Fighting for Ourselves Without Losing Ourselves

Do I Still Belong Here? Being Jewish in America - Parashat Chayei Sarah “It’s getting frightening to admit to being Jewish.” A congregant wrote to me asking for words of wisdom and encouragement. Beneath their fears was a question many American Jews are carrying: Do I still belong in the country I thought was my home? In this episode of Torah from Boca, I turn to Parashat Chayei Sarah and Abraham’s description of himself as a ger v’toshav, a stranger and a resident. From his purchase of the Cave of Machpelah to George Washington’s letter to the Jews of Newport, we explore the tension between knowing we belong and feeling uncertain about our place. How do we take antisemitism seriously without letting fear determine our future? What can we offer one another when reassurance alone is not enough? A teaching about Jewish identity, American belonging, and giving hope a place in our lives. Rabbi David Baum Congregation Shaarei Kodesh, Boca Raton, Florida Parashat Chayei Sarah | 2026

**When the Torah Falls, Who Picks Us Up? | From the Tower of Babel to the Ballot Box** When a Sefer Torah falls to the ground, everyone gasps. We rush to pick it up. We recognize that something sacred has fallen. But what happens when a human being falls? Do we respond with the same urgency? In this Shabbat sermon for Parashat Vayera, Rabbi David Baum of Congregation Shaarei Kodesh reflects on an unexpected moment during Shabbat services and connects it to the Tower of Babel, Abraham's courageous defense of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the choices we face during election season. What can Nimrod and Abraham teach us about leadership? Why did the builders of Babel care more about fallen bricks than fallen people? And what responsibility do we have to one another, even when we weren't there to witness someone else's suffering? As Election Day approaches, we're reminded that every vote is like a brick in the society we're building together. But we must never forget that people matter more than the bricks. When a Torah falls, we rush to pick it up. When a human being falls, shouldn't we do the same? #ParashatVayera #JewishWisdom #Election2026 #Torah #RabbiDavidBaum #JewishValues #Leadership #CongregationShaareiKodesh Click here to read and watch the sermon on Rabbi Baum's Blog

Three years after October 7, I turned to the opening chapters of Genesis to ask a question that feels especially urgent: how do we begin again after a world has been shattered? From tohu va-vohu, the chaos before creation, to Adam and Eve beginning again after the death of Abel, the Torah gives us one small but powerful word: od — again. In this sermon, I connect that word to Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik’s teaching about rebuilding after destruction, the story of my grandfather’s survival after the Shoah, the words of Hatikvah, and the Israeli song Tamid Ohev Oti. What does it mean for us to become the people of od — a people who remember what was lost, refuse to surrender hope, and continue to build, create, and dance again? Od lo avdah tikvateinu. Our hope is not lost. Click here to watch on YouTube

How do we cherish life’s sweetest moments when we know they cannot last forever? In “Hold On to Your Fork: The Sweetness Is Yet To Come,” Rabbi David Baum reflects on building a sukkah with his son, God’s invitation to stay one more day on Shemini Atzeret, and a surprising lesson from a fork. Delivered before Yizkor on Shemini Atzeret 5787, this episode of Torah from Boca explores grief, gratitude, and the love we carry forward, reminding us that even as we remember what we have lost, we can remain open to the sweetness still to come.

What We Can Still Hold On To | Shabbat and Sukkot 5787 How do we practice joy when we cannot guarantee our security, and when someone or something is missing? In this episode of Torah from Boca, Rabbi David Baum reflects on the sukkah’s fragile shelter, memories of sleeping beneath its roof with his children, and the absence of the lulav and etrog on Shabbat. Through these experiences, he explores how joy and vulnerability can coexist, and how what we can no longer hold can deepen our gratitude for what remains. Even beneath a roof that cannot keep out every storm, we can still look up and see the stars.

