blogs/rabbi-huberman

There is an interesting lesson in this week's Torah portion which highlight's one of most significant challenges within a free society.

How do we handle success?

As the Jewish people prepare to enter the land of Israel, Moses delivers a fateful warning, predicting that a time will come when the Israelites will forget their humble roots...Read more...

There is an old phrase - somewhat tongue and cheek - which is used to define most Jewish holidays.

"They tried to kill us, we survived, let's eat."

But this Saturday, just after sundown, Jews around the world will observe a different kind of holiday, one which represents the opposite of the above definition.

On...Read more...

One evening during my first year of rabbinical school, I found myself struggling with a particularly challenging piece of Talmud.

The Aramaic was difficult. The concept was even tougher.

Unable to comprehend some particularly obscure ancient passage about animal sacrifice, I called my mentor Rabbi Joseph Ehrenkranz (of blessed memory) and...Read more...

There is a reason, say our Sages, why human beings are so skilled at spreading gossip. It is because we perceive our worst characteristics in the behavior of others.
 
The great anti-gossip rabbi, the Chofetz Chaim (1839-1933), said that our inclination to speak ill of others is often rooted in frustrations within our own lives. 

If you are like most people, part...Read more...

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has entered my office and, within minutes, has declared:

Rabbi, I am a bad Jew.

I hate hearing that. It reveals how many Jews have been conditioned believe that the quality of their Judaism is determined entirely by the minutiae of our tradition. What they eat. Whether or not they read Hebrew. Whether or not they take care...Read more...