Sarah Hass Robinson (alum of 91-92) is married to Rabbi Shaul Robinson, who has been serving as Senior Rabbi at Lincoln Square Synagogue since September, 2005. They have six children: Avromi 16, Esther 13, Chaya 11, Ariella 9, Tova and Tehilla 6. Sarah is also working towards a masters degree in Social Work at Yeshiva University.  We asked Sarah to share with us the challenges and rewards of being married to a rabbi.  

My first experience of Bet Midrash learning was during the summer following my graduation from London University in Psychology, at Midreshet Lindenbaum.  I got an opportunity to come for the year a couple of years later, and suddenly felt more at home than ever before.  Not only the Bet Midrash, but Midreshet Lindenbaum and the Ohr Torah Stone Institutions were to make a major contribution to my life from that point on.  I met my husband, Shaul, at the beginnning of my year of learning; he was just about to begin the kollel program at Yeshivat Hamivtar in Efrat where he would eventually learn for seven years.  We lived in Efrat while he learned for smicha and I attended other learning programs; our first child was born in Jerusalem. His Brit Milah took place in the Beit Midrash in Efrat and Rabbi Riskin was the Cohen at his Pidyon Haben.

Sixteen years later, having served as Rabbinic couple at Cambridge University, UK and in the London suburban community of Barnet, we find ourselves once again closely connected to Ohr Torah Stone, living in Manhattan and serving in Lincoln Square Synagogue.

My career has covered adult and High School Jewish education and mothering our six children, but everything is impacted by being married to a Rabbi.  As one of our daughters said, "I have never not been a Rabbi's daughter!"  All of our children have to deal with the fact that everyone they see knows who they are.  They deal with it in different ways; love it or hate it, it is always a fact of their lives.  Our family Shabbat meals are enjoyably guest filled, but we have to work hard to be present parents and not just a host and hostess for the families of others.

The role of Rebbetzin can be infuriating because of its lack of definition, yet huge time commitment.  It is possible to feel completely overwhelmed when the demands of attending smachot or providing support to a family suffering stress compete with childrens' homework and one's own career.  And of course that big question; if your husband has acquired a family of over six hundred souls, when do you get to see him?  As in any large family, as a community must be regarded, the dynamic possibilities are endless, just as the coping and helping mechanisms are many.  The utter privilege of being part of so many people's lives, of providing stability and meaning through every type of life event is a real opportunity for growth; similarly the benevolent scrutiny through which every mundane response is rendered into a conscious decision.

Being Rebbetzin is to really be a partner in creation; it informs parenthood, one's relationship to parents and siblings, and one's careful selection of role models for guidance through all these delicate issues of life balancing.  Just as being a mother is to enable your children to create their own worlds, marriage to a rabbi can be the key to being "Em be Yisrael" in a wider sense.  It is really hard work, none of the spinning plates can be neglected for too long, but the skills I have gained and continue to learn enrich my life and all my relationships.