Last week, Rabbi Sara and I went to camp. In so many ways, it was like summer camp that I attended as a child: campfires, songs, hikes, swimming (and some Judaism – I went to a Jewish overnight camp). Camp was always one of the most accepting places I went to. Away from home, away […]
About Rabbi Benjamin Zober
Posts by Rabbi Benjamin Zober:
Adult Ed and Aveilut
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2019 Posts, Newsletter
Dear Friends, As we move into the summer months we are beginning a new phase of adult education. Our first offering, moving into the time of mourning before Tisha B’Av, is Death and Dying in the Jewish Tradition. Over the course of five Sundays, we will examine both the rituals and practices associated with death […]
Security Update
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2019 Posts, Newsletter
Dear Friends, After the terrorist attack in Poway, CA, we have all been asking questions about our safety and our future. We have been forced to examine how we do business at the Temple, how we secure our entrances and exits, and what we need to do to keep everyone safe when they are here. […]
Seder? Say yes!
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2019 Posts, Newsletter
In some communities, the highlight of the Passover seder is when participants gleefully brandish leeks, and “whip” each other with them to playfully recall our bondage in Egypt. In other places, people pour water on the floor, lift up their coats, and recall the towns they’ve traveled through. Others still, recall this liberation and other […]
Gathering for Grief
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2019 Posts, Newsletter
Dear Friends, “I put down these memorandums of my affections in honor of tenderness, in honor of all of those who have been conscripted into the brotherhood of loss…” Edward Hirsch Part of living in a Jewish community is caring for one another. Jewish tradition knows this and memorializes it in our rituals. When one […]
Planting for the Future
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2019 Posts, Newsletter
We are a long-sighted people, we Jews. The Torah often commands us to provide, in some way, for our children, our children’s children, and sometimes out to the thousandth generation. We have a strong sense of our need to continue thriving, but how do we go about doing that? In the Talmud, in tractate Taanit […]
What’s Your Origin Story?
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2018 Posts, Newsletter
Dear Friends, When I was a child, I used to save the world. Daily. As a superhero named Benman, I donned my cape to do battle with the villains down by the mailbox and around my street. When I came home, my Mom would be there to hear of my exploits and give me a […]
Tzedakah
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2018 Posts, Newsletter
Rabbi Benjamin Zober Delivered for ACTIONN 10/18/18 Jewish tradition tells a story about the beginning of time, when God started to create the world. God, being the ultimate Being, left no room for heaven and earth. God’s Divine Light was put into vessels to make room for Creation, but no vessel could contain God’s light […]
The Sights, Sounds, and Smells of the Season
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2018 Posts
Dear Friends, As we approach the High Holy Days, the feeling is unmistakable. The feel in the air the smell of leaves turning brown, the sounds of the melodies we use just during this time of year. At least, that is how I had usually experienced it. This year, as the Holidays approach, everything seems […]
Torah in Action
Rabbi Benjamin Zober 2018 Posts
Dear Friends, One only has to look outside to see some of the effects of the fires Nevada and California. Our city has been blanketed in a haze for several days now with no sign of relief. And for the people in the affected areas, the Carr fire alone has burned over 115,000 acres, destroyed […]