Sharon L. Sobel, at The Blogs

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Apr 10, 2017, 5:53 PM

Open the Door, Open it Wide: The Real Mean of “Halachma Anya” – This is the Bread of Affliction

Each year we begin our Passover Seder with an ancient Aramaic saying, as we break one of the three ritual matzot (plural of "matza") in half. We hold up one half of the middle pieces of matza and we clearly...

Oct 26, 2016, 8:16 PM

Your Voice Matters — Your Vote Counts!

As we enter the last two weeks of the 2016 US Presidential Election Campaign, many of us have already voted. Some will be away on November 8th and will vote (or have voted) by absentee ballot. Others voted in...

Sep 16, 2016, 7:11 PM

Shimon Peres – Pursuer of Peace

Jewish tradition is full of contradictions. On the one hand, we are instructed to "be like the disciples of Aaron, loving peace and pursuing peace." (Pirke Avot - Ethics of the Fathers - 1:12). Yet, at the same time, we see...

Jul 27, 2016, 5:08 PM

Got Kindness?! In a Place Where are No Humans, Strive to be Human…

Sometimes my local bagel shop reminds me of the bar from the TV show "Cheers": the folks behind the counter know everyone's name and what people like to order. They schmooze as you wait and catch up on your...

Apr 29, 2016, 1:03 AM

Yizkor – An Enduring Legacy

Yesterday, I was given a few things that belonged to my father when he was alive: some artwork that he and my mother collected during the years of their marriage (he and my mother had been divorced for over 35 years...

Apr 19, 2016, 2:29 PM

Whose life is it anyway? — A Jewish response to physician-assisted suicide

Canada's move to permit physician-assisted suicide challenges traditional Jewish teachings about ending a life

Feb 8, 2016, 6:06 PM

My Eyes Have Seen, My Ears Have Heard: A Human Rights Journey to the DR

“Once the eye has seen and the ear has heard, you can no longer pretend to be uninvolved or unaffected.” My father used to teach me this Jewish concept when I was young as we would march for social justice...

Dec 20, 2015, 5:59 AM

Star Wars: May the Force be With You, A Jewish View

This was my D'var Torah - my brief sermon - at Temple Isaiah, Stony Brook, New York, on Friday, December 18, 2015. Parshat Vayigash. The day after "Star Wars - The Force Awakens" opened. Shabbat Shalom! This is a very...

Dec 9, 2015, 7:35 PM

Chanukah: Lighting the Sparks of Justice

My six-year old nephew Max is a wonderful combination of raucous Ninja-turtle-loving boy and mature-beyond-his years sensitive soul. I love sitting with him in restaurants as he spontaneously compliments our server by telling her: "You're beautiful!" Or, when we're at...

Sep 16, 2015, 11:05 PM

Do Not Remain Indifferent — The Syrian Refugee Crisis (A Rosh Hashanah Sermon)

A few weeks ago, I took my niece Sydney to New York City for her ninth birthday. Most 9-year olds might ask to spend the day at The American Girl Doll store, or shopping for the school year. But...

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About Me

Rabbi Sharon L. Sobel is the Rabbi of Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook, Long Island. Her career has extended from leading congregations to leading national organizations. She is passionate about Israel, social justice and enabling others to use Jewish living as a lens to living life with meaning and purpose. Rabbi Sobel is a fitness and food enthusiast. She views food as a catalyst for creating community and welcoming. (She is a secret “Iron-Chef Wanna-be”). She truly sees her table as a “mikdash m’at – a miniature alter”, a place where the holy and the ordinary come together. The daughter of a Reform rabbi (Rabbi Richard J. Sobel, z”l, from Glens Falls, NY), Rabbi Sobel was ordained from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York, in May, 1989. She received her undergraduate degree in Mass Communications from Boston University’s School of Public Communications.