Matthew Soffer

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Oct 28, 2024, 10:58 PM

Why This NC Rabbi is Voting for Kamala Harris

As a Rabbi in Durham, NC, I’ve gotten used to a few questions this election season. Which candidate should I support for the sake of the future of Israel? Which candidate should I support for the sake of my...

Jan 27, 2018, 1:16 AM

A Super(bowl) Musing on Being a Good Fan

As you know it’s an ancient tradition that rabbis offer timely musings pertaining to the week’s Torah portion. I wouldn’t want to disappoint, so let’s talk about this week, Parashat ProBowl, with next week being the Shabbat HaSuperbowl. And...

Dec 22, 2017, 11:33 PM

The Attacks of a Tax Bill (Amalek’s Latest Weapon)

(Sermon delivered at Temple Israel of Boston, December 22, 2017) Last year a debate rippled across the Jewish community, when the prominent Jewish leader, Rabbi David Wolpe, railed against speaking politics from the pulpit. This was not a new argument—there...

Oct 4, 2017, 6:50 AM

Storm Windows: A Call for Prayerful Activism

The day was August 26, 2017, just over a month ago, in Houston, Texas. Greg and Annie Smith looked out the window and prayed. Greg and Annie were new to town and new to Hurricanes. But they looked out...

Aug 11, 2017, 11:56 PM

Deuteronomy on How NOT to be a Conquistador

We are reading a portion of Deuteronomy that talks about conquest. Conquest is a word that has as much baggage is any these days, particularly among liberal circles. Conquest is a challenging word to encounter as we grapple with...

Mar 30, 2017, 6:26 AM

The Passover Pine Cone: Put Prisons on the Plate

Metaphor is a Greek word, deriving from meta meaning "over, across, beyond," and "pherein " meaning "to carry or pass” -- as in the word ferry. A metaphor carries us beyond. Cicero described metaphor as a kind of borrowing, in which we...

Mar 26, 2017, 11:29 PM

It’s not the end of the world — yet

Anyone who’s found themselves thinking quite a bit lately about human nature, anyone desperate to situate the current day in some kind of broader sense of human journey should consider reading Yuval Harari’s Homo Deus— or at least watching his...

Mar 12, 2017, 6:53 PM

But What Will We Do with Ourselves?

(Sermon delivered at Temple Israel of Boston on Shabbat Zachor 5777) This Shabbat is Shabbat Zachor, the Sabbath of Remembrance that precedes Purim. On Shabbat Zachor the Jewish community reads a special portion from Deuteronomy, which commands us: Zachor eit asher asah...

Feb 14, 2017, 12:02 AM

The Trump Administration is forcing countless Americans to reckon, consciously or not, with the nature of evil. Can a human being - the soul of human being (if you believe in such things as souls) - actually be evil? When...

Feb 9, 2017, 11:37 PM

“Are We Hearing Voices?” (POEM)

It is a mystery why humanity whispers, calls, or cries out, from the halls of history- vocal folds modulating and blowing wind forward, voice-waves carrying through time, hopefully into ears of the living. A mystery the living call memory It is a mystery why the living speak to those...

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About Me

Matthew Soffer is the Senior Rabbi at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham, NC. His rabbinic work focuses on bringing Jewish tradition to life in contemporary society, through civic engagement and spiritual activism.