Rabbi Robert Scheinberg's page

  Second day of Rosh HaShanah 5785 / 2024:  “What we have learned from Rachel Goldberg-Polin” Rabbi Robert Scheinberg United Synagogue of Hoboken A voice is heard in the heights:  wailing, bitter weeping; Rachel crying for her children.   קֹ֣ול בְּרָמָ֤ה נִשְׁמָע֙ נְהִי֙ בְּכִ֣י תַמְרוּרִ֔ים רָחֵ֖ל מְבַכָּ֣ה עַל־בָּנֶ֑יהָ We read these words in today’s Haftarah from the book of Jeremiah.  These words have been on my mind truly all year since I first heard the name Rachel Goldberg-Polin.  I never met Rachel though we are almost exact contemporaries and we have numerous friends in common.  and I know there are several people in our community, maybe here in this room right now, who have some connection with her.   Around the world people know Rachel now, and for the most terrible reason:  she is the mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin of blessed memory, who was murdered by his Hamas captors eleven months after being kidnapped on October 7 a...

First day of Rosh HaShanah 5785 / 2024: Teaching Torah about a catastrophic year Rabbi Robert Scheinberg United Synagogue of Hoboken So a rabbi applies for a position at a synagogue and is invited to an “audition shabbat” to meet the community and give a sermon.   The week before, the chair of the search committee calls and says:  “I’m just curious what you’re planning to talk about when you come for your audition shabbat.”  And the rabbi says:  “I was going to speak about the centrality of Shabbat in living a Jewish life today.” and the search committee chair says:  “Rabbi, let me give you some advice.  People in this synagogue don’t observe Shabbat. They will feel judged and uncomfortable if you talk about shabbat.” And the rabbi says:  “Well, ok.  I guess I could speak about how Judaism has a system for affirming the holiness of everyday actions like eating, which is the system of Kashrut-”  And the search committee chair breaks in....