Dear Friends, Let’s talk about the difference between Yom Kippur joy and Sukkot joy, because yes – both holidays are supposed to be joyful! Yom Kippur joy is letting go of the barriers we’ve put up in our lives against joy. The shoulds, the fear, the plans, the things we hide away. It’s a clean-out, […]
About Rabbi Sara Zober
Posts by Rabbi Sara Zober:
Taking a Breath
Dear Friends, As you know, our situation is changing rapidly here in Washoe County. Yesterday, the Washoe County Health District emailed mid-morning with reports that the wastewater testing revealed a sharp rise in omicron levels. I was in meetings at the time, Mike Stombaugh was diligently working on the Shabbat reminder, and Michael Gorden our […]
Community Togetherness
Dear friends, The pandemic has been long and trying for many of us. Some of us have been extremely isolated and stir-crazy. Others of us have been burning the midnight oil until we’ve burnt out. Each of us has had our own experiences of sickness and anxiety and sorrow. While the pandemic isn’t over yet, […]
To Be Oysgezoomt or To Be Otherwise, That is the Question
Dear Friends, One of our congregants, Judy Schumer, introduced me to a new Yiddish word last summer: oysgezoomt. For a fascinating article on the word’s etymology, check out the article “The Yiddish Word of 2020.” Simply put, it is the feeling of being utterly fatigued by online offerings. Friends, looking into a second virtual High […]
Endings and Beginnings
Dear Friends, As you know, our son Toby had his bar mitzvah earlier this month. While events with family are always a blessing, I can honestly be relieved at this moment that people have gotten safely home and Toby himself can relax because all that hard work is behind him. This feeling of relief got […]
Shavuot Pajama Jammy Jam
Dear Friends, Chanukah has latkes and dreidels, Pesach has charoset and raucous seders, Shavuot has cheesecake and… all night study sessions? Maybe not everyone’s idea of a good time, but for many communities, coming together and studying until daybreak is a much-anticipated event. Last year, we could not gather as a congregation, and certainly not […]
Why My, Is This Night Different!
Passover is one of our most creative holidays. The haggadah itself is an invention of our rabbis, tying together Torah stories, rabbinic texts, songs, blessings, and culinary delights. Each culture within Judaism has traditions that embellish the text – from Ethiopian Jews smashing dishes, to Afghani Jews swatting each other with scallions to stay awake, […]
COVID Vaccine Resources
Dear Friends, We are so thrilled to be seeing so many of our elders getting vaccinated for COVID-19. Each one gets us closer to getting back in our building safely and we miss seeing all of you regularly. If you are 70+ and need help getting signed up for all the different COVID vaccine sites, […]
Lech L’cha – Go Out and Vote!
There is a story about the Chazon Ish, an early 20th Century Orthodox rabbi, who ran into a congregant on Election Day. When the congregant admitted having not voted because he could not afford the poll tax, the rabbi told him to sell his tefillin, the boxes he wound around his arm and head each […]
Summertime and the Livin’s – Still Confined to Our Homes
Dear Friends, As our fiscal year draws to a close, we wanted to highlight all of the incredible things that we did this year – in person and across the digital divide. Our members were incredibly busy with events in the congregation and out in the community. Our Sisterhood came together on several occasions to […]
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