube page.
September 19, 2025 – It Depends Upon Me
The Torah’s claim that every human is created in the image of God is a “radical democratization” that grants each of us royal dignity and moral agency. Drawing on Moses’s intercession at Sinai, we are reminded that “this matter depends upon me”—that our individual choices carry cosmic weight and that we cannot shirk our personal responsibility on the assumption that others will do what is right on our behalf.
September 5, 2025 – To Hide or Not to Hide
While Parashat Ki Teitzei warns us not to “hide ourselves” from a neighbor’s straying beast, the Rabbis insightfully suggest that there are times when hiding—or saying no—is essential to our own dignity and wellbeing. By exploring the tension between our duty to others and our responsibility to ourselves, we find that establishing healthy boundaries is not an act of cowardice, but a necessary step toward becoming a whole and honest self.
August 29, 2025 – Labor and Justice: A Jewish (and a KAM) Tradition
On Labor Day weekend, our congregation lifts up the importance of America’s labor movement. Jacob Weinstein, KAM’s rabbi from 1939 until 1967, was a hero of organized labor. He taught the importance of “transforming our so-called free enterprise private economy into a system viable enough to provide first the security and then the abundance which our material resources, machine tools, and industrial skills can make possible.” So on this Labor Day weekend, we call to mind our own role in standing up for economic justice even as we demand proper leadership from those in positions of political and societal power.
August 15, 2025 – Holding the Broken Whole
We are on a journey—sometimes alone, sometimes walking alongside others—from brokenness to repair and, if history is to be trusted, back to brokenness again. Just like the ark contains the broken shards of the first set of Ten Commandments, so do we carry our brokenness with us at all times. The broken and the whole, carried together in the sacred center of the camp, reminders that we, too, are vessels that contain broken promises and vows most carefully kept.
August 8, 2025 – Enough Already
When God abruptly denies Moses’s heartfelt plea to enter the Promised Land, the Torah reveals a counter-cultural Jewish value: the radical acceptance of “enough.” By exploring the distinction between being full and being satisfied, we can discover how the wisdom of Dayenu and the ethics of the Messianic Age challenge our modern drive for “more” and invite us into a life of transformative gratitude.
August 1, 2025 – Taking Responsibility for Destruction
Shabbat Chazon, the Shabbat before Tisha B’Av, reminds us that we are responsible for our collective moral failures, and we also have the power to overcome them. In the face of devastating hunger in Gaza during Israel’s war there, we must take this moment to ask ourselves what role we can play in alleviating the suffering of the vulnerable.
July 18, 2025 – Vigorously Defending Core Principles
The Torah’s story of Pinchas seems to venerate vigilantism and exonerate xenophobia. Can we read it another way? Perhaps with modern sensibilities, this troubling tale can motivate us to ask: “What are the core, uncompromisable principles in the society we strive to build?” And how can we stand up for what we believe is right, inspiring the passion of those we trust?
July 4, 2025 – Fighting Over Independence
The Declaration of Independence is aspirational, expressing values toward which the American project has reached for generations. Jewish tradition is familiar with the dynamic of falling short of our ideals, and we strive as Jews–and as Americans–to bring our society closer to one of true liberty and justice for all.
June 17, 2025 – Leading with Humility
Our traditions greatest leaders are King David and Moses our Teacher. But if we had to choose only one, Moses would win out because Moses, above all others, was humble. Humility is a necessary component of effective and virtuous leadership; and even if we don’t strive to serve as “leaders” of our community, these figures model for all of us that no human is inherently better than anyone else.
May 23, 2025 – If You Follow My Laws
The Torah’s rhetoric and poetry speak powerfully through the centuries, inspiring and motivating us even at a far remove from their culture of origin. What might appear to be ancient and outdated promises of punishment and reward reflect a divine spirit that calls to us through the ages, uniting us with our ancestors and with generations to come.
May 2, 2025 – Today … If You Will Hear His Voice
The Messiah is imagined to be a leper at the gate, ready to announce the world’s redemption at a moment’s notice … if we but notice him. The way we treat the most marginal of our society is a sign of our readiness for the messianic age, and our tradition reminds us to lean into uncomfortable connections for the benefit of all humankind.
April 11, 2025 – Incubating a Kingdom of Priests
This Shabbat Hagadol, the Shabbat before Pesach, we read of the seven-day period required for Aaron and his sons to go from regular Israelites to consecrated priests. The seven-day celebration of Passover can similarly be a period of “incubation” for us as well, as we take our position among the “Kingdom of Priests” tasked with continuing the work of redemption.
March 14, 2025 – Seeking God’s Face in the Cleft of the Rock
Our texts tantalizing depict God as “hidden,” and yet they seem to suggest the presence of God can be perceived. Both the passage of Moses in the cleft of the rock and the Scroll of Esther give clues as to how we might catch sight of an elusive God.
