Sermons and Addresses

Marc Saperstein

• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Year: 2023
• eBook ISBN: 9781398469204
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Education Biographies

When a respected scholar with a career at three major American universities moves to a position as principal of an important institution in UK, there is likely to be considerable interest in what he has to say not only to his students, but to many others as well. The two most important formats for such communication were the sermon and the academic lecture. Historically, the sermon has been an extremely important form of communication, first as verbal communication to a specific group of listeners, and then as a written text made available to many more readers. Marc Saperstein was a member of Beth Shalom Reform Congregation in Cambridge, where religious services were directed and sermons delivered not by the rabbi of the synagogue – which never had a rabbi – but by members of the congregation. During the five years from 2006-2011, Marc Saperstein delivered 29 sermons in Beth Shalom. He also was asked to deliver sermons at 15 other congregations. The texts of these sermons are now accessible in the book.

Table of contents

• Sermons and Addresses
• About the Author
• Dedication
• Copyright Information ©
• Principal: Leo Baeck College
• Greetings at Leo Baeck College Ordination 2 July 2006 Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London
• “Preparing Rabbis for the Future: Rabbinic Education in the Twenty-First Century” 6 July 2006 Leo Baeck College International Rabbinic Conference, Final Session
• “The Sermon as a Source for Jewish History, Literature, and Thought” David Goldstein Memorial Lecture 12 July 2006 Liberal Jewish Synagogue
• “Not by Bread Alone”* Eqev*, 12 August 2006 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Rabbis and Congregations In Times of Crisis” 8 September 2006 West London Synagogue of British Jews
• “On Warnings of Punishment” Ki Tavo, 9 September 2006 West London Synagogue of British Jews
• “On Sharing a Common Ancestor” Lekh Lekha, 4 November 2006 South West Essex and Settlement Reform Synagogue
• “Jews at the Beginning of WWI” Va-Yera, 11 November 2006 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue Cambridge
• “Burial Sites and Holiness” “A Sermon on Ḥayyei Sarah” Liberal Jewish Synagogue 18 November 2006
• “Two Names of God” Va-Eira, 20 January 2007 Alyth Gardens
• “Following a Majority” Mishpatim, 17 February 2007 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue Cambridge
• “Medieval Jewish Preaching and Christian Homiletics” Lecture Given at International Conference on “Two Homiletical Traditions: Preaching in Judaism and Christianity” 6 March 2007 Bamberg University, Bavaria
• “The Golden Calf: The Original Sin of the Israelite People?” Ki Tissa, 10 March 2007 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “American Jewish Preaching on the Great War” 20 April 2007 British Association of Jewish Studies
• “Ploughshares into Swords: Anglo-Jewish Preaching During World War II” 30 April 2007 Yerushah Lecture, Faculty of Divinity, Cambridge
• “A Nation of Prophets?” Be-Ha’alotekha, 2 June 2007 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “The Six-Day War: Then and Now” Shelaḥ, 9 June 2007 Birmingham Progressive Synagogue
• “Rabbi Dr Louis Jacobs: First Yahrzeit” 20 June 2007 New London Synagogue
• הדרשה כמקור להיסטוריה, ספרות, ומחשבת ישראל: מצב במחקר “The Sermon as Source for Jewish History, Literature and Thought: The State of the Field” 16 July 2007 Zalman Shazar Lecture, Jerusalem
• “Jewish Eschatology: Christ and the Jewish People” 17 August 2007 Leuven, Belgium
• “Anglo-Jewish Preaching During the Great War (1914-1918)” 9 September 2007 Jewish Historical Society of England Birmingham
• “The Sounds of Silence” Rosh Hashanah, 13 September 2007 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Crossroads in Life” Yom Kippur, 22 September 2007 Edgware and District Reform Synagogue
• “Literature in Jewish War-Time Sermons” 21 October 2007 Jewish Literary Society of Edinburgh
• “Attitudes Towards Christianity in Modern Jewish Preaching” 6 November 2007 Parkes Institute University of Southampton
• “Visions of a Renewed Israel” Liberal Judaism Rabbinic Kallah 21 November 2007
• “For Thou Art with Us” Va-Yeshev, 1 December 2007 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “It Ain’t Necessarily So” History and Biblical Narrative Bo, 12 January 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Four Lepers at the Gate” Metzora, 12 April 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Do Not Add to His Words” [Deut. 4:2] Erev Shavu’ot, 8 June 2008 Westminster Synagogue, London
• “The Widow Oppressed by the Torah” Koraḥ, 28 June 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Is the Sermon on Its Deathbed?” Academic Conference 30 June 2008 Leo Baeck College, London
