Rabbi Noah Gradofsky

Rabbinic Writings and Source Material

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On this page:

Holiday Sermons
Weekly Sermons
Holiday Instructions
Other Writings
Other Resources
Source Material
Synagogue skills
Newspaper Clippings

Divrei Torah (sermons) for Holidays

Rosh Hashanah

Yom Kippur

- Devar Torah For Yom Kippur Day 5765/2004 "Why We Ask God to Remember Our Loved Ones."
- Devar Torah for Kol Nidre 5766/2005 (10/4/2005) "The Opportunity Inherent in Sin"
- Devar Torah for Yom Kippur Day 5766/2005 (10/4/2005) "You're Not Chopped Liver."
- Devar Torah for Kol Nidre 5767/2006 (10/1/06) "Were Last Year's Prayers Answered?"
- Devar Torah for Yom Kippur Day 5767/2006 (10/2/06) "Plastic Surgery for the Soul"
- Devar Torah for Kol Nidre 5768/2007 (9/14/07) "The Easiest Day to be a Jew"
- Devar Torah for Yom Kippur Day 5768/2007 (9/15/07) "Forgiveness"
- Devar Torah for Kol Nidre 5769/2008 (10/8/08) "Not A Panacea: Domestic Abuse and Substance Abuse in the Jewish Community"
- Devar Torah for Yom Kippur Day 5769/2008 (10/9/08) "In My Daughter's Eyes"
- Devar Torah for Kol Nidre 5770/2009 (9/27/09) "What Kind of King Is God?"
- Devar Torah for Yom Kippur 5770/2009 (9/28/09) "Holding On To the Past and Present, While Moving Into the Future"

Other Holidays

- Thanksgiving sermon at Long Beach Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration (11/22/04).
- Passover #1 "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" (4/25/05)
- Passover #2 "Became a Nation" (4/26/05)
- Passover #3"What is this Worship to You" (4/10/07)
- Yizkor: (Shavuot 6/15/05) "Live Like You Were Dying."
- Yizkor: (Shavuot 5766/2006) (Yizkor and Aufruf)

Selected Weekly Divrei Torah (sermons)

Bereshith (Genesis)

Noach 10/16/04 "Perfect in His Generation"
Lech Lecha 10/23/04 "Taking a Step"

Shemoth (Exodus)

Shemoth 1/1/05 "The Potential for Good and Evil" (Discussion of tsunami).
Shemoth 1/17/09 "The True Nature of a Hero" Re: Barack Obama Inauguration.
Vaera 1/8/05 "Getting in the Habit."
Vaera 1/24/09 "Experiencing God Through Human Kindness"
Bo 1/28/12 "With What We Shall Worship the LORD."
Tetzaveh: See this Devar Torah for Ki Tisa.
Ki Tisa 2/26/05 "Changing God's Mind"
Ki Tisa 3/10/07 "Birthday Sermon"
Ki Tisa 2/19/11 "Just Forty Days Later"

Vayikra (Leveticus)

Emor 5/19/04 "Interview" Shabbat

Bamidbar (Numbers)

Naso 6/12/05 "Relating to Yourself and Others."
Korach 7/2/05 "The Value of Dissent."

Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Ekev 8/8/09 "Renewing Classic Debates in Judaism". This d'var Torah was prepared for the Parashat Hashavua series offered by Morashah, the rabbinic fellowship if the UTJ.
Reeh 8/14/04 First Shabbat with Temple Israel
Ki Tavo 9/4/04 "Hayom"

Holiday Instructions

- Prayer services for Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) and Yom Hazikaron (Israel Memorial Day). This service follows the order in the Rinat Yisrael siddur. Rather than reproducing all of the prayers, only psalms and prayers not found in regular siddurim and chumashim are included in this pdf. Reference is made to page numbers in the Art Scroll siddur and Hertz Chumash as to where other texts may be found. This service can be easily integrated for synagogues using other siddurim and chumashim.
- Passover Mailing: Passover and Seder preparation guide, the chametz sale form, Ma'ot Chittim information, (5770/2010, passover preparation guide has one additional note added in 2012).
Contract of sale for chametz. Please note that many people prefer an option contract where the value of the chametz, and hence the sale price, would be determined at a later date. I prefer setting a fixed price for the chametz.
- How to Light Chanukah Candles (5770/2009). UPDATED FOR 2009.
- Laws of the 9 days and Tisha B'av (includes discussion of the 3 weeks).
- An overview of the laws of sitting in the Sukkah
- Does One Wear Tefillin On Chol Hamoed?
- Living in the Sukkah on Shemini Atseret
- Songs for Simchat Torah (or other occasions). 13 simple and familiar songs with translation and transliteration, designed for printing on a single page (front and back).
- Shabbat Evening At Home

Other Writings

- Being a Halachic Jew: Why the Old Labels Just Don't Fit (Shavuot discussion 5767/2007)
- Invocation at 2004 Kristallnacht commemoration sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Long Island.
- Invocation at 2005 Kristallnacht commemoration sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Long Island. Posted.
- Invocation at 2009 Kristallnacht commemoration sponsored by the Holocaust Memorial Committee of Long Island. Posted
- Opened letter regarding women's roles in Temple Israel
- Response to Rabbi Herschel Schachter's Article on Women as Rabbis
- Basic Judaism Course Materials (Work in progress. This PDF includes the syllabus, the "Guided Tour to the Siddur," and the beginning of "Jewish Literature, from Torah to Today" (covering Genesis-Job plus Lamentations (Aycha) and Esther).
- Temple Israel's Junior Congregation and Hebrew School Siddur.
- Information and prayers for an unveiling ceremony.
- Rabbinic perspectives on intellectual property. published on Jewish Values Online. **New - Posted 5/27/11**
- Instructions on how to make a shiva visit (a visit to a Jewish house of morning). **New - Posted 11/10/11**