March 7, 2025 – Shining Colors of Repair
Reform Jews in every generation affirm that the world is broken in many ways, and today we face unique and concerning threats to justice in America and around the world. Each person finds their own path toward tikkun olam, or global repair, usually through small efforts that really make a difference in the lives of those we encounter every day.
January 10, 2025 – Legacy
The legacy we leave for others comes from what we do and what we say. Models from patriarchs to presidents to everyday moms teach us how we can pass on wisdom from one generation to another.
November 16, 2024 – A Time to Laugh
Even in difficult times, our tradition reminds us of the importance of laughter. Like our foremother Sarah, we prize the courage and confidence to laugh not only to unburden ourselves of tension but also to make a lasting and positive change.
November 9, 2024 – Facing Trump Again, We Stand Together
America has never been a perfect democracy, and Jewish tradition and history are guides to standing by our values in the face of those who oppose them. Following the election of Donald Trump as President, we commit to promoting these values in America just as Reform Jews do in Israel as well. – See the recording here.
October 18, 2024 – “A Place for Everyone at the Sukkah’s Table”
Sukkot is a holiday of hospitality and welcoming. This goes not only for honored guests like the spiritual ushpizin but for all manner of people who may need a place at our table.
October 12, 2024 – Yom Kippur Morning – “Unshattered Glass: Our Congregation and Israel in 5785”
As a “house of assembly” and a “house of prayer,” our synagogue is a home to people with many outlooks and beliefs about Israel. Especially in a moment when stakes are high, and tensions as well, our congregation should be a place where people can come together with compassion and respect. – See the recording here.
October 11, 2024 – Erev Yom Kippur – “The Web of Our Days: Life and What Comes After”
The children’s novel Charlotte’s Web blends with themes from traditional Jewish sources as well as modern science to help us consider the meaning of life in light of what might happen after death. – See the recording here. (Note this was re-recorded after Yom Kippur.)
October 4, 2024 – Rosh Hashanah Morning 2 – “Torah Reading Retold”
The Torah’s tale of the miraculous birth of Isaac, the expulsion of his older brother, and the miraculous redemption of Ishmael and Hagar is a poignant and challenging one. Divided into three discrete segments, the passage we read on Rosh Hashanah’s second morning lends itself to several themes; Rabbi Kirzane explores each one by pairing the Torah readings with modern personal essays.
October 3, 2024 – Rosh Hashanah Morning – “The Price of Peace is Us and Them”
The High Holy Days call us to set aside language of “us and them” and to see all of humanity as one. The Aleinu prayer, often considered hyper-particularistic, actually carries within it a profound message of unity. – See the recoding here.
October 2, 2024 – Erev Rosh Hashanah – “Our Lives Through Heaven’s Eyes”
Each of us is the main character in our own story, and we all play supporting roles in larger stories to which we contribute. How shall we shape the story of our congregation and community in the year ahead? – See the recording here.
September 20, 2024 – “Arise and Let Us Go: Taking Our Place in Sacred Pilgrimage
Dramatic retellings of the past help us imagine our place in the unfolding narrative of our people and remind us of the significance of our deeds as we prepare for the dawning of a new year.
September 13, 2024 -” A Life Filled with the Love of Torah”….
Rabbi Kirzane shares brief reflections on the occasion of his installation as the new rabbi of KAM Isaiah Israel.
September 6, 2024 – “Elul is Upon Us” …
Parashat Shoftim reminds us that while perfection is impossible, pursuing justice and connecting with God leads to true wholeness. He encourages moments of pause and self-compassion as we prepare for the High Holy Days.
August 30, 2024 – “Labor and Justice: A Jewish (and a KAM) Tradition”
Jewish values teach us that economic opportunity is essential to a just society. On Labor Day Weekend, we call to mind Jewish values of economic justice and invite a special guest speaker to address current issues facing the rights and opportunities of American workers.
August 16, 2024 – “Choose Your Own Ten Commandments”
Jewish textual tradition has, for more than 2000 years, shown us the value and importance of creativity and flexibility in thinking about “what we have to do.”
August 9, 2024 – “Why Are We Sitting Around?: Tisha B’Av’s Message of Truth”
One of the “cardinal sins” we recall on our national day of mourning is falsehood. What is the role of truth and truth-telling in making the world a better place?
July 19, 2024 – “Fantasy but No Further: Responding to the Attempted Assassination of Donald Trump”
How do Jewish values guide us in responding to the assassination attempt of a political leader many in our community find dangerous?
July 12, 2024 – “Being Like Miriam’s Well”
A second introductory sermon, in which Rabbi Kirzane draws on the image of Miriam’s Well to symbolize our ability to give unselfishly in pursuit of mitzvot.
July 5, 2024 – “Declarations of Freedom”
Rabbi Kirzane’s first sermon, in which he introduces himself and addresses questions of freedom on Independence Day.