Rabbi Phyllis Sommer

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer is the director of congregational learning at Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL, who blogs at Ima On and Off the Bima. When her son Sam was diagnosed with cancer at age 6, she also began blogging at Superman Sam.

Stories We Tell: The Spoonful of Oil

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
There was a young man who wanted to learn the secret of happiness. He sought out the advice of a wise man, who was too busy to talk with him at that moment but gave him a task: walk around and carry a spoon with two drops of oil and be careful to not let them spill. Listen to find out how this seemingly strange assignment taught the boy an important lesson.
Shabbat

Stories We Tell: How Do You Use It

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
Have you ever had a great idea that wasn’t useful until you applied it? This week, join Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL, as she tells the story of a rabbi and a soap maker who explore this idea and realize their professions have more in common than they might have thought.

Stories We Tell: The Spoonful of Oil

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
There was a young man who wanted to learn the secret of happiness. He sought out the advice of a wise man, who was too busy to talk with him at that moment but gave him a task: walk around and carry a spoon with two drops of oil and be careful to not let them spill. Listen to find out how this seemingly strange assignment taught the boy an important lesson.

Stories We Tell: The Fate of the Flour Woman

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
When things go a direction we might not expect, is it thanks to fate or simply coincidence? This week, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL tells the story of a woman, her bag of flour, and the unexpected journey it took her on.

Stories We Tell: The Hamantaschen Souls

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
Many of us know how it feels to be resistant to something, even when we know deep down that we are called to follow through with it. This week, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL tells the story of a town’s batch of hamantaschen who just refuse to be baked, and the rabbi who shows them just how important they are.