Posts by Rabbi Stephanie Kramer

Dear Shomrei Torah Family,

With a mix of gratitude and blessing, I head out on a three-month Sabbatical on Thursday, January 30.  Being a rabbi is both incredibly fulfilling and no easy task.  It's time to recharge my batteries and come back to the synagogue renewed.  I'll be spending my time learning and recharging. 

I will be traveling with a rabbinic colleague to explore Jewish history. (We were planning on China, but are watching the news carefully) I will also be spending quality time reacquainting with my family without being tethered to my phone “on call.” Those who know me well, know this will be a real challenge to unplug. I am looking forward to cooking family meals, participating in after school activities, and bedtime with the kids! 

This sabbatical would not be possible without the continued support of the Board of Directors, all of our talented office staff, Erica Wisner, and of course Rabbi George who is here for all of your rabbinic needs. 

Thank you all for this important time. I know it will fly by, and truthfully, I look forward to returning to you replenished, with a greater vigor, having learned some Torah, and ever grateful for the Shomrei Torah Community. 

B’Shalom,

Rabbi Stephanie Kramer 

What is Sabbatical???

In Genesis we learn that the world was created in six days and on the seventh day God rested, therefore we too rest every seven days on Shabbat. 

On Shabbat we are taught to take a rest from the mundane and celebrate the holy, “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is Shabbat; you shall not do any work.” (Exodus 20:9)

In Leviticus we learn that the restorative power of Shabbat is not limited to people. The land too deserves a Shabbat. Every seven years, we are told not to work our fields. We do not plow or plant, weed or harvest. The land gets a chance to rest, to lie fallow, to restore and recharge itself just as we do each week. The Torah calls this seventh year a sabbatical.

Thus the institution of the sabbatical endures. In some professions like academia, and congregations; rabbis pastors and professors earn a sabbatical in their seventh

year of work. When these workers, like the land, are in danger of being “used up.” This restorative time allows them to recharge and renew.