This week we end the second book of the Torah - Shemos. As is the tradition we announce and call up on strength three times - Chazak Chazak Vinischazek - be strong, be strong and be strengthened.  In Jewish teachings, three creates a permanence and enforces.  

We are living in truly miraculous times! Unlike the Purim story and throughout our history, we have super powers looking out for the interest of the Jewish People!

In a conversation recently with someone regarding the tension between the USA/Israel and Iran, I made a comment that the Iranian's are crazy and have a death wish.

The following is a story that I heard from my niece's new father in law - Rabbi Aryeh Solomon -  at their Sheva Brachos last Shabbos. 

Before my Yechidus (private audience), I prepared a Tzettel (a note) to give to the Rebbe, as was customary. In it I wrote about who I was, where I was holding in life, and what I hoped to accomplish in the future.

Idealism is a blessing and also totally unrealistic. Oh, I don't intend to throw the baby out with the bathwater. No, Idealism is what has brought change to the world.  Idealism has brought so much good to the world. But it only works when it moves out of its idealistic space into reality.

When the Previous Rebbe’s grandmother, Rebbetzin Rivkah, was eighteen, she fell ill and the physician ordered her to eat immediately upon awakening. She, however, did not wish to eat before davening, so she davened very early, then ate breakfast.

We live in blessed times with unique awareness about our inner world. With that comes an increase in anxiety wondering how we can get rid of the narratives that seem to interfere with living in alignment.

Are you forgetful? Do you ever forget to get something done because it is not on your to do list? Is it possible to get something done in the best possible manner by running away from doing the very thing?

At the beginning of this week's Parsha, the Torah gives us the ancestry of Moses and Aaron and their children. It is not the first or the last time the Torah gives us their pedigree. What is different is the association with their mothers as opposed to their fathers. 

(Generally in Torah tradition, tribal association is defined by the father, and identity by the mother.)

Our journey on this earth can feel taxing and burdensome at times. Yet the great mystics teach that these very challenges are the reason the soul descends into this world in the first place.

There is a strong debate these days about the value of therapy.  Therapy is all about the self. Looking into the dark places and trying to decipher their origins. Perhaps the approach ought to be to think less of the self and focus on the actions we need to take. If we take that approach then perhaps the darkness will dissipate on its own

In other words, do we need to resolve the issues that hold us back first or do we need to move forward and let the light guide the way?

After the Menorah was lit on the last night of Chanukah at Ponce City Market we took to dancing.  A dad was standing on the side with his son and I encouraged him and his son to join the circle. 

He was hesitant as his son didn't want to join.  I said to him "Be a proud Jew, Loud and Proud!" "That's right!" he said as he joined the circle, his son watching from the side. 

There are those people who seem to float a bit above the earth.  Nothing seems to get in. It appears that nothing fazes them.

Then there are those people who walk around as if the entire universe is sitting on their shoulders.  Everything is a burden, everything seems heavy.

Maya and Itay Regev, former hostages of Hamas captivity, joined Chabad Intown for an evening sharing their powerful story of survival, faith, and resilience. Through a moderated conversation, they reflected on their experiences and shared messages of gratitude and hope.

Do I do what doesn’t feel good, or do I commit only to what feels aligned with my inner truth? We live in a culture that prizes alignment above all else, authenticity, resonance, inner harmony. And yet, I want to make the case for something counterintuitive: the spiritual necessity, and even the holiness, of living unaligned.

Rosh Hashanah is coming. The Rosh Hashanah for Chasidism that is. It is called the Holiday of Holidays in Chabad circles. It commemorates the liberation of the first Chabad Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman from Czarist prison.

We all have parts of ourselves that we love; the pieces that feel easy, smooth, and clear. And then there are the parts we struggle with; the ones we’d rather hide. At times, even from ourselves.

Og was the biblical giant, the king of Bashan, the man whose bed stretched thirteen feet. What many don’t know is that Og was the first antisemite.

When Avraham celebrated Yitzchak’s birth, he invited the world’s leaders. The Midrash tells us that Og stood among them, looked at the eight-day-old baby, tiny and fragile, and sneered:

“This? This little thing is the future? I could crush him with one finger.”

Do you ever want to take a break from yourself? A break from thinking? A break from feeling? The more sensitive you are, the more in touch you are, the smarter you are, the greater the desire to take a break, the greater the need to still the mind.

Dena and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Israel. We went for a wedding but we also went to feel the land, to feel the people, to be with our People.