Rabbi's Blog - Chabad Lubavitch of Idaho

A New Reality

Friday, October 31, 2025 - 7:57 AM

The devastation in Jamaica is awful and heartbreaking. My colleague, Rabbi Yaakov Raskin, reports of terrible destruction and challenges. Our prayers are with all those affected.

For many, they will need to start fresh. Much of what they had built up in life is no longer there. Starting from scratch is not easy – especially if you are already settled and advanced in years.

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This week’s parsha Lech Lecha tells us about the first Jew, Avraham.

It opens with the following words:

G-d said to Abram, Go from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will become a source of… Read More »

Human Morality?

Friday, October 24, 2025 - 8:31 AM

In February 2025, fourteen-year-old Sewell Setzer killed himself.

He was in love with a Chatbot, a creation of Artificial Intelligence.

Now, his mother is suing the AI company, Character.AI, and app where users can chat with chatbots who takes on the personas of characters, such as a teacher, neighbor, or celebrity. In her wrongful death lawsuit, which may very well wind its way to the Supreme Court, she claims that the company subjected and seduced her son to unhealthy, addictive and life-threatening behaviors.

Can a Chatbot be held liable for a human death? Character.AI argues that its Chatbot produces something that is protected by the First Amendment – free speech.

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As I read about this tragic and riveting reality, I’m… Read More »

Constant Connection

Friday, October 17, 2025 - 8:41 AM

We are grateful to Hashem and delighted at the return of the hostages! And we pray for the immediate return and proper burial of the remains of all the fallen hostages.

They have endured so much and demonstrated amazing faith.

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Can a fish survive out of water? Can a doctor survive without her medical devices? Can a carpenter survive without his hammer? Can a person survive without food?

It depends, you might say, on what survive means. A fish needs water. Without food humans will die.

But without a hammer, a carpenter might lose some of his identity but he won’t disappear.

If a person needs – among other things – food and oxygen to survive, what does a soul needs in order to live?

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In the opening parsha of … Read More »

Homecoming

Friday, October 10, 2025 - 10:44 AM

We are sitting oif shpilkes, awaiting the joyous homecoming of the captives from Gaza. The anticipation, anxiety and excitement are unbelievable. And, our hearts go out to the families whose loved ones have been torn from them for too long.

Prayers, posters, and protests have become the norm for two long years. Despite the exhaustion of waging a war for the very soul of our people, the exhilaration is tangible.

Every Jew knows that it could have been them locked up and tortured in the tunnels of Gaza.

This is not the homecoming of a stranger.

This is not the homecoming of a fellow citizen.

This is not the homecoming of a distant relative.

This is my homecoming. This is your homecoming. This is the homecoming of every single Jew.

Sermon or Song?

Friday, October 3, 2025 - 8:22 AM

So Yom Kippur has come and gone.

At Chabad in Boise it was an uplifting experience, with hundreds of locals connecting with their faith, their community, and their Creator. Thank you to Rabbi Mendel Bluming and Moshe Lifshitz for leading rousing services.

Hopefully, it was moving, inspirational, and meaningful. And, hopefully, I am – at least in some measure – a different and better person.

But, let’s be honest. That was a lot of sermons. The rabbi just did not stop speaking!

So, let me pose this question: Which do you prefer? A sermon or a song?

What is it about music and lyrics that stirs so many?

A speech might be motivational, but I can probably only hear it once... Barely. A song, on the … Read More »