Podcast
Rabbi Cy Stanway's Podcast
Assorted sermons and divrei Torah (Torah thoughts) from Rabbi Cy Stanway.
- Episodes
- 118
- Releases
- Weekly
- Typical length
- 11 min
- On air since
- 2020
- Latest episode
- 1 week ago
Episodes
118 episodes, newest first
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28 min
One Voice Heard by Many: CHRI - JEWISH FAITH AND FACTS BROADCAST
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14 min
The Unheard Heard: Parashat Lech Lecha
Show notes
You can spend your whole life waiting for clarity, or you can start walking and let clarity catch up. We wrestle with the Torah’s “Lech Lecha” and why the usual translation “go forth” feels too polite for what the Hebrew is doing. God asks Abraham to move first and see later, no map, no brochure, no proof that the destination will be worth the cost. That discomfort is the point, because most real purpose is discovered in motion, not in advance.
From there I tell a story many of us think we know, but hear differently when framed as a spiritual calling: Florence Nightingale. At sixteen she sensed a summons toward the brokenness of hospitals, yet she waited for years, trapped between duty and reputation, between inspiration and the fear of what the neighbors would say. When she finally stops asking for permission and chooses to go, her life becomes a case study in courage, service, leadership, and how meaningful work often begins before you feel ready.
We also talk about mortality, not as doom, but as urgency. The awareness that our days are numbered can paralyze us, or it can propel us into the life we keep postponing. If you are facing a hard decision, a career change, a move, a relationship leap, or a long-ignored inner voice, this conversation offers Jewish wisdom and practical encouragement for taking the next step without guarantees. If it resonates, subscribe, share with a friend who needs a push, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show.
www.rabbicystanway.com
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11 min
Simchat Torah Shabbat
Show notes
In this episode, I take a look at the symbolism of Simchat Torah and how it can be a paradigm for our lives.
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9 min
Shabbat Shuva
Show notes
A short reflection on Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat between Rosh Hashanna and Yom Kippur
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9 min
Unearthing The Shards We Leave Behind
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9 min
Empty Your Pockets - A Rosh Hashanna Thought
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12 min
Memory Into Ritual - Parashat Ki Tavo
Show notes
In this episode, I explore why a simple produce tithe turned into a whole megillah of Jewish history.
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17 min
Shabbat Message - Parashat Shoftim
Show notes
In this episode I speak about the interesting ritual of bikkurim and the text reminding us where we have been and where we are now.
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29 min
Why "Justice" Twice?
Show notes
This is my Parashat Shoftim discussion with the congregation during Shabbat morning service
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10 min
Justice, Justice - Chase it!
Show notes
A Shabbat reflection on tzedek, tzedek tirdof - justice, justice you shall pursue
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13 min
Two Gun Cohen and the Power of Relationship
Show notes
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6 min
Justice and Love - Parashat Eikev
Show notes
A short thought on Parashat Eikev. Justice and love - and how they are so closely dependent upon each other.
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13 min
Small People, Big Message
Show notes
The Torah drops a line that sounds impossible to reconcile: Moses tells Israel that God didn’t choose them because they were numerous, “for you are the fewest of all peoples.” But wait, aren’t Abraham’s descendants promised to be like the stars and the sand? And weren’t the Israelites so many in Egypt that Pharaoh panicked and enslaved them? We take that tension seriously, because it’s not just a textual problem, it’s a blueprint for Jewish identity.
We walk through how classic commentators tackle the contradiction, including readings that depend on timing, on being “small” relative to empires, and on Rashi’s striking idea that love is more demanding when it attaches to the few. From there, we zoom out to the bigger theme: humility isn’t pretending we don’t matter. It’s refusing to let impact turn into ego. A message meant for the whole world doesn’t require a majority, it requires persistence and a willingness to carry meaning when it’s unpopular.
Then we test that idea against history and the present. Crusades, inquisitions, forced conversions, and genocidal regimes should have ended the Jewish story by any rational measure, yet empires vanish and Jewish life keeps rebuilding. We also talk about modern antisemitism in America and Israel, the strange convergence of hate from opposite directions, and an unexpected post October 7 reality where some secular Jews leaned in more strongly to Jewish identity and connection to Israel. If you’re searching for language to hold fear and faith at the same time, this conversation aims to give it to you.
If this resonates, subscribe for more, share it with a friend who likes Torah, Jewish history, and big questions, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. What part of the “fewest of all peoples” idea do you most agree or disagree with?
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38 min
CBI Boca Livestream Shabbat Morning Shabbat Hazon Teaching
Show notes
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8 min
The Shabbat Of Comfort - Shabbat Nachamu
Show notes
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6 min
Shabbat Hazon Thoughts
Show notes
Shabbat Hazon is the Shabbat before Tisha B'av and gets its name from the prophet Isaiah who 'saw' (Hazon) the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. I offer a couple of thoughts about how we can commemorate this moment in Jewish history.
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10 min
Parashat Matot - Ma'sei - Being on the East Side of the River is not Always a Terrible Thing
Show notes
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5 min
Parashat Pinchas: Visionary and Shepherd
Show notes
In this episode I riff on Parashat Pinchas and the different kinds of leadership hinted at in the text.
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6 min
Shabbat Shalom Greeting Parashat Eikev
Show notes
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5 min
Delighted to be a B'nai Israel as your interim
Show notes
I am delighted to be the Senior Interim Rabbi of B'nai Israel this year! This is the audio from my 'Happy to be Here' video!
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