• “‘Normative Judaism’ in the Crisis of War Sermons by Abraham Cohen and Israel Mattuck” Proceedings of the British Association for Jewish Studies Manchester Judaica Fest 21 July 2008
• “Is There an Unpardonable Sin?” Nitzavim, 27 September 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Standing Before God: Music, Prayer, the Religious Life” Kol Nidre, 8 October 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Bumps, Forks and Detours on the Road to God’s Kingdom” International Council of Christians and Jews (ICCJ) 27 October 2008
• “Islam and the People of the Book: Muslim-Jewish Contact Through the Ages” 9 November 2008 North West Surrey Synagogue
• “Jacob’s Dream and Ours” Va-Yetsei, 6 December 2008 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “On Servitude and Emancipation: Eved Ivri” Mishpatim 21 February 2009 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Israel’s Original Sin” Ki Tissa, 14 March 2009 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Attacking Our Leaders” Ḥukkat, 4 July 2009 New North London Synagogue, Finchley
• “Moscato as Eulogist” Culture Transfer in a New Style: The Renaissance Preacher Judah Moscato (1533–1590) 5 July 2009 Mantua, Italy
• “Utopian Legislation” Re’eh, 15 August 2009 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Spinoza’s Rabbi”: Saul Levi Morteira’s Sermons to a Congregation of Amsterdam “New Jews” 27 August 2009 Levisson Instituut
• “5769: What Went Wrong? Can We Do Better?” Yom Kippur Morning, 2009 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Abraham: The First Zionist?” Lekh Lekha, 31 October 2009 Birmingham Progressive Synagogue
• “Confronting Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia” 10 November 2009 Joseph Interfaith Foundation
• “And Esau Wept Aloud” Regeneration After Disaster Va-Yetsei, 28 November 2009 Bristol and West Progressive Jewish Congregation
• “Religious Intolerance, Toleration, and Openness to the Other in the Middle Ages” Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter 19 January 2010
• “Regeneration After Disaster” Northwood and Pinner Liberal January 2010
• “Quoting ‘Unkosher’ Sources” Yitro, 6 February 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “The Memory of Amalek” Zakhor, 27 February 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Progressive Judaism at 200 Years: A Retrospect” 5 March 2010 World Union for Progressive Judaism European Region Paris, France
• “Positions of Jewish Leadership: Sources of Authority and Power” International Jewish-Christian-Muslim Conference (JCM) “Power and Authority in Religious Traditions” 15–21 March 2010 Wuppertal, Germany
• “Strange Fire” Shemini, 10 April 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Theodor Herzl in Retrospect” (150th Anniversary of His Birth) 5 May 2010 Northwood and Pinner Liberal Congregation
• “To Curse or to Bless?” Balak, 26 June 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “My Least Favourite Biblical Verse” Mattot Mas’ei, 10 July 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “9/11: ‘Burn a Koran Day’ and Shabbat Shuvah” 11 September 2010 Liberal Jewish Synagogue
• “Moses as Model” Yom Kippur, 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Sacred Boundaries” Va-Yetzei, 13 November 2010 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Religious Leaders, Worldly Power: Texts from the Hebrew Scriptures” The Scriptural Reasoning Launch Event Examination Schools University of Oxford 25 November 2010
• “The Soul of the Stranger” Mishpatim, 29 January 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Beaten for the Light” Tetsaveh, 11 February 2011 World Union for Progressive Judaism Beth El Congregation Berkeley, California
• “Christian Doctrine and the Death Camps: The Ambiguities of Influence” Birmingham Council of Christians and Jews 7 March 2011
• “New Perspectives” Shabbat Zakhor, 19 March 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Naaman’s Discovery of God” Tazri’a, 2 Kings, Chapter 5 2 April 2011 Jewish-Christian-Muslim Brotherhood Week
• “The Song at the Sea” Seventh Day of Pesach 25 April 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “You Shall Be Holy” Kedoshim, 29 and 30 April 2011 Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
• “Manoah’s Wife, Samson’s Mother” Naso, 4 June 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• Leo Baeck College Ordination Address 4 July 2011 Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London
• “God’s Punishments: Or Are They?” Ki Tavo, 17 September 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Rabbis as Preachers, 1800–1965” Regensburg Conference: Scholar – Preacher – Spiritual Advisor: Changing Role of Rabbis and Pastors 20 September 2011
• “The Art of Forgiving” Kol Nidre, 7 October 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge
• “Jews and Christians: Burdens from the Past, Challenges for the Future” Praying for Peace: Spirituality and Interfaith Dialogue 27 October 2011 Christ Church University, Canterbury
• “The Voice of the Outcast” Va-Yera, 12 November 2011 Beth Shalom Reform Synagogue, Cambridge