As Yom Kippur draws to a close, Rabbi Cosgrove reminds us that life is fleeting and none of us knows how long we will have. He urges us to live today so that were it to be our last day, we would have no regrets.

What do we leave behind when we are no longer in the picture? Through the life and legacy of his mentor, Michael Brooks, Rabbi Cosgrove explains Yizkor not merely as a time to remember those we have lost, but as a call to carry forward their values, their work, and their love.

What does it mean to take responsibility for our lives? From Genesis to September 11 to the confessions of Yom Kippur, Rabbi Cosgrove explores Judaism’s insistence that grievance never absolves us of agency, challenging us to stop asking who is to blame and start asking, What is mine to do?

How can Jews with different relationships to Zionism remain bound to one another? Using history as his guide, Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on Jewish peoplehood, arguing that our future depends on sustaining a shared community capacious enough to hold disagreement without surrendering responsibility fo...

What does it mean to come home to ourselves — and to reckon with the patterns, wounds, and inheritances that have shaped us? Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on teshuvah as the work of return: naming what we carry, changing what we can, and refusing to let the past determine the future.

What happens when the desire to belong becomes more important than remaining true to who we are? Drawing on the tragic story of Samson, Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on Jewish pride, political responsibility, and the dangers of seeking validation from those who ask us to leave parts of ourselves behind.

How does one remain in relationship with an imperfect world, imperfect people, and the memories of imperfect loved ones who dwell in our hearts? Drawing on the themes of Shavuot, Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on the spiritual challenge of relinquishing perfection while still choosing forgiveness, memor...

As debates over Zionism grow increasingly fraught within American Jewry, Rabbi Cosgrove explores how the meaning of Zionism itself has shifted across generations. Drawing on the wilderness narratives of the Book of Numbers, he argues for a Judaism rooted in memory, responsibility, and engaged Jew...

From commencements to demonstrations outside synagogues, we are struggling to answer the same urgent question: When does protest deepen democracy, and when does it fray the ties that bind? Rabbi Cosgrove argues for a Judaism that honors dissent while insisting upon dignity, restraint, and covenan...

Blame is easy; self-reflection is hard. Rabbi Cosgrove explores the instinct to deflect responsibility onto others and calls, in the spirit of Aharei Mot-K’doshim, for a turn inward, where critique begins with humility, responsibility, and the courage to examine oneself.

What holds the Jewish people together across difference and distance? Rabbi Cosgrove explores the triad of time, text, and territory, beginning with Jewish time as the rhythm that shapes how we live and belong.

Do you tell the Passover story as a tale of “us” versus “them”? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that binary distinctions between good and bad do not tell the whole story, not in the past, and not now. He encourages us to acknowledge and thank non-Jews who have supported our people.

What can we learn from Torah readings that recount details of rituals and structures that no longer exist? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that the connections we make with other people are sacred and persist even when the other person is not physically with us.

There are moments when God’s face feels hidden and faith itself seems beyond reach. Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that even when we cannot see the face of God directly, we may still encounter the divine in the face of another.

On UJA Shabbat, Rabbi Cosgrove draws on an interfaith moment at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and on the Torah’s wisdom to reflect on leadership, responsibility, and why UJA’s strength lies not in any one leader, but in the shared commitments of the community.

Shabbat, according to tradition, is me’ein olam haba, a taste of the world to come. A glimpse of how things might be, how they should be, even if they are not yet so. Like a bride who enters the room, a moment that is not about us - but about an honored presence in our midst. We couldn’t be more ...

Freedom is born not only through God’s miracles, but through human agency. Drawing on the Torah reading, Václav Havel, and contemporary politics, Rabbi Cosgrove challenges us to stop “living within the lie,” reclaim our moral voice, and take agency in a consequential time.

Why Moses? A close reading of three brief scenes before the burning bush reveals the leadership qualities that shaped Israel’s greatest prophet. Rabbi Cosgrove explores moral courage, responsibility, and the art of standing in the breach – lessons Moses lived by, and lessons our fractured moment ...

Hanukkah is not simply a story of light over darkness, but a cautionary tale of Jew against Jew. In an age of division, Rabbi Cosgrove calls for rededication to one another – reminding us that the true miracle is unity without uniformity, and the courage to keep kindling shared light.

Israel’s war is being fought on two fronts, on the battlefield and in the battle for moral clarity. As the last hostage awaits return, Rabbi Cosgrove explores the tension between Jacob’s restraint and his sons’ fury – how far one may go, and must not go, to save a life.

Following Zohran Mamdani’s election as mayor, Rabbi Cosgrove calls for a civic awakening. Like Rebecca seizing her destiny, Jews today must act with agency—knowing our leaders, voting, and standing up for democracy and Jewish community. Nothing “just happens.” The future of our people and city is...

Following New York’s mayoral election, Rabbi Cosgrove reflects on democracy, disagreement, and the bonds of Jewish peoplehood. Drawing on the story of Abraham and Isaac, he calls for renewed dialogue, humility, and ahavat yisrael, a reminder that the real test begins not on the mountaintop, but o...

With the New York mayoral election in less than three weeks, Rabbi Cosgrove explains why Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community. He urges us to work to convince undecided voters and to vote ourselves.

How do we carry on after the spiritual high of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur? Rabbi Cosgrove teaches that living Jewishly is a year-round, weekly, and daily commitment. If we want the peak moments, we must practice regularly.