Rabbi David Baum

My Remarks from our event with Vince Pankoke: Today, we mark the beginning of the Yoms, three holidays that were created after the Holocaust - Yom Hashoah U’Gevurah, Holocaust Remembrance and Heroism Day, Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Memorial Day, and Yom Ha’atzmaut. Focusing on today’s holiday, I wanted to offer a little history to the day. The push for a dedicated Holocaust Memorial Day began almost immediately after the war. Survivors, Zionist leaders, and members of the nascent

A Note Before You Read — April 14, 2026 This is a repost of a blog entry I wrote in April 2013, over a decade ago, when I attended the brit milah of my nephew on Yom HaShoah U'Gevurah. When I first wrote these words in April 2013, I could not have imagined all that the years would carry with them. Since then, my mother has passed away, as has my grandfather Frank, two of the people who were present that day, whose faces I can still see when I close my eyes. On a day like tod

Who in here knows the name of the largest synagogue in the country? Don’t yell it out, just raise your hand.  To prepare for this sermon, I asked Rabbi Google, not his chevrutah, Rabbi ChatGPT: What is the largest synagogue in the United States of America?  The answer: Temple Emanuel. Located on Fifth Avenue in the heart of New York City, Temple Emanu-El is considered one of the most beautiful and largest synagogues in the world. The sanctuary alone seats about 2,500 worshipp

Words of Torah From Rabbi Baum on Erev Purim Since October 7, 2023, a shadow has been cast over one of our most joyous holidays, Simchat Torah. The day we call Zman Simchateinu, the time of our happiness, became forever intertwined with grief and vulnerability. Now, in 2026, as news unfolds of American and Israeli strikes against Iran and the Iranian retaliation, we mourn the loss of American service members and the Israeli civilians targeted by the Iranian regime; another sh

Dvar Torah for Shaarei Kodesh's Annual Meeting - Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Before you read on, please watch the video above. It’s only three minutes, and I promise you, it will not disappoint! As you saw, one person starts dancing alone in a field. He looks awkward and unpolished. He’s just out there, exposed, and no one is quite sure what he’s doing or why. Then something subtle happens. One other person joins him. And then another. And then suddenly, a movement forms. Wha

Parashat Vayigash 2025 - Rabbi David Baum Have you ever had a second chance in life? I don’t mean a small one. Not a “we’ll try again tomorrow” moment.I mean the kind of second chance where you knew—deep down—that you didn’t really deserve it… and yet it was given to you anyway. And on the other side of that question: Have you ever been the one who gave someone else that second chance? Not because they had earned it. Not because it was easy. But because something in your hear