By Roy Regev on
July 5, 2018
Rabbi Rotenberg joined the clergy team at Sinai Temple in 2018. He oversees the Teen Center, Atid Young Professionals, Social Action, Adult B’nai Mitzvah, and is the Rabbi to the Sinai Temple Religious School. Rabbi Rotenberg has a deep love of studying and teaching Jewish text. Ordained from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in 2018, he is a proficient musician, a certified shochet, and eruv-enthusiast. He grew up in South Florida and spent most of his summers at Camp Ramah Darom in Georgia overseeing the music and tefillot programs. Rabbi Rotenberg continually seeks to integrate music into the study…
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By Roy Regev on
June 14, 2018
Revel a little. Eat the ice cream. It’s not in my personality to be spontaneous. I am a methodical person and live by to-do-lists and thoughtful planning. But there is something about the start of summer that makes me want to throw away the list and embrace the extra hours of sunlight. The dishes will still be there. The vacuuming and laundry will continue to knock on my door. And the most important lesson: learning Torah is best internalized when living Torah. So throw down the list, jump in the car with some people you love, and go live a…
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By Roy Regev on
May 4, 2018
Today, I am being shadowed by a 4th grade student from Sinai Akiba Academy, who will have the opportunity to be a “Rabbi for a day.” The questions I have been asked are both innocent and deep. One such conversation revolved around the upcoming holiday of Shavuot and the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people. The Talmud teaches us that God gave the Jews the Torah at Mount Sinai. Why was it called Sinai? Because it was at that mountain, when the Jewish people were chosen, that the hatred (sinah) of the other nations of the Jews came…
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By Roy Regev on
May 4, 2018
Our little guy, Henry learned how to jump out of his crib. At 4:00am, we heard the pitter- patter of little feet and there he was. Blonde curls, pajama clad, huge smile. I remember our other children slightly frightened at the possibility of falling or injuring themselves. Not this kid. Just pure pride that he accomplished his goal. And now we look at the crib with a sense of nostalgia, understanding that the baby stages of Henry’s life are creeping further and further away. When I mentioned that sadness to a friend, she remarked, “You’ll see. It only gets better.”…
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By Roy Regev on
March 23, 2018
Every year I wonder what it is that someone should learn at the Passover seder. One might suggest that participants understand the entirety Passover story. Another might think that that every symbol be explained and the Haggadah deconstructed verse by verse. These are perfectly fine answers. But I am struck by Maimonides’ “take away” of seder night. He writes, “And it is required to make changes during the night for the children to notice and they will ask, ‘How is this night different from all other nights’ until you answer them by saying, ‘This and this happened.’ What changes should…
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By Roy Regev on
November 8, 2017
My name is Alyssa Rosenbaum, and I am entering my third year of teaching 6th grade and Trope at Sinai Temple Religious School! A very important day in my calendar will be May 31st, 2021, when I anticipate being ordained as a “Hazzan and Teacher in Israel” with a Master’s Degree in Jewish Sacred Music from my school, the Academy for Jewish Religion, California. I am currently in my fourth year of cantorial school. It is at once exciting to see a finish line in sight for becoming a cantor, as I have worked hard toward this goal the last…
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By Roy Regev on
November 8, 2017
Being a Teacher at Sinai Temple Religious School has been for me truly a pleasure. My silver lining is Chesed – Caring. Chesed is the caring we bring to our communities, families, and our students during difficult times. Chesed appears in the Torah to communicate God’s kindness and love towards humanity, as well as human kindness and love towards each other. I am looking forward to working with my students virtually and, hopefully soon, in person. I can’t wait to be back at the Temple and in the classroom with my students, to learn, pray, sing and to practice the…
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