
Contact Chai
Contact Chai is Mishkan Chicago’s podcast feed, where you can hear our Shabbat sermons, Morning Minyans, interviews with Jewish thought leaders, and more.
Episodes
271 episodes
Refuse To Be A Bystander
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on February 1st, when Rabbi Steven shared about his recent rabbinic mission trip to Poland where he learned about the long history of Eastern European Jewish culture, a legacy ...
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19:48

You Were Once An Immigrant, Too
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday night service on January 24th when Builder Kalman Resnick, an immigration lawyer and legal expert, gave a detailed breakdown of the impact that Trump’s executive orders will have on millions of ...
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18:53

When Pharaoh Became A Slave
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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41:28

The Oldest Trick in Pharaoh’s Book
Our Saturday morning service on January 18th, 2025 fell just two days before Martin Luther King Day, which also just so happened to be Inauguration Day, ushering in the second term of the Trump presidency. Just like in the Exodus story of our p...
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23:12

What Is God's Name To You?
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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41:40

Hope Is Not An Option — It's An Obligation
At our Friday Night Shabbat service on January 10th, Rabbi Steven delivered a sermon on the strategic necessity of hope in dark times. In Joseph’s day, the land of Egypt was a refuge, and his family enjoyed wealth and prestige and political pow...
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18:22

A Very Hanukkah Minyan
It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st — think of it as a BMitzvah gift for ou...
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34:50

Creating Our Own Light
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday morning service on December 21st when Rabbi Steven delivered a vulnerable and fascinating sermon on the niceties of celebrating Hanukkah as a Jew-by-Choice and in a time of rising ant...
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19:05

Exploring the Miracle of Hanukkah
It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st. Are you a Builder? Come celebrate 13 y...
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1:01:09

Overcoming Vengeance: Esau and the Maccabees
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday service on December 13th. Rabbi Lizzi recounted the ancient tale of the rivalry between Jacob and Esau in light of the Festival of Lights. Just as Jacob learned from his youthful mistakes and Es...
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27:26

Setting Intentions For The Day — Minyan With R'Lizzi
It is nearly the end of Mishkan’s 13th year of creating inspired, down-to-earth Judaism. If you value the work that we do, help us to sustain Mishkan for another year by making a donation by December 31st. Are you a Builder? Come celebrate 13 y...
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32:07

Seeking Small Wonders
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Saturday Morning Service on December 7th. Rabbi Steven delivered a sermon in which he made us all jealous of a recent trip to see the Northern Lights, and also edified us on the nature of awe from both...
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17:31

Waking Up To God's Presence — Minyan w/ Rabbi Steven
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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32:23

Creating Community To Fight For Our Rights — Sarah Garza Resnick
At our services on November 22nd, we were honored to hear a guest drash from Sarah Garza Resnick, Mishkan Board Member and CEO of Personal PAC, an organization dedicated to advocating for women's rights and abortion access. How can we meet this...
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16:30

A Traditional, Meditative Minyan with Rabbi Steven
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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31:30

Saving Ourselves From Being Like Sodom
At our services on November 15th and 16th, Rabbi Lizzi sermonized on the sin of Sodom, which, the rabbis tell us, was primarily their failure to share their abundance with others. In contrast to Abraham, whose hospitality toward the three messe...
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23:58

Will You Sweep Away The Innocent With The Guilty?
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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44:11

This Is Not The Time To Give Up
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our Friday Night Shabbat service on November 8th. Rabbi Steven connected our post-election despair to the difficulties endured by Abraham and Sarah who, yes, were given a blessing and a mission by God, but...
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19:14

The Way Forward is Showing Up
The day after the 2024 presidential election, Rabbi Lizzi led us in a minyan dedicated to processing our anxieties about the future.Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can
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52:41

Election 2024: We Are the Ones We've Been Waiting For
Today’s episode is a Shabbat Replay of our November 2nd Saturday Morning Shabbat service. The news has been a nonstop torrent of stories of depravity and demagoguery. It’s enough to make ya wonder — are people fundamentally evil? Selfish? Beyon...
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21:45

Parashat Noah: Can Humanity Be Redeemed
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right here on ...
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36:05

Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — The Sukkah
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right he...
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52:01

Minyan Replay with Rabbi Lizzi — Sukkot!
Every weekday at 8:00 am, Mishkan Chicago holds a virtual Morning Minyan. You can join in yourself, or listen to all the prayer, music, and inspiration right he...
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37:00
