Congregation OM ShalOM

Sermon: Who Are We at Our Core – Revisited for 2025

By Rabbi Dr. Samuel Samtosha Steinberg
Delivered July 2025

Shabbat Shalom.

Six years ago, I stood before a community much like this one and asked a simple, but eternal question: Who are we at our core?

In 2019, we explored that question through the lens of personal faith—how we strip away the expectations of society, the noise of the world, the chatter of ego, and begin to hear the still small voice within. It was a message of inner clarity, of listening for God not in thunder or fire, but in silence. It was a message about coming home to ourselves.

But today, in 2025, the world has changed. And so must our response.

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I. The Crisis of Identity

The world is loud—louder than ever. It tells us who we are before we have a chance to ask for ourselves. Social media declares our worth in likes and followers. Politicians define us by how we vote. The news divides us by race, gender, religion, class—pitting us against one another as if life were a zero-sum game.

And now, some would tell us: to be Jewish is to be at war with our Muslim neighbors. Others say: to be American is to fear the future. Some whisper that faith is weakness, while others claim faith must dominate the law.

We must resist all of these lies.

Who are we at our core? We are not these divisions. We are not caricatures. We are not the labels affixed to us by fear or ignorance or politics.
We are, each of us, the Image of God. B’tzelem Elohim.
That’s the foundation of our Torah, and it must be the foundation of our public life.

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II. Faith in a Fractured Age

Faith today is not a luxury—it’s a lifeline.

We live in a time of climate anxiety, mass dislocation, antisemitic and Islamophobic violence, digital overwhelm, and moral confusion. And yet—we are still here.

Because faith, real faith, gives us the tools not to escape the world, but to meet it with courage and compassion.

Our sacred traditions—whether Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, or otherwise—were not designed to decorate our lives. They were meant to anchor us in the storm.

They remind us:
• To pause and listen before we speak.
• To care for the stranger, the widow, the orphan, and yes—the enemy.
• To turn from fear and choose justice.
• To love our neighbor and ourselves.

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III. The Call to Courageous Listening

In 2019, I said: Listen for your inner voice.
Now I say: Listen to the voice of your neighbor.

True listening is an act of holy resistance. It’s what breaks cycles of blame and begins cycles of healing.

Over the last year, I’ve sat in circles with Jews and Muslims grieving together. I’ve seen young activists refuse to hate. I’ve heard Israelis and Palestinians weep in unison for a shared humanity crushed by decades of violence.

We cannot build a future until we first say: I see you. I hear you. Your pain matters, even if it is not mine.

That is what it means to listen as a Jew. That is what it means to listen as a human being.

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IV. The Power of Shared Memory

The past five years have brought collective traumas: a pandemic that stole millions, wars that reignited generational grief, political upheaval that fractured trust.

But shared memory is not only a wound—it can also be a sacred altar. When we remember together, we remember not just what we’ve lost, but what we must protect.

In Judaism, we say “Zakhor”—remember.
Not just to recall, but to act. To remember forward.

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V. Spiritual Tools for 2025

What can we do—right now?

I offer you four ancient tools, made new again:
1. Shabbat – Not just rest, but resistance. A protest against consumerism, speed, and burnout. One day where our dignity is not up for sale.
2. Mindful Speech – Choose your words like you would choose your prayers. Speak truth, not poison. Bless, not curse.
3. Hospitality – Open your home. Open your heart. Invite someone different to your table. That’s how empires fall and humanity rises.
4. Ritual as Repair – Whether it’s lighting candles, walking mindfully, or saying Kaddish for a stranger—we heal the world through sacred intention.

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VI. A New Vision for Our Time

I dream of a New York, a nation, a world where faith does not divide us but unites us in purpose.

Let us declare an Interfaith Day of Listening—a day where we set aside ideology and meet, face to face, heart to heart, to hear each other’s truths without defense or denial.

Let our communities be havens of compassion, not fortresses of fear. Let synagogues, mosques, and churches become healing centers, not cultural battlegrounds.

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Closing Benediction

May we leave here no longer afraid of our neighbors,
But awed by our shared humanity.
May we live not from yesterday’s wounds,
But from tomorrow’s hope.
And may the core of our being—revealed and refined by faith—
Be love, justice, and peace.

Shabbat Shalom. Om Shanti. Peace.

Title: Jews in the Qur’an and Torah: Divine Favor, Land, and Ethical Calling

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I. Opening Greeting

Good morning, peace be upon you, and shalom.

Today, dear friends, we explore how the Qur’an and the Torah speak about the Children of Israel, often called Bani Isra’il in Arabic. These two sacred texts, while coming from different faith traditions, share deeply connected narratives that illuminate our spiritual heritage and moral calling.

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II. Introduction

In an age of division, it is imperative to remember our common ground. Both the Torah and the Qur’an speak of:
• God’s favor and choosing of the Children of Israel
• The grant of the Holy Land
• The role of prophets and scripture
• Ethical critiques meant to guide the people back to righteousness

Let us examine these themes side by side.

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III. Divine Favor and Choosing

Qur’an: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:47, 2:122)

“O Children of Israel, remember My favor which I have bestowed upon you and that I preferred you over the worlds.”

Torah: Deuteronomy 7:6

“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.”

Reflection

Both verses proclaim chosenness not as entitlement, but as a sacred duty to uphold God’s justice, mercy, and truth.

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IV. The Grant of the Holy Land

Qur’an: Surah Al-Ma’idah (5:21)

“O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you…”

Torah: Genesis 17:8

“I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

Reflection

Here, the Torah frames it as an eternal covenant, while the Qur’an confirms God’s grant. Some Islamic interpretations see this as historically grounded, while others affirm its ongoing spiritual significance.

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V. Prophets and Scripture

Qur’an: Surah Al-Jathiyah (45:16)

“And We did certainly give the Children of Israel the Scripture and judgement and prophethood…”

Torah: Exodus 19:5-6

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, you shall be My treasured possession among all peoples… and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Reflection

Both texts affirm Israel’s prophetic responsibility to live in holiness and teach divine truth to the world.

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VI. Ethical Critique

Qur’an: Surah Al-Baqarah (2:61)

“…They disbelieved in the signs of Allah and killed the prophets without right…”

Torah: 2 Chronicles 36:15-16

“The LORD, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by His messengers… but they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising His words and scoffing at His prophets.”

Reflection

These are not condemnations of an entire people. They are prophetic critiques of injustice, idolatry, and hypocrisy, spoken out of divine love and covenant accountability.

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VII. People of the Book and Monotheistic Unity

Qur’an: Surah Al-Ankabut (29:46)

“Our God and your God is One; and we are Muslims [in submission] to Him.”

Torah: Deuteronomy 6:4

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.”

Reflection

Both scriptures proclaim the absolute Oneness of God, calling Jews and Muslims to mutual respect and shared devotion.

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VIII. Teaching Conclusion

In my studied opinion as a spiritual scholar:

✔️ The Qur’an affirms the divine grant of land, prophetic mission, and spiritual nobility of the Jewish people.
✔️ Its critiques mirror those found in Tanakh, as moral correction rather than condemnation.
✔️ Both traditions remind us that divine favor is inseparable from ethical living, compassion, and justice.

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IX. Suggested Questions for Group Reflection
1. What does chosenness mean in your tradition?
2. How can we understand prophetic critiques as calls to spiritual growth rather than rejection?
3. How might these shared scriptures guide Jews and Muslims toward peace and mutual honor today?

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X. Closing Blessing

Let us conclude:

May the Eternal, who is One, bless the children of Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, and Jacob. May we walk together in justice, stand together in truth, and dwell together in peace. Amen.

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