The Torah I Learned From the Pope, and From My Father - Rabbi Sharon Brous | Kol Nidre 5787

From Estrangement to Engagement: How small, steadfast acts of love will be the bridge to the healing we need. In her Kol Nidre sermon for Yom Kippur 5787, Rabbi Sharon Brous shares two experiences that moved her deeply this summer: meeting Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican, and sorting through the boxes her late father left behind in her parents' garage. Drawing on the Pope's new encyclical on human dignity in the age of artificial intelligence, Rabbi Brous explores two ancient building projects: the Tower of Babel, where the builders mourned a dropped brick but not a fallen worker, and Nehemiah's rebuilding of Jerusalem, where every name, family, and guild mattered. In a time of AI acceleration, political sectarianism, and deep estrangement, she asks what it will take to remain profoundly human, and finds an answer in a Persian king who looked up and noticed his servant was crying, and in a father who quietly defended his daughter's call for compassion. A sermon about the Torah Rabbi Brous learned from the man many call the Holy Father and from her actual father: that we can see one another, tip the scales toward healing, and fall back in love with humanity. CHAPTERS 0:00 Two experiences: the Vatican and the garage 2:10 Babel versus Nehemiah 7:06 Collaborative building: Nehemiah rebuilds Jerusalem 10:35 Overcoming polarization and political sectarianism 12:22 The power of small acts: an audience with the Pope 18:28 Creating sacred spaces 20:38 Lessons from the garage: what my father kept 27:06 Tipping the scales for good Featuring teachings from Genesis 11, the Book of Nehemiah, the Midrash, Rambam, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Judy Klitsner, Cheryl Strayed, and Andrew Solomon's "Far From the Tree." WATCH MORE FROM THIS HIGH HOLY DAY SEASON Yom Kippur 5787 sermon, "When What We Love Falls" by Rabbi Morris Panitz: When What We Love Falls - Rabbi Morris Pan... Rabbi Sharon Brous in Conversation with Dr. BJ Miller, Rosh Hashanah II 5787: To Live and Love Well Not in Spite of Deat... Rosh Hashanah I 5787 sermon, "Zealots Are Driving Us to the Cliff's Edge" by Rabbi Sharon Brous: Zealots Are Driving Us to the Cliff’s Edge... Erev Rosh Hashanah 5787 sermon, "This Is Your Life" by Rabbi Hannah Jensen: This Is Your Life - Rabbi Hannah Jensen | ... ABOUT IKAR IKAR is a Jewish community in Los Angeles, founded and led by Rabbi Sharon Brous, working to reanimate Jewish life by fusing spiritual depth with a commitment to justice. Learn more: https://ikar.org/ Join our newsletter: https://ikar.org/get-our-news-in-your... Subscribe for more sermons and teachings from Rabbi Brous. #YomKippur #KolNidre #RabbiSharonBrous Rabbi Sharon Brous, Kol Nidre sermon, Yom Kippur 2026, Yom Kippur 5787, High Holy Days, High Holidays, IKAR, Pope Leo XIV, Vatican, interfaith, Jewish Catholic dialogue, AI and faith, artificial intelligence ethics, human dignity, Tower of Babel, Nehemiah, polarization, political sectarianism, compassion, grief, loss of a parent, Jewish sermon, rabbi sermon, Los Angeles synagogue, civilization of love, small acts of love #Judaism #Jewish #Sermon #HighHolyDays #Rabbi #PopeLeo #PopeLeoXIV #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #HumanDignity #TowerOfBabel #Nehemiah #Interfaith #Compassion #Grief #IKAR