Posts by Rabbi Stephanie Kramer

Dear Shomrei Torah Family,
 
With a mixture of sadness and excitement, I share with you that I will be leaving the congregation in July, 2021.
 
I have accepted the position of Senior Rabbi at The Temple, Congregation B’nai Jehudah in Overland Park, Kansas, a 150 year old historic and dynamic 1,100-family congregation. This is an extraordinary opportunity for me to expand my rabbinate and grow...Read more...

When his mother asked a child whether his Lego guys were the good guys or the bad guys, he responded, “We think we’re the good guys and they’re the bad guys, but they think they’re the good guys and we’re the bad guys.” 

This insightful youngster can teach us so much about life. Domestic arguments, wars and political discourses can all be boiled down to this simple lesson: everyone thinks they are the good guys. I...Read more...

The destructions of the first and second temples in Jerusalem are seen as two of the most devastating events in Jewish history. Rabbinic literature and tradition draw a direct line between sinat chinam, baseless hatred, and the destruction of these temples.

We read a story in the Talmud about two men with similar names, Kamsa and Bar Kamsa. A wealthy person in the town was throwing a party and sent his servant to invite his friend...Read more...

I can’t believe summer has come and the time for our big adventure is finally here. You’re so lucky that you get to experience Israel for the first time at four and eight. I hope you will behave on the flight from San Francisco to Tel Aviv. Please, watch, as many movies as you want, don’t kick the seat in front of you, try to sleep and be nice to daddy.

I am delighted to welcome you to Israel, a country that holds a piece...Read more...

Passover is steeped with many lessons, all of which are relevant in the 21st century. Most years, when thinking about the symbolism of the seder plate, I focus on the sweetness of the escape from slavery while eating charoset, the complicated tears while dipping parsley into salt water, the smearing of the lamb’s blood while lifting up the shank bone or the brokenness of the world while breaking the...Read more...

I have never liked cheap humor, slapstick comedy or potty humor. I love satires, which is not completely surprising, since I am a tad bit sarcastic. Satire is cerebral and pithy, carefully crafted to make you think. It contains elements of truth twisted with fantasy, and it is up to the viewer to interpret a deeper meaning. Good satire is multilayered, multidimensional, sickening and funny all at the same time.

Tina Fey’s Saturday...Read more...