Other Resources

- Printable megillah texts with Hebrew and 1917 JPS translation:
  -Shir Hashirim (Song of Songs)
  -Ruth
  -Koheleth (Ecclesiastes)

Source Material & Classes

Halacha
- Maimonides' Seder: Mishneh Torah Laws of Chametz and Matzah Chapter 8, translated and annotated.
- “Omer Observances: Appropriate Abstinence or Excessive Restraint?”
- What Haftorah Should Be Recited for Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Av? Note: This source sheet is not translated, though there are some English notes.
- It Really Is a Sin: Waste in Jewish Law
- Listening to music/live music after the destruction of the Temple and the ceasing of the Sanhedrin.
- The Command of God: The meaning and Application of Blessings that State "Who Has Sanctified Us By Your Commandment and Commanded Us To . . ." Particular attention to the blessing on reciting Hallel on Rosh Chodesh. (Posted 1/8/06)
- May additional aliyahs (hosafot) be added on Yom Tov or Yom Kippur? Note: This source sheet is not translated, though there are some English notes. (Posted 1/26/06)
- Jewish Law on Abortion and its Implications for Stem Cell Research (Summer Shabbat Study 2007/5767, posted 8/24/07). Should be read along with Dr. Daniel Eisenberg's "Stem Cell Research and Jewish Law" found on jlaw.com.
- May a non-Kohen Receive the First Aliya?.
- Women and Talit and Tefillin.
- BT Yevamoth 45-47 and Immersion of a Convert. **NEW. POSTED 8/17/11**
- Birkat Kohanim (The Priestly Blessing), Nigunim (tunes), and Reciting the Ribon Shel Olam for Disturbing Dreams.
- What If the Only Kohen Available To Do Birkat Kohanim (the Priestly Blessing) is the Shaliah Tzibur (Cantor)?.

Biblical Studies
- Blind Faith or Rational Practice: Do Mitzvot Have Reasons, and Should We Investigate Them? (Shavuot Class 2008 on Ta'amei Hamitzvot)
- Reversal of Fortune: How the Course of History Was Changed by the Garden of Eden. A study of the text and the chiastic structure of Genesis 2:4-4:1.

Philosophy
- A survival guide to the Jewish New Year (outline of Chovot Halevavot on repentance).
- Desire: Temptation Toward Evil or Inspiration For Good (Slichot Discussion 9/8/07)
- Blind Faith or Rational Practice: Do Mitzvot Have Reasons, and Should We Investigate Them? (Shavuot Discussion 2008 re: Ta'amei Hamitzvot). (posted 2/10/09)

Rabbinic Literature
- The Seder in Rabbinic Literature Updated March 2012 (particularly additions concerning the biblical sources for the story of the four children, pages 17-21, also some notes on the four children on pages 14-16).
- Selected Rabbinic Midrash on the Book of Ruth (Shavuot class 2006, posted 6/11/06)
- "At the Foot of Sinai: Midrashim on the Giving of the Torah".
- Pirke Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) 5:7 and Avot d'Rabbi Nattan, Text A, 1:37.
Other
- Introduction to Judaism lecture at the Long Beach Public Library, May 21, 2009.

Synagogue Skills

- Learn Haftorah trope.

Newspaper Clippings

Letters to the Editor:

- 2/23/07 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Week re: Changing the Rules - Why Halacha should not change to match common practice.
- 10/12/07 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Star re: Matching strict ritual halachic standards with strict ethical standards (avoiding sales tax on a Sukkah).
- 7/13/07 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Week re: The individual rabbi versus the cult of gedolim (deferring to the "rabbinic heavyweight").
- 8/31/07 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Star re: Understanding the differences between Science and Religion.
- 12/26/08 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Star re: Ethical standards and kashruth supervision.
- 2/5/09 Letter to the Editor of the Long Beach Herald, "We have not overcome - yet" re: President Obama's election and the continuing struggle for civil rights.
- 9/11/09 Letter to the Editor of The Jewish Star re: Shiluach Haken (sending away the mother bird before taking the eggs/young). (Original article 8/28/09)

Articles including Rabbi Gradofsky:

- 10/1/04 Article in the The Jewish Star: Temple Israel Installs Rabbi Gradofsky
- 4/12/06 Article in the Record (Bergen County edition): Divine Advice for Passover Chefs.
- 12/2/06 Article in Newsday: Faith Q&A: Are Religious Student Groups wrong for Public Schools?
- 6/9/07 Article in Newsday: Faith Q&A: Should Faith Groups Be Involved In Immigration Issues?
- 10/27/07 Article in Newsday: Faith Q&A: Do You Believe People Can See The Future?
- 12/16/07 Picture and Caption in the Long Beach Herald: Rabbi and kids shoot dreidel @ the Chanukah party.
- 10/28/08 Article in Newsday: Faith, Hope and Charity (re: religious responses to the economic downturn).
- 1/15/09 Article in the Long Beach Herald: Religious Leaders React to Israel-Hamas War: Scan of Newspaper (includes pictures) / Pdf from website (cleaner text).