Beth Shalom Bloomington: A University Town Synagogue with Rabbi Noach Lawrence
Congregation Beth Shalom
Welcome to the podcast of Congregation Beth Shalom of Bloomington, IN, home of Indiana University. We share our Rabbi Noach Lawrence's divrei Torah (sermons), songs, prayers, and more here so we can connect anytime, anywhere, with Jewish tradition's wisdom for our moment. Special thanks to our volunteer Ethan Rosenbaum and Administrative Assistant Chuck Roldan for their tech and AV work to bring this podcast to life.
Episodes
Matching "Scarborough Fair" to "Oseh Shalom," Rabbi Noach & Clergy Intern Nava
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.An original pairing by Rabbi Noach Lawrence sung by him and Clergy Intern Nava Teller, with Simon & Garfunkel's beloved vocal arrangement for the British folk song and the iconic guitar part written by British folk musician Martin Carthy and adapted by Paul Simon. We begin with "Be-Sefer Chayim," our yearning to be inscribed "in the Book of Life" in the new year, for the High Holy Days, then pair this melody with "Oseh Shalom," our prayer for peace "upon us, upon all the Jewish people, and upon all who dwell on earth," "aleinu, ve-al-kol Yisrael, ve-al-kol yoshvei teiveil." Rosh Hashanah 5786 • 2025 at Congregation Beth Shalom of Bloomington.
Moses' Most Underrated Leadership Trait - Parshat Shemot
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) at Shabbat evening services, 21 Tevet 5786 • January 10, 2026.
Singing “For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples” - HIAS Refugee Shabbat
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.From Refugee Shabbat, a global initiative of HIAS (formerly known as the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society), 5786 • 2026. Source text from Isaiah 56.
Pairing modern Hebrew poet Ra'hel's "Tiny Joys" & Psalm 96 sung for Shabbat
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.We shared in this dialogue between a modern, female voice in Israeli culture and this ancient psalm's uplift as part of Kabbalat Shabbat, our opening songs to "warm up" our gratitude, awe, and joy, the first section of Shabbat evening services. 23 Tammuz 5785 • July 18, 2025.
On the Michigan synagogue attack, followed by singing Mi Chamocha (song of crossing the Red Sea)
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.At Shabbat evening services for 25 Adar 5786 • March 13, 2026.
Why the Israeli Declaration of Independence's Twin Promises Are In Danger
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) for the Shabbat before Israeli Memorial Day and Independence Day, Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzma'ut, 1 Iyar 5786 • April 17, 2026,
Singing for empathy & safety for all sides: Idan Raichel Project's "Chayim P'shutim," "Simple Life"
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach leads us in expressing our longings for restored safety and empathy for each other through the Israeli band the Idan Raichel Project's 2013 song "Chayim P'shutim," a prayer in its own modern, healing way. The lyrics with Rabbi Noach's original translation from the Hebrew can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jARSTeYTWtH4yOpUYCCYoATq6YESPK-c/view?usp=sharing From our Shabbat evening service on 22 Av 5785 • August 15, 2025.
Singing "And You Shall Love" — Clergy Intern Molly & Rabbi Noach
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Clergy Intern Molly Singer & Rabbi Noach Lawrence lead us in Debbie Friedman's English V'Ahavta.
A Jewish response of solidarity with Muslims amid Islamophobia
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.The text in edited and expanded form can be found here: https://rabbinoach.substack.com/p/a-jewish-response-of-solidarity-with Rabbi Noach's words at Shabbat evening services, 14 Sivan 5786 • May 29, 2026.
Selective Memory and its Political Consequences - Parshat Be-Ha'alotecha
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) at Shabbat evening services, June 5, 2026 • 21 Sivan 5786.
The Iran War and Answering to a Higher Power - Parshat Sh’lach Lecha
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) at Shabbat evening services, 28 Sivan 5786 • June 12, 2026.
America at 250, and Jeremiah and Emma Lazarus' Wisdom - Shabbat of 4th of July Weekend
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's words at Shabbat evening services, July 3, 2026 • 19 Tammuz 5786.
Devotion, Dissent, and Dialogue: On Shaping a Multi-Faceted Relationship with Israel
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) at Shabbat evening services, 4 Av 5786 • July 17, 2026, Parshat Devarim, Shabbat Chazon • Shabbat of the Vision [of Isaiah], the Shabbat preceding Tisha b’Av.
Why "Only Joy" is Connected to Welcoming the Stranger - Parshat Re’eh
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah for 25 Av 5786 • August 7, 2026, concluding with a retrospective look back at our moments together in services this past winter, spring and summer engaging with the challenges of our time among Israelis and Palestinians and in American life.
Talmudic wisdom for “a weird time to be Jewish” | Rosh Hashanah 2026 • 5787
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's Rosh Hashanah D'var Torah (sermon) for 2026 • 5787.
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah, Part 1: Before Mourner's Kaddish
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's words at Rosh Hashanah Day 1 evening services.
On the 25th anniversary of 9/11 and Rosh Hashanah, Part 2: Before Unetaneh Tokef
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's words at Rosh Hashanah Day 1 morning services.
Moses, meaning, and the non-pursuit of happiness | Yom Kippur 2026 • 5787
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.Rabbi Noach's Yom Kippur D’var Torah (sermon) for 2026 • 5787.
Israel's soul reckoning, cheshbon nefesh, this Elul (Republishing from August 15, 2025)
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.As we approach the 1-year anniversary tomorrow of the cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas on October 13, 2025, and as we continue to reckon with all the suffering and loss that has befallen both Israelis and Palestinians on and after October 7, we are republishing Rabbi Noach's d'var Torah (sermon) on Gaza from the lead-up to the High Holy Days last year.Rabbi Noach explores how as we grapple with the distinctly, profoundly troubling phase of the Israel-Gaza war in 2025, we can find guidance in Judaism's framework of cheshbon nefesh, "reckoning of the soul," and teshuvah, “repentance” and literally "return," in dialogue with the values of the Israeli Declaration of Independence. The d'var Torah is followed by all of us singing "Achat Sha'alti," from Psalm 27, the Penitential Psalm for Elul, the month of introspection leading up to the High Holy Days, pouring out our yearning "to sense the sweetness of the Eternal One [Adonai]," according to what this means for each of us.
Marking together the hostage-release and cease-fire agreement (Republishing from October 10, 2025)
Hey! I'd love to hear your thoughts, send me a voice note.As we approach the 1-year anniversary tomorrow of the cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas on October 13, 2025, and as we continue to reckon with all the suffering and loss that has befallen both Israelis and Palestinians on and after October 7, we are republishing Rabbi Noach's words marking this agreement and profoundly emotional moment last year.Rabbi Noach describes the emotions beyond words felt by Israelis and especially families of the hostages, for example in the way Israeli President Isaac Herzog quoted from the prophet Jeremiah to describe this moment, and expresses hopes for healing for both sides and the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza. Rabbi Noach draws on the classic modern Hebrew song, "Ani Ma'amin (Sachki, Sachki)," whose lines, such as, “Their iron fetters removed… they shall see light,” resonate with the experiences of the hostages, and epitomize the founding Zionist vision of freedom for the Jewish people and for all peoples. We conclude by all singing "Ani Ma'amin" together.