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 Boastful Farmer

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
Have you ever felt like you were the smartest or most important person in the room, only to realize you’re just as dependent on others as they are on you? This week, Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom in Glencoe, IL shares a story about a boastful farmer who had to learn this lesson himself.

Stories We Tell: Map Of The World

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
Sometimes, it may feel like we live in a huge world and that coming together and mending our connections is an enormous task that will take forever. However, as Rabbi Phyllis Sommer reminds us with this week’s story, Map of The World, sometimes, all it takes is one very smart class, a new perspective and a little tape.

Stories We Tell: The Grateful Grapes

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
A farmer gifts a Kibbutz gatekeeper with a beautiful bunch of grapes, to thank him for always being so welcoming. Soon, the gift is shared in unexpected ways, and we learn that what goes around, really does come back around. Listen in as Rabbi Phyllis Sommer shares with us the wonderful story of the “Grateful Grapes”.

Stories We Tell: Finding God on the Mountain

Rabbi Phyllis Sommer
A man was told that he could find God at the top of the highest mountain, so he climbed to the peak and waited patiently for God to show up. Join Rabbi Phyllis Sommer as she tells this story about what it truly means to find God in ways we might have never even considered.

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.