Rabbi's Blog

El Capitan is a towering sheet of rock in Yosemite National Park. When we took our children there recently, they were perplexed how it’s possible for humans to climb up a vertical cliff of granite.

I explained that there are very few humans who can – or are willing – to climb up without ropes. Most climbers use ropes to help them reach the top and prevent falls.

We ushered in 5787 and we stand days away from Yom Kippur. The Ten Days at the beginning of the Jewish year are called the Ten Days of Teshuva (Return). At the apex of these ten days is Shabbat Shuva (or Teshuva).

The Torah tells us that Hashem is closer and more available during these ten days, as the prophet Isaiah states, “Seek Hashem when he can be fou… Read More »

Today marks 25 years since the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001.

For many of our generation, we can remember exactly where we were on that fateful morning. Some of us lost loved ones or friends. Some volunteered heroically and saved lives.

But, all of us were changed. It changed our psyche. It changed our outlook. It changed our security protocols. And, decades later, we still feel the impacts when we travel by air or look at the New York skyline.

What about, however, our children who were born after 9/11? To them this isn’t a change. It’s the only world they know. Security checkpoints are normal. Concerns for terrorism are a way of life. It would be absurd to think otherwise. For them, imagining a different reality is … Read More »

We are beholden by the actions of our forbearers.  Ever since the founders of this country established a Constitution, we must abide by it. Even if we disagree with it, we cannot simply do away with it. We must follow a process and vote in order to potentially amend it.  Similarly, we inhabit the world that our ancestors left us.  The discoveries, the scientific advances, the wars, the successes and failures – all of it is imposed upon us whether we like it or not.

In a strange fashion, we accept that reality. Our ancestors have a right of sorts to foist this on us because they are the ones responsible – in a way – for our existence.  If not for them, we would not be here.

Yet, we still have the right… Read More »

At the end of this week’s parsha Ki Tavo, Moshe – nearing the end of his life – reprimands the Jewish nation:

"You have seen all that the Lord did before your very eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, to all his servants, and to all his land; the great trials which your very eyes beheld and those great signs and wonders. Yet until this day, the Lord has not given you a heart to know, eyes to see and ears to hear.”

If Moshe attests to the fact that forty years prior the Jews saw the miracles in Egypt and the numerous wonders of G-d, why is he stating that they are incapable of knowing, seeing and hearing?

Let me put this in other words: If you were present when, for example, the Twin Towers were attacked on … Read More »

A Jewish woman passed away in rural Arizona. Her body was only found several days after passing.

A relative in Colorado contacted me in Boise.

I reached out to another relative in Idaho.

I found out that the body was scheduled for cremation in a matter of hours. This is a huge no-no in Judaism.

Unfortunately, the deceased had no funds and no local family members at all.

With the clock ticking, I immediately reached out to relatives to stop the cremation, or at least pause it.  I was told there are no funds for burial. “Put aside money,” I declared. “We will figure that out. For now, we need to stop the funeral home from cremating the body and then we can figure out the rest.”

Reluctantly, the relatives agr… Read More »

A great rabbi was once called upon to settle a dispute between two of his followers.  The first man poured out his complaints to the rabbi, and when he finished, the rabbi said, “You’re right.”  Then it was the second one’s turn.  When he finished, the rabbi said, “You’re also right.”  The rabbi’s wife, who had been listening to the conversation, said incredulously to her husband, “What do you mean, ‘You’re also right’? They can’t both be right!”  The rabbi thought for a few moments, and then replied, “You know, my dear, you’re also right.”

Sometimes, my children come with similar challenges.  One says… Read More »

Did you know that the capture of Constantinople in 1453 led to the discovery of America?

When the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople, they blocked traditional land trade routes between Europe and Asia. This blockade forced European nations to look for new sea paths to reach Asian spices and goods. These desperate searches for alternative water routes eventually led Christopher Columbus to sail west in 1492, landing in the Americas.

