There was a time when Rabbis were expected to give only two “sermons” every year. The first would have been on the Sabbath between Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement.) The expectations were that the Rabbi would instruct the congregation on the ways one should make atonement to those that they may have wronged and asked for atonement from God. The other sermon was to be delivered on the Sabbath before Passover. Again, it was the Rabbi’s role to remind the congregation of the laws and precepts of Passover observance.
There was a rabbi I knew who would often preach the same sermon every Shabbat. The details were sometimes different, but the message was always the same: Be afraid, OK, be watchful, but be very afraid; they're out to get us.
There was a rabbi I knew who would often preach the same sermon every Shabbat. The details were sometimes different, but the message was always the same: Be afraid, OK, be watchful, but be very afraid; they're out to get us.