Naso | Rabbi Michael Siegel | May 22, 2021
Imagine this scene. A slave people, who lived for hundreds of years under the whip and tyranny of Egypt. Stripped of a sense of self, these slaves inhabited a world where they were defined by the Egyptian overlords as something subhuman, abhorrent, no different than a pack animal. Now, miraculously freed from slavery, these same Continue Reading »
Kedoshim | Rabbi Michael Siegel | April 24, 2021
Love Your Neighbor A man walks into the car store wanting to buy a car. He pays the man at the counter and the salesperson says, “All right, just come back in 10 years to pick one up.” The man replies, “Morning or afternoon?” The dealer says, “Well, 10 years from now, what difference does it Continue Reading »
Tazria-Metzora | Rabbi Michael Siegel | April 17, 2021
Behind my desk in my office, there are two beautiful stained-glass windows. One is a striking image of the Prophet Jeremiah. So, I have the distinction of spending a great deal of time with the image of one of our great Prophets before me. Though I have not been spending a significant amount of time Continue Reading »
Yitro | Rabbi Michael Siegel | February 6, 2021
The Danger of a Post-Truth America I want to begin with a Midrash, a Rabbinic teaching, about our Torah reading this morning which, while composed well over a thousand years ago, could have easily been written today: “When Moses was engaged in writing the Torah, he had to write the work of each day of Continue Reading »
Shelach-Lecha | Rabbi Michael Siegel | June 20, 2020
This morning, I would like to speak to you about the power of imagination. Here, let me put great emphasis on power. It was none other than Albert Einstein who was able to imagine things happening in the universe that are only now being verified. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces Continue Reading »
Rabbi Michael Siegel | June 19, 2020
What an amazing sight this is! I have been on a journey with Pastor Chris Harris for the past 8 years and we have walked a great distance together. Chris, I am so proud of the way that you, along with an army of Bright Star volunteers, have brought together elected officials, corporate leaders and Continue Reading »
Naso | Rabbi Michael Siegel | June 6, 2020
Sometime in the 8th Century, a silversmith etched Hebrew letters on a small piece of thin, pounded silver. It was then folded and presumably worn either as jewelry or pinned to the person’s clothing. This tiny sliver of silver contains the earliest example of Hebrew writing in the world today. For those who would deny Continue Reading »
Memorial Day, Yom HaZikaron | Rabbi Michael Siegel | May 23, 2020
I experienced Yom HaZikaron only once in the land of Israel, but I never forgot it. Yom HaZikaron is the Israeli version of Memorial Day, a 24-hour period set aside for a nation to remember its fallen soldiers. At 8 p.m., sirens blast throughout the country announcing this most solemn day. The seriousness with which Continue Reading »
Behar-Behukotai | Rabbi Michael Siegel | May 16, 2020
Growing up in Cleveland in the 60’s, football was the civil religion. No matter what part of the city you lived in, your politics, religion, race, or socioeconomic standing, the one thing that everyone could agree on was their love of the Cleveland Browns. I can still remember the excitement of a Sunday as game Continue Reading »
Emor | Rabbi Michael Siegel | May 12, 2020
In these days of COVID 19 it is important to find reasons to smile; opportunities for laughter. There are certain comedians that make me smile without even having to watch their routines. I just have to hear their names. For me, the Marx Brothers, the antics of Groucho, Harpo, and Chico, rank high on my Continue Reading »