Returning What We’ve Lost: The 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Erev Rosh Hashanah, 5787 | Rabbi David Baum We remember September 11. But what do we remember about September 12, when so many of us felt a renewed responsibility for our neighbors and our country? Can we recover that sense of connection without another tragedy bringing us together? In this episode of Torah from Boca, I share my opening sermon for Rosh Hashanah, delivered on the 25th anniversary of 9/11. Beginning with the remarkable story of the flag raised at Ground Zero, which disappeared and was recovered years later, I explore the Torah’s commandment to return lost objects and its connection to teshuvah, the work of returning. As we enter a new year, what have we lost along the way? A relationship, a sense of purpose, or the belief that we are responsible for one another? This sermon invites us to consider what we can reclaim and how we can begin, one conversation, one act of kindness, and one choice at a time. Delivered at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh in Boca Raton, Florida. Read the sermon

The Wholeness of a Broken Heart: A Conversation with Rabbi Amy Pessah Rosh Hashanah Day Two, 5787 | Rabbi David Baum How do we begin again when life has changed in ways we never would have chosen? And what does hope look like when moving forward means carrying our loss with us? In this episode of Torah from Boca, I sit down with Rabbi Amy Pessah for a Rosh Hashanah conversation about grief, acceptance, and sacred renewal. Drawing on her experience of losing her son, Yossi, and the book that grew from that journey, Amy reflects on the distinction between pain and suffering and what it means to accept the life we have been given. Together, we explore Aaron’s silence after the deaths of his sons, the difficult questions raised by the Akeidah, and the possibility of opening our hearts again after loss. As we enter a new year, this conversation invites us to consider how sorrow and joy can live within the same heart, and how we might begin to make room for both. A conversation at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh in Boca Raton, Florida.

Yom Kippur, 5787 | Rabbi David Baum My great-grandmother taught her children to fight for themselves. Generations later, her lesson still matters. But how do we defend our people while keeping our hearts open to the suffering of others? In this episode of Torah from Boca, I share my Yom Kippur sermon, continuing the conversation begun on Rosh Hashanah through Hillel’s next question: “If I am only for myself, what am I?” Through my family’s immigrant story, Rachel Edri’s extraordinary courage on October 7, and an unexpected connection with a Haitian domestic worker, I explore our obligations to ourselves, our people, and the larger world. As we remember the people whose lives made ours possible, we also face a responsibility: deciding what kind of future we will create because of them. How can our Jewish story teach us to recognize someone else’s? Delivered at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh in Boca Raton, Florida. Read the sermon

The Future of the Jewish American Story Is Still Being Written Rosh Hashanah Day One, 5787 | Rabbi David Baum What is Superman doing on a wall in Tel Aviv, and what does he have to teach us about being Jewish in America? In this episode of Torah from Boca, I share my first-day Rosh Hashanah sermon, connecting a graffiti tour in Israel with conversations at Camp Ramah that left me thinking about the future our children will inherit. Drawing on Dara Horn’s insights into Jewish peoplehood and Hillel’s question, “If I am not for myself, who will be for me?” I explore what it means to take responsibility for Jewish life in America. As America marks its 250th anniversary, how do we confront antisemitism without allowing it to define our Judaism? Our ancestors helped build a country where we could be fully Jewish and fully American. What will we build for those who come after us? Delivered at Congregation Shaarei Kodesh in Boca Raton, Florida. Read the sermon

A few months ago, my son asked me if he could read Hitler's Mein Kampf. His reason: "Abba, I need to know our enemy. I want to know why they hate us." This week, we returned from Israel to a New York City mayor calling Jewish organizations and their supporters "monsters" — the same word Hitler used for Jews in his manifesto. Same hatred. Different century.  In this episode, I explore the oldest mystery in Jewish history: why are we hated, and why does the language never really change? And I turn to Parashat Balak — where a pagan prophet hired to curse Israel can only bless us — for a 3,000-year-old answer. They called us monsters. But We Are Lions. Which one are you going to be? Shema Israel. Rise like a lion.