34 episodes
Socially Distant, Spiritually Close Rabbi Michael Knopf
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- Religion & Spirituality
The coronavirus pandemic has transformed our world and upended lives. In this time of stress and solitude, loss and grief, anger and anxiety — how do we nurture our souls? In this era of social distancing, how do we remain spiritually connected? Join Rabbi Michael Knopf, author of Thirty Days of Liberation: Pathways for Personal and Social Transformation Inspired by the Book of Exodus for lectures, sermons, class, and conversations with special guests, all aimed at wrestling with these important questions (and more). “Socially Distant, Spiritually Close” will help you find faith and hope, enrichment and uplift in this challenging time.
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Introducing the TBE Richmond Podcast
We’re closing out this feed in order to make way for a new show called The TBE Richmond Podcast. Moving forward, that’s where you’ll be able to hear Rabbi Knopf’s sermons, teachings, and conversations with special guests, in addition to other great content from Temple Beth-El in Richmond, Virginia. You’ll still be able to revisit episodes of “Socially Distant, Spiritually Close” right here. Thanks for listening. We hope you’ve enjoyed this podcast, and that it has helped you find faith and hope, enrichment and uplift during this challenging time.
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What Liberation Demands
In this episode, Rabbi Knopf offers some perspective on the deadly, presidentially-incited assault on the Capitol and American democracy (January 6, 2021). He argues that what happened Wednesday was in so many ways the inevitable culmination of the past four years, and that while some are doubtlessly guilty, all of us bear some responsibility. The biblical Exodus story teaches us that a different future is possible, but only when we who are part of the system decide to no longer be complicit or complacent.
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Reconciliation & Redemption in the New Year
In this episode (recorded for Temple Beth-El’s virtual Shabbat service on December 26, 2020), Rabbi Knopf and Rev. Jim Somerville, Senior Pastor of Richmond, Virginia’s First Baptist Church, discuss what insights the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers offer us as we turn the page on 2020 and look ahead to 2021.
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Show Me, Don’t Tell Me
In this episode (recorded for Temple Beth-El’s virtual Shabbat service on December 19, 2020), Rabbi Knopf speaks about the meaning of the extraordinary events of the past week, in which the first wave of frontline healthcare workers in the US began receiving coronavirus vaccines, and about how it’s not enough to make bold statements. Rather, our actions tell the world who we truly are.
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Don’t Curse the Darkness. Light a Candle.
In this episode (recorded for Temple Beth-El’s virtual Shabbat service on December 12, 2020), Rabbi Knopf and Ruth Messinger, Global Ambassador of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), discuss the connections between Hanukkah and working on behalf of oppressed and persecuted communities worldwide.
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The Cry That Echoes Eternally (with Carol Rose)
In this episode (recorded for Temple Beth-El’s virtual Shabbat service on December 5, 2020), Rabbi Knopf and his mother-in-law, poet, author, and master educator Carol Rose, discuss one of the Bible’s most disturbing stories -- the rape of Jacob and Leah’s daughter, Dinah -- and what that terrible tale has to teach us today.