*

In this week’s parsha, Re’eh, the Jews are told to destroy and uproot all idolatry upon settling in the land of Israel. The Torah states:

And you shall tear down their altars, smash their monuments, burn their asherim with fire, cut down the graven images of their gods, and destroy their na…Read More »

I often marvel at how the most ancient of languages is so simple, yet so complex.  Our English language does not distinguish between the singular and plural of “you.” But in Hebrew, as in other languages, the distinction lies large. In fact, one of the greatest challenges facing English speakers who are trying to learn Hebrew is adjusting to the male/female and singular/plural aspects.

Addressing “you” versus “all of you,” can mean a world of difference.

One such instance is in this week’s parsha, Eikev.  Last week’s parsha Va’etchanan contained the first paragraph of the Shema and the second paragraph of Shema appears in this week’s parsha.

Interestingly, the first pa… Read More »

A Jew in Soviet Russia is sent to Siberia for practicing his faith.

He receives a letter from his wife, saying that the ox has died and there is no way to plow the field to plant the potatoes. He sends a letter back to her, warning her not to go near the field, let alone plow it, because that’s where all the guns and ammunition are hidden.

The next day, a truck full of soldiers shows up at her home and they begin digging desperately, turning over the entire field. After a day of digging – and finding nothing, they leave. She writes to her husband in Siberia to update him.

He replies this time, “Now, you can plant the potatoes!”

Welcome to Soviet censorship and a smart Jew.

*

The Talmud tells a story of Rabbi Ak… Read More »

Tonight we will drink wine. Tonight we will eat meat. It’s Shabbat.

But, earlier this week, we abstained from eating meat and drinking wine. That’s because we are in middle of the Nine Days, the saddest time in the Jewish calendar.

We mourn the destruction of the Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple, in Jerusalem. Nearly two thousand years later, Jews still abstain from comforts during the days leading up to Tisha B’Av.

Together with our deep and enduring grief over the loss of our sacred Sanctuary, we face forward and wish each other, “May these days be transformed into days of gladness and joy.” This is based on a verse in Zechariah (8:19), which states that the fast days, “Shall be for the house of Judah… Read More »

Have you ever made a promise that you haven’t kept?  Probably, you figure, no one remembers anymore about my pledge, so I’m not hurting anyone if I don’t fulfill it.

The holy Baal Shem Tov once heard a disciple of his angrily tell a colleague, “I will tear you apart like a fish.” It was in the heat of the moment and the argument was not severe or lasting. Nonetheless, the founder of the Chassidic movement asked his students to gather in a circle holding hands. He instructed them to close their eyes. Once he joined the circle by placing his hands on the students next to him – all the participants shouted in alarm. They were appalled at the sight they saw. The vision they were witness to was their col… Read More »

by Rabbi Yankie Denburg, Chabad of Coral Springe, Florida

In August of 1790, George Washington sailed into Newport, Rhode Island.

The backstory to that trip is fascinating. The Constitution had already been accepted by the other twelve states, but Rhode Island resisted joining the Union. Many there feared that this new federal government would swallow up their small state and their independence.

Washington wanted all thirteen states together. He wanted the new country to begin with unanimous consent, not only with a majority. He promised Rhode Island that if they ratified the Constitution, he would personally come for an official visit.

Waiting in Newport was a small Jewish community.

For them, this was not just a presidential visit. T… Read More »

During Stalin’s brutal rule, he targeted many enemies. Religion was one of them. Practicing Judaism was not officially outlawed. Instead, it was relentlessly crushed through state-sponsored suppression. Synagogues were confiscated and repurposed, religious education was banned, and mikvahs were filled with cement.

Supreme amongst the methods was going after the Jewish religious leaders. If they were persecuted and ceased to exist, the entire edifice of Jewish life would crumble.

To a large degree, Stalin and the Communists were successful.

But, there was one man who stood in his way. His name was Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, the Previous (sixth) Lubavitcher Rebbe. He was defiant in his battle to preserve Judaism, no matter the… Read More »