Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch Of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue

“It is one thing to point out – rightly – human suffering. But you cannot be neutral between liberal democracy and authoritarian coercion, between respect for human life and contempt for life, between dignity and cruelty, between self-defense and...

A trip to the barber causes Rabbi Hirsch to confront his mortality.

"We cannot fully understand the contemporary Jewish experience, or live complete Jewish lives, without Israel being part of our Jewish identity." In celebration of Yom Haatzmaut, Israel Independence Day, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch honors our...

On Holocaust Memorial Day, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch demands that we combat humanity’s evil impulses and instill the values of tolerance, decency, compassion, freedom, diversity, and respect. “Again and again and again we have chosen life. It is the...

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch shares key points he made as a panelist on pro-Israel activism in progressive communities at the 2018 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) Policy Conference, which was attended by thousands of Israeli and American...

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on the Florida teenagers fighting gun violence and our moral obligation to support them. “Heroism is the sustained advancement towards a moral goal when the gaze of the world has moved on — and you are left only with your...

“Train yourselves and your children for moral performance as you would train yourselves for physical performance,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “Do moral workouts. Spend part of every day practicing moral deeds.”

Responding to Poland’s new law that makes it a crime to accuse the Polish nation of complicity in the Holocaust, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch remembers a Polish officer who fought the Nazi invasion of his homeland with exceptional moral fortitude and courage.

“The human spirit responds to and is strengthened by goodness, kindness, social connections, family, and friends — precisely the rewiring that the Hebrew prophets emphasized nearly three thousand years ago,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.

“Religion is more important to us than ever,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “The Torah reminds us that machines serve us — not the opposite. We seek to make technology our tool, not our taskmaster.”

“America is not about where you came from,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says in this sermon. “It’s about where you want to go.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch reflects on President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. “Judaism without Jerusalem is not Judaism.”

“Even if we are devoted to attacking the windmills of injustice, the righteous fight itself might grind us down,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says. “We need to step back — and pursue — the other principles that count” such as love, compassion, and wisdom.

“With every new massacre, it has become easier for us to move on,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch. “Instead of just thoughts and prayers, we need deeds, actions, resolutions, and resolve.”

After the recent terrorist attack, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch finds symbolism in the New York City Marathon. “Above all else, the race tests persistence, endurance, and our will to continue.”

Rabbi Hirsch urges American Reform Jews to establish and fund a stronger progressive movement in Israel to counter the intensifying religious extremism of the country’s ultra-Orthodox monopoly.

Eternity came before us; eternity comes after us. Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch asks: “What is the significance of our brief sojourn on earth?”

In his Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch offers an assessment of the political and moral health of our country since the election of President Trump.

“It is good for you to take time off your academic pursuits and professional responsibilities and reflect in synagogue on what you want to do with all the knowledge you have acquired,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch says.

“The secret of life is to fear what should be feared — but not allow fear to paralyze action and trample upon moral values,” says Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.