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The Jacob Vaccine #657

12/25/2020 04:30:00 PM

Dec25

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Vayiggash:
"Do not be distressed you sold me in Egypt. It was to save life that God sent me ahead of you.”
(Genesis 45:5)   The Jacob Vaccine

 

There are many types of vaccines.

On our minds these days, is the vaccine against COVID-19, which is beginning to make its way across the world.

The idea behind a vaccine, of course, is that it immunizes us against a physical disease...Read more...

Billions in Wasted Food #656

12/18/2020 06:00:00 PM

Dec18

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Miketz:
"Immediately ahead are seven years of great abundance in the land of Egypt. After them will come seven years of famine, and all the abundance in the land of Egypt will be forgotten.”
(Genesis 41:30)   Billions in Wasted Food

 

There is enough food in this world to feed everyone, if we would just learn to manage it better.

That’s one of the significant messages that radiates...Read more...

Chanukah: Who is your Guiding Light? #655

12/11/2020 05:55:00 PM

Dec11

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Chanukah: Who is your Guilding Light?

In the days preceding Chanukah, I found myself watching a miniseries on Netflix, which prompted me to ask the question:

Who is your Mr. Shaibel?

Mr. Shaibel is the gruff custodian, who — in the Queen’s Gambit — often languishes in the darkened basement of a Lexington, Kentucky orphanage, playing chess by himself.

He is not your typical hero.

One day,...Read more...

Rachel's Tears, and the First Unveiling #654

12/04/2020 05:30:00 PM

Dec4

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Vayishach:
"A voice is heard in Ramah… Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”
(Jeremiah 35:15)   Rachel's tears, and the first unveiling

 

If you have ever attended an unveiling service, or felt lost as a Jew within the larger secular world, then this week’s Torah portion calls out to you.

And it all revolves around a...Read more...

No Thank-You Cards for Santa #653

11/27/2020 04:00:00 PM

Nov27

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Vayetze:
"This time, I will praise the Lord." Therefore, she named him Judah”
(Genesis 29:35)   No Thank-You Cards for santa

 

Embedded in the name of every Jew is a word, which over thousands of years, has helped define who we are. That word is “thanksgiving.”

For, the words, “thank you,” are essential to how we, as Jews, interact with God and with humanity.

That simple...Read more...

Jews and Jobs #652

11/20/2020 05:00:00 PM

Nov20

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Toldot:
"Have you not but one blessing, Father?..“And Esau wept aloud.”
(Genesis 27:38)   Jews and Jobs

 

I recall a story about a cousin, who, in her childhood, was asked, “Which person in the world do you respect the most?”

Her teacher wondered: “Would it be the President, or perhaps the Prime Minister of Israel, or maybe the first person to walk on the moon?”

My...Read more...

Kindness Over Might #651

11/13/2020 04:34:00 PM

Nov13

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Chayei Sarah:
"Drink, my Lord....and I will also draw for your camels until they finish drinking.”
(Genesis 24:18, 19)   Kindness Over Might

 

One of Judaism’s greatest rabbis, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972), wrote in his later years:

“When I was young, I admired clever people. Now that I am old, I admire kind people.”

It’s an amazing insight from a rabbi who on...Read more...

The Jewish Revolution Continues #650

11/06/2020 05:00:00 PM

Nov6

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Va'yera:
"What if there are 50 righteous people in the city? ...Shouldn't the judge of all the earth judge justly?”
(Genesis 18: 23-25)   The Jewish Revolution Continues

 

You are part of a religious revolution that begins in this week’s Torah portion.

The revolution is called “Judaism.”

The Torah’s original couple, Adam and Eve, were concerned only about basic...Read more...

Becoming an American #649

10/30/2020 05:10:00 PM

Oct30

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Lech Lecha: “Go forth from your native land and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)   Becoming an American

Less than two hours ago, I made an important decision: I signed the documents to officially apply for American citizenship.

When I shared this news with one of our congregants, I received an unexpected response: “Are you crazy?

"The country has never...Read more...

Animal Rights and the Torah #648

10/23/2020 05:50:00 PM

Oct23

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Animal Rights and the Torah

I don’t think there’s anyone among us who hasn’t heard of the Ten Commandments.

But how many of us have heard of the Seven Commandments?

This series of laws, which predate the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, serves as a foundation upon which our country and, perhaps the civilized world, are based.

In 1987, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation speaking of "the...Read more...

Mon, December 1 2025 11 Kislev 5786