Dear Friends,

On December 18th, I will begin my sabbatical of 4 months. I will return just after Pesach on April 17. This will be my first experience in 25 years in the pulpit in which I will disengage from my work and explore some new things. I have already set aside the sacred texts I intend to study, a dozen or so books to read and some synagogues I will visit in New York and in Los Angeles. I will also attend a rabbinic training institute in January and most likely, the AIPAC Policy Conference in March.

Those in the helping professions often report a lack of balance in their lives. The stress of work as well as the distress of their patients, clients, and congregants, can be overwhelming and sometimes debilitating. “Burnout,” is not unusual in our professions. There are numerous studies which explore this problem and quite a lot written on “self-care” for clergy. Younger rabbis (as I once was) have great resiliency in tolerating the stress of the job. Older rabbis (as I am now) have to be more careful. I will be exploring this on my sabbatical as well.

For my sabbatical to be successful, I will have to take a complete leave from my duties as your rabbi. As much as I might like to believe otherwise, our congregation will do just fine without me for four months. Rabbi Gruenwald, Cantor Goldstein and Neal Price will do a great job taking care of all the needs of the community that arise. Please do not hesitate to call them for anything at all. A great resource in finding the right staff professional to address any issue is my assistant, Joyce Perlmutter. Call her during regular business hours and she will get you the help you need right away.

For emergencies during evenings, weekends, Shabbat and Holidays, Neal Price is available and will be able to get word to clergy.

As always, if you know of someone who needs help, call the shul even if you think we already know. Our clergy are more than happy to get two or three or even a dozen phone calls about someone in need. They can’t be helpful if they don’t have the information. We ask you to be the “eyes and ears” of the community.

The HEA office number is 303-758-9400

I am most grateful for the opportunity to take a sabbatical. I expect to return to my duties refreshed and inspired in the spring. I wish you only good health and success during these winter months. See you soon.

B’shalom,

Rabbi Bruce Dollin