Dear Friends: On certain holidays, we add special prayers of thanks into our liturgy. These “hoda’ah inserts” are part of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, Purim, and Chanukah, among other times. Somehow, considering how many thanks we have, perhaps we need a post-virtual-HHD hoda’ah insert. Maybe: “Thank you, everyone, who participated, contributed, logged in, offered words […]
About Rabbi Benjamin Zober
Posts by Rabbi Benjamin Zober:
Jacks of All Trades
Dear Friends, I have a fondness for what most people call useless knowledge. Random facts, esoterica, trivia, I love it all. But I often quip that it is only useless, until you find a way to use it. Part of what attracted me to the rabbinate was that I might be able to employ some […]
When I Turn
I don’t turn my back on the congregation very often, but when I do, it is in prayers like the Barechu or the Amidah. And when I am not facing you, I see the ark, crafted by a congregant, now of blessed memory. I see the woodwork, refinished and polished by volunteers last fall. And […]
There is No “I” in Synagogue
Dear Friends, Rabbi Sara and I miss you all terribly. We are continuing to find a way to bring Shabbat and other Jewish events into your homes in the best way possible. Many of you have become regular visitors to the virtual shul streaming from our living room. Others join our Zoom Torah Study on […]
‘Tis the Season – for Voting!
Dear Friends: If you haven’t heard, there’s an election. While the internet, radio, and television are filled with campaign ads, the other election has not gotten quite as much press. The World Zionist Congress is holding its election to determine the leadership and influence the policies of Israel’s National Zionist Institutions, which affect so much […]
How Do We Bless the Pie?
Dear Friends: Did you know that Thanksgiving was a Jewish holiday? Ok, it is not technically Jewish, but it does cover many of the themes of a true Jewish holiday: family, food, and guilt. More seriously, giving thanks is a big piece of Jewish practice and any holiday that encourages it is in keeping with […]
Our Book, Our Simcha
Dear Friends: There once was a rabbi who remarked, “I’m glad to see you at services on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but I’d rather you celebrate Passover, Purim, and Simchat Torah.” Passover and Purim make sense: tales of triumph over evil, exciting stories, and delicious foods. But Simchat Torah? What even is it and […]
Sounds of S’lichot
I asked myself: who’s listening to these words of confession? Magnificent Ear of the universe, are You my personal confidant? Or am I just talking to myself? Then I got it: the question is a diversion — to distract me from hearing who I really am. Dear Friends: I first encountered S’lichot at Plum Street […]
Prepping Early for the High Holidays
Dear Friends, It is hard to believe, but the season of preparation for the High Holidays is almost upon us. Starting on Saturday evening with Tisha b’Av, the observance of the date when the Temples were destroyed and Judaism as we knew it changed irrevocably, we launch ourselves into the frenzy of the fall. This […]
Letter Home From Camp
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 […]