Voices of Adas
By Adas Israel Congregation
Categories: Religion & Spirituality, Judaism
Welcome to Voices of Adas, a collection of sermons, Torah reflections, and inspiring teachings from the rabbis and guest speakers of Adas Israel Congregation in Washington, DC. Rooted in Jewish tradition and connected to the world around us, these voices offer fresh perspectives, meaningful questions, and moments of wisdom for everyday life. Whether you joined us in the sanctuary or are listening from afar, we invite you to stay connected, find inspiration, and carry a little of Adas with you wherever you go.
20 episodes indexed on PodSearch.
Recent episodes
- Parashat Vayera | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt | Oct 31, 2026
What does it mean to take responsibility for a world in need of repair? This Shabbat sermon contrasts Noah’s obedience with Abraham’s willingness to question, argue for justice, and act. It invites us to use our moral compass and become active partners in bringing holiness and goodness into the…
- Parshat Lech-Lecha | Rabbi Aaron Alexander | Oct 24, 2026
What kind of society does the Torah ask us to build? Drawing on the biblical and rabbinic portraits of Sodom and Egypt, Rabbi Alexander’s Shabbat sermon contrasts systems of cruelty and exploitation with a community rooted in justice and the inherent worth of every person. He calls us to keep…
- Parshat Noach | Rabbi Sarah Krinsky | Oct 17, 2026
Who gets to belong—and do we have to earn our place? Beginning with a question about Noah’s ark and turning to the Talmud’s story of Rabban Gamliel, Rabbi Sarah Krinsky’s Shabbat sermon explores the barriers we place around Jewish learning and community. It offers an invitation to bring our…
- Parashat Bereshit | Rabbi Aaron Alexander | Oct 10, 2026
What does it mean that God blessed the seventh day? Drawing on Genesis and Jewish commentary, this sermon explores Shabbat as a housewarming celebration—a weekly invitation to turn chaos into a welcoming home and make room for guests, possibility, and God.
- Yom Kippur 2026 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Rabbi Alexander reflects on mortality, friendship, and the extraordinary improbability of being alive. Through personal loss and Jewish reflection, he invites us to loosen our grip on time and celebrate the precious life and relationships before us.
- Yom Kippur 2026 | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
Rabbi Holtzblatt examines regret as an essential part of teshuvah, the work of return and repair. Drawing on confession, the story of Joseph and his brothers, and her own family, she invites us to see the pain we have caused and choose differently while there is still time.
- Rosh Hashanah 2026 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
In this Rosh Hashanah sermon for 5787, Rabbi Aaron Alexander reflects on Jewish identity, belonging, and the relationship between American Jews and Israel. Ivri Anokhi—I am a Jew—becomes an affirmation of a full, complex identity and the right to feel at home without concealing or simplifying who…
- Rosh Hashanah 2026 | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
On the first day of Rosh Hashanah 5787, Rabbi Holtzblatt explores the relationship between love for the Jewish people and responsibility toward all humanity. Through the Torah’s creation stories and the idea that every person bears the divine image, she asks how our closest bonds can deepen our…
- Rosh Hashanah 2026 | Rabbi Sarah Krinsky
In this Erev Rosh Hashanah sermon for 5787, Rabbi Krinsky explores emunah—faith—as the willingness to leave room for possibility without demanding certainty. Drawing on Abraham, rabbinic stories, and everyday life, she asks how we can keep moving forward and sustain one another’s hope.
- Yom Kippur 2025 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
What does it mean to call ourselves a chosen people? Rabbi Aaron Alexander explores the comfort, responsibility, and dangers bound up in Jewish chosenness, asking how this inheritance can inspire humility and service rather than superiority.
- Yom Kippur 2025 | Rabbi Sarah Krinsky
What would it mean to build a community where each person is fully seen, known, and cared for? Beginning with a preschool parent-teacher conference and turning to the High Holiday image of God as a shepherd, Rabbi Sarah Krinsky explores how a divided Jewish community can repair its bonds. This Yom…
- Rosh Hashanah 2025 | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
In a world marked by cruelty and fear, Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt asks how we can recover our shared humanity. Drawing on the commandment to return what is lost, Noah’s ark, and acts of care in Israel, Gaza, and Washington, she points toward repair through concrete mitzvot. This Rosh Hashanah sermon…
- Rosh Hashanah 2025 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Rabbi Aaron Alexander journeys through the Torah with a central challenge: resist the seduction of idolatry and coercive power. Drawing on Hillel, Shammai, and the Jewish story of liberation, this Rosh Hashanah sermon calls us toward human dignity, humility, and hope in a time of crisis.
- Rosh Hashanah 2025 | Rabbi Sarah Krinsky
Rabbi Sarah Krinsky explores how family memories and Jewish ancestral stories give us belonging, perspective, and strength in uncertain times. Through Rabbi Akiva, the biblical Sarah and Hannah, and her own experiences, she reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles. This Erev Rosh Hashanah…
- Yom Kippur 2024 | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt explores the courage it takes to tell the truth about our lives—and the love a community must offer in response. Drawing on the Temple’s foundation stone, personal stories, and the work of teshuvah, this Kol Nidre sermon invites us to bring our whole selves into religious…
- Yom Kippur 2024 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
In this Yizkor reflection, Rabbi Aaron Alexander shares how music brought an unexpected sense of connection with his late mother. Through poetry, Talmud, and personal memory, he explores the conversations that continue after loss—and the community that helps us hold them. He invites us to speak…
- Rosh Hashanah 2024 | Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt
Drawing on the words of Rachel Goldberg-Polin, Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt reflects on gratitude, rituals for pain, and the anguish of redemption that has not arrived. This Rosh Hashanah sermon asks how community, the shofar, and an enduring belief in possibility can help us face grief without giving…
- Rosh Hashanah 2024 | Rabbi Elianna Yolkut
Drawing on the binding of Isaac and poems by Haim Gouri and Elchanan Nir, this Rosh Hashanah Torah introduction explores inherited trauma and Jewish resilience in the aftermath of October 7. It calls for transforming grief into renewed life, creativity, and responsibility for the Jewish future.
- Rosh Hashanah 2024 | Rabbi Aaron Alexander
Rabbi Aaron Alexander explores arevut—the Jewish responsibility to be guarantors for one another—in a year marked by grief, war, and deep disagreement. Drawing on rabbinic texts and personal encounters, he asks how we can remain connected without demanding uniformity or abandoning our convictions.
- Parashat Chayei Sara | Rabbi Aaron Alexander | Nov 14, 2020
Who stands at the center of the Jewish story? In this Shabbat sermon, Rabbi Alexander reads Chayei Sara through Sarah’s enduring legacy and Rebecca’s courageous decision to go, revealing the matriarchs as essential drivers of Jewish history. Connecting their leadership with contemporary milestones…
PodSearch is a free, independent podcast search engine. Read about PodSearch, the privacy policy or contact us.