Does Recovery Need Torah? | With Moses Haber

Does Recovery Need Torah? | With Moses Haber

What drives someone to seek a life without alcohol and rebuild faith at the same time? This conversation between Sony Perlman and Rabbi Moses Haber zooms in on that exact question, through the lens of Torah, community, and raw honesty. Rabbi Moses, a rabbi and licensed therapist, shares how he “fell into” addiction work almost by accident, starting with one neighbour’s request for help getting to an AA meeting in the basement of a church.

Sitting in that room, he found himself “crying my eyes out” at the humility and honesty he witnessed, and that moment sparked Makor – a spiritual recovery centre built around Torah classes, fellowship and support for people in addiction and their families. You’ll hear how Moses, coming in as a complete outsider, faced pushback from parts of the addiction world for teaching Torah to addicts and for not being an addict himself.

He talks openly about institutions asking, “Who is this guy?” and about being criticised for integrating Judaism into recovery, even while he stresses, “I’m not anti-drugs… I’m just anti-addiction.” The episode dives into what Makor actually looks like: Monday night Torah-for-recovery classes, support groups for spouses, one-to-one therapy, and a deep respect for the 12 steps alongside a very Jewish language of Hashem and purpose.

There’s also a fiery section on education, where Moses argues that schools are missing the heart and that early, purpose-based education could prevent much of the pain he now sees in his office.

At its core, this is a conversation about meaning: addiction as a spiritual hunger, recovery as rewiring the brain, and Torah as a living source of guidance for people who are “giving Judaism a second chance.” If you’ve ever wondered whether faith and modern recovery really can sit at the same table, this episode might push you to ask yourself what purpose you’re living for.