blogs/rabbi-huberman

 Parashat Vayetze

“If God remains with me, if God protects me on this journey that I am making, and gives me bread to eat and clothing to wear, and if I return safe to my father’s house— the Lord shall be my God.” (Genesis 28:20:21)

   Running from our Problems

I’m going to share a little secret. It has been asked many times: “How is it that the...Read more...

     Parashat Yayera

    Leaving God Behind

It doesn’t take long in this week’s Torah portion for Jewish tradition to make an important theological point.

God does not play, “Let’s make a deal.”

Of course, it is natural, when trouble hits, that we direct prayers to heaven—and declare—“God if you get me through...Read more...

     Simchat Noach

    Democracy as a Jewish Practice

On April 2, 1982, President Ronald Reagan signed a proclamation declaring a “National Day of Reflection,” in honor of the Torah’s “Seven Commandments.”

Yes, the Seven Commandments. Reagan correctly termed them the Noahide Laws, defining that list as “a moral code for all of us,...Read more...

     Shabbat Sukkot

    Sukkot and the Tenements

One day in 1907, my maternal grandfather, Nissan, 19, walked off a boat in Quebec City and was thrust into the modern world. 

He was born and raised in a small Russian village—a perilous world where Jews were often targets of persecution and discrimination. But here he was in a new land,...Read more...

     Parashat: Ki Teitzei

     "The King is in the Field"

An incident that occurred about three years ago, while Patte and I were on vacation, continues to haunt me.

In ancient times, it was common for leaders to stroll, unannounced, among the people.

The Torah describes kings like Jehoshaphat and Melchizadek spontaneously...Read more...