Rabbi's Blog

Have you ever had a broken appliance to deal with? In our present dispensable era, fixing appliances is less and less common. I can’t imagine how many TV repair shops have closed down in my short lifetime.

How about a leaky faucet or broken air conditioner?... ( Read More » )

According to a Pew Research Center study, there has been a steady decline in President Obama’s Jewish support. One blogger at the New York Times suggests that this may be due to questions about Obama’s support for Israel. Ultimately, the entire observation begs the question, is Judaism defined by support for Israel?

While it is safe to say that many American Jews consider Israel an important piece of their Jewish and political identity, from a Jewish perspective (politics aside), the debate rages. In other words, if G-d Forbid there was not a Jewish homeland, would that mean the demise of Jewish identity? This concern is not a debate of whether we should support Israel, but rather whether support for Israel is a... ( Read More » )

This Thursday afternoon I received a phone call from a Jewish businessman. He was visiting Boise and explained that he needed to say Kaddish for a yarzheit observance. I told him that we don’t usually have a minyan for Mincha on a regular Thursday, but we try to put one together for yarzheits and other needs. Due to the late hour, I was uncertain whether we would succeed (oh, how easy being Jewish is in Manhattan or Los Angeles…).   But we would do our best.

Within a short while, after emails and a flurry of phone calls (and thanks to great volunteers), ten Jews were gathered at the Chabad Jewish Center. It turns out that our visitor never made it to the minyan – but we still succeeded to pray Mincha... ( Read More » )

Driving along the back roads of Idaho can at times be challenging. I recently found myself on a windy dirt road with little room for error. Suddenly, a car appeared from the opposite direction and we both came to a sudden halt. After a quick stare-down, I realized that there was only room for one car at a time and  one of us would have to budge. So I reversed and went slightly off road to allow the other car to pass.... ( Read More » )

This past Sunday Esther and I took the family to Sagehen Reservoir for a fabulous day trip. We ended up getting a late start, and subsequently, getting home late at night (for the kids). We figured the latter part of the day would be better than the earlier segment, as the weekend would be nearing its end, thus affording a less crowded outing. But, we underestimated the drive time and the fun we would have.

All too often I find myself playing the blame game. If I’m late for a meeting it’s because another meeting went overtime. If my kids are testing my patience, it’s their fault, not mine.... ( Read More » )

Many scholars have observed that the recession has taught many a person the true values of life. We no longer take our retirement nest egg or kids’ college funds for granted. We listen a little more to the sorrows and challenges of others. Certainly, there is a silver lining to the recession.

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Yesterday the campers at Camp Gan Israel of Boise went on a trip to Wahooz Family Fun Center. Amongst the many activities and attractions are various arcade games, which seem to be a highlight for children (and adults) of all ages.  The most popular games provide tickets – redeemable for prizes – in return of a good score.

The first time my son was old enough to grasp what these games were, he had a great complaint against the machines. “Why is it,” he questioned, “that sometimes the machine gives a lot of tickets and sometimes just a few, or none at all?!”... ( Read More » )

My two sons are at the ages where sports reign supreme. They are finally ready for their own baseball gloves.  And they have let my wife and me know that.

We decided that receiving the mitts would be contingent on how well they studied. It’s especially important to create incentives for academic diligence, in particular Torah study, during the summer months. ... ( Read More » )

With all the free-agent hype in the NBA this week, one wonders if the landscape of professional basketball may change dramatically. Actually, with one superstar announcing his move to a team now loaded with stars, it seems likely.

All this causes one to wonder? Is it healthy for the sport to have the best talent concentrated in so few places?... ( Read More » )

The headlines this week brought us back some forty-plus years to the Cold War era. The federal government arrested an alleged ring of Russian spies acting on U.S. soil for years.

One amazing revelation about modern-day espionage is the hi-tech methodology employed. As it becomes more and more difficult to snoop, many countries are reportedly resorting to satellite imagery, audio intercepts and unmanned aircraft.... ( Read More » )

John Isner did not stand a chance in his tennis match against unseeded Thiemo de Bakker. That’s because the day before he won the longest tennis match in history, one that took more than eleven hours over three days. In his own words, “I've never been this exhausted before…I didn't really have a chance.”

So, was it worth it?... ( Read More » )

I spent this past Tuesday with tens of thousands of Jews who had gathered in New York in observance of the 16th yarzheit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneersohn of Blessed Memory.

It was truly surreal to see Jews from all walks of life and from the four corners of the world wait for a couple hours in the hot sun to spend a couple moments of prayer at the Rebbe’s gravesite.... ( Read More » )

After much speculation, the news is finally in: Boise State University will be joining the Mountain West Conference. Sports pundits had long debated whether this would happen and whether it was the right move for the Broncos. Is the grass really greener – or in this case bluer – on the other side?

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Have you ever tried tying a string around your finger to remember something? This age-old method has proven helpful to many people.

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Much ink has been spilled about the recent oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. Efforts to plug the incessant flow are muddled in doubt.

We too, sometimes struggle with shutting down our own internal spigot. At times, it’s a flow of unwanted feelings, or words that we know we should not be saying. It can be a deviant behavior that we are wrestling to overcome. How do we put a stop-gag on our own inner spring of activity that seems to shoot forth from the depths of our darker side?... ( Read More » )