Rabbi's Blog - Chabad Lubavitch of Idaho

Relocation

Friday, September 25, 2026 - 7:30 AM

“I’m relocating,” a friend recently told me.

“What will change when you relocate?” I asked.

“Well, I’m pretty young, so I’ll make new friends quickly. I will have the a new job. A new home. But, that’s all expendable. So, really, not much will change. Maybe the weather.”

That got me thinking about the Torah’s instruction to relocate from our homes for one week.

During Sukkot, we abandon the comforts of our home and eat all our meals in the Sukkah. Ideally, other activities should also be performed in the Sukkah.

What message is the Torah trying to impart to us?

Sitting in the Sukkah does make us vulnerable to the weather. But, so does sitting at the football game. And, … Read More »

Cords of Closeness

Friday, September 18, 2026 - 9:00 AM

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 »

Born Afterwards

Friday, September 11, 2026 - 7:33 AM

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 »

Once Upon Now

Friday, September 4, 2026 - 8:28 AM

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 »