Rabbi's Blog - Chabad Lubavitch of Idaho

Inner Terrorist

Friday, May 29, 2026 - 9:02 AM

Once, Rabbi Dovber of Lubavitch remained closeted in his room for a few days, refusing to see visitors. It was unprecedented and it seemed that the great Rebbe was involved in a deep spiritual struggle. His followers could hear him crying endlessly in his room.

When asked about this strange behavior, the Rebbe explained:

“Whenever someone confers with me on spiritual matters, and in particular when one asks me for a path of penance, I endeavor to find their spiritual 'issue' or shortcoming, albeit on a more subtle level, in myself. In doing so, I am able to relate to the person's spiritual standing. Consequently, and being in 'his' shoes, so to speak, I can seek out the most appropriate spiritual remedy.

Earlier this week I w…Read More »

Weak or Week?

Thursday, May 21, 2026 - 9:17 AM

Which Jewish holiday is less than a week but is called Weeks?

Shavuot!

Why is tomorrow’s festival called weeks if it’s only a two-day festival (and one day in Israel)? Sukkot and Pesach are week-long festivals. Yet, it is specifically Shavuot that is called (not a Week, but) Weeks!

The common answer is that the holiday is observed seven weeks after Passover, just as the Jews received the Torah seven weeks after the Exodus from Egypt.

But, isn’t it strange the name a holiday for the time before the holiday begins?

The secret lies in the rituals associated with the holiday. Or, rather, the lack of rituals.

Pesach has matzah. Sukkot has the Four Kinds and the Sukkah. Rosh Hashanah has the Shofar.

But, Shavuot has… Read More »

Drawing Together

Friday, May 15, 2026 - 8:26 AM

When a street lamp is erected, all those seeking light gather around, for light attracts.

HaYom Yom, 13 Teves

I was reminded of this saying from Hayom Yom this past Sunday, when I traveled to New York to comfort my father and his siblings on the passing of my grandfather.

As we sat together and talked about our father/grandfather, I took a broad look around the room. There were cousins that I had barely ever met. Maybe a couple I had never met before. Aunts and uncles, friends, and strangers. And, they all came together to pay respects and to comfort the bereaved.

There is a lot to say about my grandfather, who stood strong as a Shabbat-observant Jew despite the challenges in the 1940s and 1950s. He raised a large family with 7 children… Read More »

The Right Rest

Friday, May 8, 2026 - 8:36 AM

A couple came to me for advice. They were both interested in the relationship and had affection for each other. But, they were misaligned. He liked to connect on weekends, but she was spent by the weekend and wanted private time. She was eager to spend time together on weeknights and he was exhausted and just wanted to collapse on the couch.

Their frustration grew. Not because they didn’t like each other – but because they couldn’t synchronize their schedules and priorities.

*

In this week’s double parsha Behar-Bechukotai, we learn about the laws of the Sabbatical year, Shemittah. In Israel, every seventh year, all work on the land is prohibited, and the produce becomes free for the taking.

It’s a year-long… Read More »

Dis-integration

Friday, May 1, 2026 - 10:23 AM

A friend whose wife is in the ICU for cancer treatment. A divorced friend who just got engaged this week. A friend who made a fortune and then lost it. A friend who I haven’t spoken to in over two decades. A friend who just built a $20 million Chabad center. A friend who I still speak to every week.

These were the people I spent last Shabbos with. It was a special reunion of friends from my yeshiva days.

It was a soul experience. We shared hardships and suffering. We enjoyed each other’s successes and simchas.

But, most of all we connected because we put aside our exterior shells, and focused inward. No one was host, no one was guest. No one was teacher, no one was student. We were all just friends – there for each othe… Read More »