Articles and Divrei Torah

Adapted from A Book of Life by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, this is a brief guide to the service liturgy.

This sermon discusses the meaning of the phrase "choose life." It tells people to choose a good way to live life.

This sermon tells how people need to do both social action and also focus on their own life, too, and that it is possible to do. It discusses how to avoid feeling overwhelmed by how much there is to in the world.

This is the sermon delivered by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld on Kol Nidre, 2009.

This teaching discusses the Torah's laws and the importance of Jewish ritual.

This sermon discusses the ways to perform Jewish practice in modern society. It also discusses SAJ's policy regarding intermarriage.

In this sermon, Rabbi Strassfeld discusses his obvious truths, mother's death, his mother's purpose in life, and death itself. He also discusses the importance of community in the midst of death.

This sermon discusses how the Conservative movement tries to look pluralistic while also trying to be traditional. It also discusses how the Conservative movement decides what its policies are on issues such as kashrut, and gay and women rabbis, and how much of these decisions are based on halakha. It also shows that the majority of the Conservative movement does not follow halakha.

Sermon delivered by Rabbi Michael Strassfeld in the 2009 Yom Kippur Family Service.

This sermon reflects on Zionism in general terms from a contemporary perspective; how it was started, who the leaders were, and what they wanted the Jewish state to be like. It also tells how to incorporate both Zionism and Jewish practice into our lives today.

This sermon discusses why the Binding of Isaac story (from Genesis 21) is read on Rosh Hashanah. It dsicusses the merits of studying challenging texts.