Sandra Cohen, at The Blogs

Apr 5, 2023, 5:11 PM

I delve deep to uncover potential, from the scraps of the knitting that is my passion to untold strengths of the people I know

Mar 20, 2023, 10:44 PM

Dipping Once

Purple Lilacs in Spring. (Wikimedia Commons)

Passover is observed through a series of rules. The seder, usually held twice on the first and second evenings of Pesach, is literally an “order.” Whichever Haggadah you use, it is based upon the “order” or structure of the...

Feb 2, 2023, 9:13 PM

Death and Sorting

My father-in-law died 2 weeks ago. All three of his sons, AJ, Ben, and Eric were there with him as Harold slipped away in his sleep. He was almost 90 years old, and quite frail; his hearing and his...

Dec 27, 2022, 9:48 PM

Finding Community — Again

הִלֵּל אוֹמֵר, אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר Hillel said: do not separate yourself from the community. (Pirkei Avot 2:4) During these years of the pandemic, we might well ask ourselves, “Who is my community?” or “Where is my community?” Lost in our...

Dec 19, 2022, 11:59 PM

Helping Out at Hanukkah

What does it mean to be the Shamash? When I was a little girl, in Sunday School at my synagogue, I learned that the Shamash was the “helper” candle: we use it to light the other candles in the hanukkiah. ...

Dec 5, 2022, 10:49 PM

Masking and Unmasking: Finding Ourselves

לֵ֗ב י֭וֹדֵעַ מָרַּ֣ת נַפְשׁ֑וֹ וּ֝בְשִׂמְחָת֗וֹ לֹא־יִתְעָ֥רַב זָֽר The heart alone knows its bitterness, And no outsider can share in its joy.(Proverbs 12:10) I have been thinking about masks lately. Here we are in the Jewish world, half-way between Purim and its companion/opposite,...

Dec 3, 2022, 10:28 AM

Finding Courage

I was blessed to grow up in the Twin Cities: I was raised in Minneapolis and went to college in St. Paul (even better – I got to go to college with Mother Clare!!). And while I have now...

Nov 27, 2022, 10:36 PM

The Truth about Brown and Me

Stuff from Brown University Alumni keeps appearing in my email box. I don’t like to use the passive voice, but in this context, it seems correct. I have done nothing to encourage Brown to view me as an alum ....

Jun 16, 2022, 12:03 AM

Being Invisible

She looks fine. She always does, always did. Appropriate clothing, hair combed, and a soft smile on her lips. She speaks in class – always has something to ask or add to the conversation. Her grades are stellar, and...

May 21, 2022, 12:27 AM

Braiding Her Hair

Shira, my daughter, graduated from law school two weeks ago. It seems impossible, that this little girl, is about to be 25 years old. A quarter of a century!! On the walls of our upstairs landing, and by the stairs, photos...

About Me

Rabbi Sandra Cohen teaches rabbinic texts, provides pastoral care, and works in mental health outreach, offering national scholar-in-residence programs. She and her husband live in Denver, Colorado.

Contact Me