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Life:  We are Never Done #771

03/24/2023 05:17:00 PM

Mar24

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Vayikra   Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai received [the oral tradition] from Hillel and Shammai. He used to say: if you have learned much Torah, do not claim credit for yourself, because for such a purpose were you created. (Pirkei Avot 2:8)   Life: we are never done

There is a life philosophy which I hold dear.

I believe in the Kabbalistic teaching that each of us has something unique to contribute to the...Read more...

What is  YOur Exocus Story  #770

03/17/2023 05:32:00 PM

Mar17

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Vayakhel-Pekudei What is your exodus story?

Perhaps one of the saddest side effects of today’s “me-focused” society is that too many have forgotten where they come from.

When my paternal grandfather arrived in North America just after World War I, he hauled ice blocks up long flights of stairs to help keep his customers' ice boxes cold.

My maternal grandfather, days after reaching our shores in...Read more...

Losing our patience  #769

03/10/2023 06:08:00 PM

Mar10

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Ki Tissa

"Come, make us a god who shall go before us, for that fellow Moses—the man who brought us from the land of Egypt—we do not know what has happened to him. ” (Exodus 32:1).

Losing our Patience

These days, it doesn’t take much for us to become impatient.

When we call someone, and it goes to voice mail—we become irritated. When the train to the city is delayed by...Read more...

We Never Lose Hope  #768

03/03/2023 03:09:00 PM

Mar3

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Tetzaveh

"You shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for kindling lamps regularly” (Exodus 27:20).

We Never Lose Hope

With mixed emotions, on the morning of Saturday, November 3, 2012, the Cantor and I silently crossed over dozens of fallen branches, unlocking the side door to Congregation Tifereth Israel.

On one hand—with some...Read more...

Where Does God Actually Live  #767

02/24/2023 04:11:00 PM

Feb24

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Terumah (Gifts): 

"And let them build Me a sanctuary that I can dwell among them.”           (Exodus 25:8).

Where Does God Actually Live?

Recently, I was thinking about the most beautiful synagogues I have prayed in.

I have toured and prayed at the Great Synagogue of Jerusalem. I’ve toured glorious sanctuaries in Venice and in Rome.

Some of...Read more...

Slavery in the toraH #766

02/17/2023 05:45:00 PM

Feb17

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Mishpatim: 

"When you acquire an Israelite debt servant, that person shall serve six years—and shall go free in the seventh year, without payment.” (Exodus 21:2).

Slavery in the Torah

I am privileged to be a member of an extended family with roots in rural Kentucky, just west of the West Virginia border.

Traditionally, on most Memorial Day weekends, we travel...Read more...

Taking the lord's name in vain?   #765

02/10/2023 05:04:11 AM

Feb10

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Yitro:  “Thou shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain." Exodus 20:7 Taking the lord's name in vain?

In Jerusalem’s Arab market you can meet good people and not so good people.

Late in 1998, while touring Israel with my family before ATMs were widespread, I entered the Arab market in search of a money changer.

It was late December after dark, and because it was Saturday, no banks...Read more...

Serach- The Torah's Forgotten Leader  #764

02/03/2023 05:11:00 PM

Feb3

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Beshalach:  “And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph" Exodus 13:19 Serach—The Torah’s Forgotten Leader

Every now and then, my wife and I have a difficult conversation.

“Where would we like to be buried?”

Patte’s roots are in northeastern Kentucky. I was born in Montreal, where my maternal grandparents and other ancestors are buried.

And then there is Glen Cove, a half...Read more...

Adding FUn to judaism  #763

01/27/2023 04:56:16 PM

Jan27

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

  Parashat Bo:  “You shall observe Passover as an institution for all time—for you and for your descendants.”(Exodus 6:24) Adding fun to jadaism

Growing up within a traditional Jewish home, one word that was rarely used during rituals was: “Fun.”

I have fond memories of sitting around the Passover table and listening to the adults race through the all-Hebrew, no-photos Haggadah.

There’s a warm...Read more...

Feeling Like an Imposter  #762

01/20/2023 04:55:14 PM

Jan20

Rabbi Irwin Huberman

Parashat Va'era:  “The Israelites will not listen to me, then why should Pharaoh heed me, a man of impeded speech?”(Exodus 6:12) Feeling Like an Imposter

Have you ever begun a new job, or accepted a leadership role within an organization, and felt like you weren’t up to the task?

A phrase, coined in 1978 by Pauline R. Clance and Suzanne A. Imes, identifies a phenomenon known as the Imposter...Read more...

Sat, November 23 2024 22 Cheshvan 5785