Dear Friends, A belated L’shanah Tovah to all of you! I was so disappointed to be unable to celebrate the High Holy Days with all of you. Certainly, I want to thank everyone who pitched in (especially at the last minute) to lead services and make sure everything happened on schedule – even if not […]
About Rabbi Benjamin Zober
Posts by Rabbi Benjamin Zober:
The Start of Something
Dear Friends, “I don’t make New Year’s resolutions,” said the DJ on the radio. He went on to explain that making promises on an arbitrary date was silly and that one could make a resolution at any time. I would have loved to ask him, “so do you make resolutions at another time? Do you […]
Sprucing Up Sinai
Dear Friends, Following on the heels of a successful but exhausting Mitzvah Day, we have introduced Sprucing up Sinai. Every Sunday from 9-noon, we turn our attention to the building’s physical needs, right now with a focus of weeding. I was hoping to open my message with some sage Jewish wisdom about weeding. To my […]
Reno Hebrew Benevolent Society
Dear Landsmen! In Yiddish, people from the same town refer to each other as landsmen. When meeting a fellow from your hometown it is customary to greet them with a hearty “Landsman!” As we migrated out of the shtetl, landing in such far-flung places as New York, Los Angeles, or Reno, encounters with people from […]
The Great Latke Debate
Dear Friends, As Chanukah approaches, so do the many great debates of the season. I am not referring to the one between Rabbis Hillel and Shammai over how we light the chanukiah (we settled that one – Hillel won and we light one the first night and increase each night as opposed to counting down). […]
You Are the Temple
Dear Friends, Christ Church Reno has only been in our building a short while, but it is already providing so much for both of our congregations. A few weeks ago, I was invited to join them for Father Juan’s installation. Among the guests was Bishop Eric Menees of the Anglican Diocese. As he spoke, a […]
Hope for Ukraine
Dear Friends, Then there comes a day, when snow Begins to melt, and peasants go To sharpen ploughshares, and to plough, And to will their files, and sow. And as from forge or field they come, With horse and cart returning home, Meeting on the way, they chat Of many things, of this, and that. […]
Getting Back
Dear Friends, When I had my bicycle accident a few months ago, a few witnesses commented on how fast I was going before the crash. While I have never gotten up to the speeds they estimated, I was not taking it slow. So, it is somehow fitting that ever since, I have had to take […]
Stones and Pillows
Dear friends, As you may have heard, I was in a bike accident on Thursday (11/04/21). I am not entirely sure what happened, but I crashed and ended up at Renown Hospital. I was wearing a helmet, which saved my life and lessened my injuries. After one night under observation, I was given the OK […]
Shehecheyanu Moments
Dear Friends, There is a joke in the Reform community, that we overuse the Shehecheyanu. Whenever we do something for the first time, or have a big moment, we say the prayer. And while every occasion may not merit a blessing like that, there are truly times when thanking God is appropriate. Personally, I said […]