David Harbater, at The Blogs

Apply for a Blog

Nov 30, 2023, 8:48 PM

The name ‘Israel’ and the exercise of power today

Much of the Western world has shown that it can sympathize with the Jews when they are weak and powerless and are victims of hatred and persecution. Attitudes change dramatically, however, when the Jews are strong and exercise their...

Nov 9, 2023, 4:28 PM

Honoring the dead – then and now

Parashat Chayei Sarah, that we read this week, focuses on two topics: Abraham's search for an appropriate burial site for his wife, Sarah, and his quest for a suitable wife for his son, Isaac. The first involves a lengthy...

Nov 2, 2023, 8:11 PM

The Akedah and Israeli soldiers today

(via Facebook)

The Akedah-the Binding of Isaac- which appears in this week's parasha- is arguably the most painful and heart-rending stories in all of the Torah. I often read this parasha in my local synagogue and I have always found it...

Oct 26, 2023, 5:24 PM

The gift of the land and suffering

After Abraham (named Abram at the time) arrives in the land of Canaan, and then passes through it, God promises: "I will assign this land to your offspring". Yet, soon thereafter, the Torah reports that there was a famine...

Oct 18, 2023, 5:20 PM

Responding to the situation – lessons from Noah

On Shabbat/Simchat Torah, the Jewish people suffered its' most devastating day since the Holocaust. It was not just the sheer numbers of people murdered-1,300 and counting- it was the fact that they were brutally tortured and butchered in a...

Sep 28, 2023, 11:17 PM

A Sukkot message for our times

The holiday of Sukkot is known in the Torah by two names: Chag ha-Sukkot- (חג הסוכות) -the Feast of Booths (Leviticus 23:34; Deuteronomy 16:13, 15) and Chag ha-Asif- (חג האסיף) - the Feast of the Ingathering (Exodus 23:15, 34:22)....

Sep 21, 2023, 12:26 PM

God’s Introspection on Yom Kippur

While we are all called upon to engage in introspection and to correct our ways during this time of the year, there is someone else who engages in introspection as well, God. In one of the most remarkable passages in...

Sep 13, 2023, 6:36 PM

Is Rosh Hashanah really a holiday of ‘awe’?

There is something bizarre about the holiday of Rosh Hashanah. Since it marks the new year, a new beginning, it is, for most of us, a time of anticipation and excitement. Furthermore, although the davening (prayer) is longer than...

Feb 19, 2023, 12:59 PM

Driving on the other side as a metaphor

I recently returned from a trip to Thailand where my wife and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary. In planning this trip, one of the decisions we had to make was whether to rent a car. We were warned...

Mar 25, 2018, 11:22 PM

Speaking to our kids in a way that can be heard

In a beautiful and moving TOI blog (“Hearing the voices of our kids”) posted recently by my friend and colleague Aryeh Ben David, the author highlights the critical importance of unconditional love for our children and he emphasizes the...

Load more

About Me

Rabbi Dr. David Harbater's recently published book "In the Beginnings: Discovering the Two Worldviews Hidden within Genesis 1-11" is available on Amazon and at book stores around Israel and the US. He teaches Bible and Jewish thought at Midreshet Torah V'Avodah, at the Amudim Seminary, and at the Women's Beit Midrash of Efrat. Make sure to follow him on Facebook and LinkedIn for more interesting content. https://www.facebook.com/Rabbi.Dr.David.Harbater https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-harbater-07425951/?originalSubdomain=il

Contact Me