Rabbi Louis Sachs explores how easily we credit ourselves for our successes while overlooking the people, opportunities, and blessings that helped us along the way.

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Drawing on Parashat Eikev, the mitzvah of tzedakah, and the commandment to bless God after eating and being satisfied, the sermon invites listeners to replace self-congratulation with gratitude, generosity, and responsibility—and to remember those who helped open doors for them.

Delivered on Shabbat morning, August 1, 2026.

Torah Outside the Box is a podcast where Rabbi Louis Sachs shares sermons, stories, and reflections that bring Torah beyond the walls of the synagogue.

Thoughtful, heartfelt, and occasionally a little provocative, each episode explores how Jewish wisdom speaks to modern life—because Torah belongs not just in the synagogue, but in our lives.

Rabbi Louis Sachs explores the idea that love, faith, and our truest selves are not things we need to create—they are already within us, waiting to be uncovered. Drawing on Parashat Vaetchanan, the V'ahavta, the teachings of the Sefat Emet, Shabbat Nachamu, and the meaning of teshuva, the sermon invites listeners to look beyond the stress, grief, and distractions that can obscure who they were created to be—and to return to the person God created them to be.

Delivered on Shabbat morning, July 25, 2026.

Torah Outside the Box is a podcast where Rabbi Louis Sachs shares sermons, stories, and reflections that bring Torah beyond the walls of the synagogue. Thoughtful, heartfelt, and occasionally a little provocative, each episode explores how Jewish wisdom speaks to modern life—because Torah belongs not just in the synagogue, but in our lives.

⁠www.rabbisachs.com⁠

Instagram⁠

⁠www.BethSholom.net⁠

⁠Rabbi Louis Sachs⁠⁠ explores the trap of nostalgia and how idealizing the past can prevent us from recognizing the blessings already present in our lives. Beginning with the Israelites’ longing to return to Egypt, he reflects on the ways memory can soften hardship and make what came before seem better than it truly was.

Drawing on the story of Balaam, who cannot see the angel standing before him even though his donkey can, Rabbi Sachs argues that living in the past can blind us to both present dangers and present blessings. He applies this lesson to synagogue life and Conservative Judaism, challenging the assumption that earlier generations were automatically more committed, observant, or engaged.

This is a sermon about honouring the past without becoming trapped in it. The task is not to recreate what was, but to carry forward its Torah, values, love, and wisdom while appreciating the communities and blessings we are building today.

Delivered on Shabbat morning, June 27, 2026, at Beth Sholom Synagogue in Toronto.

Torah Outside the Box is a podcast from Rabbi Louis Sachs of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Toronto, sharing sermons and teachings that bring Torah beyond the synagogue and into everyday life. With clarity and care, Rabbi Sachs explores how ancient Jewish wisdom speaks to the challenges and questions of the modern world. Each episode offers thoughtful, relevant, and tradition-rooted insights that invite listeners to reflect, feel, and live with greater intention. Honest and relatable, these teachings offer a spiritual lens through which to view our lives—because Torah belongs not just in the synagogue, but everywhere.