"Shabbat Shalom from Bangkok"

My grandkids sing ‘We Want Mashiach Now’ with gusto.

I have grown up since I was a little child waiting for Mashiach.

My father who was born in Australia during the Holocaust years was taught by his father to wait for Mashiach.

My mother who was born in New York around the same time was taught by her parents about Mashiach. She too transmitted this deep belief to us her children.

My wife’s incredible passion in awaiting Moshiach came from her parents and especially her grandmother Cyla.

My wife’s grandmother Cyla, born into the brutality of Soviet Russia, lived through hunger, persecution, loss, and fear. Her childhood was a treacherous journey: evading anti-Semitic bullies, watching neighbors snatched by the NKVD in the dead of night, and boldly standing up to her teachers to keep Shabbos.

Yet one thing never changed: Cyla's unshakable connection to Hashem. Her faith was unwavering. It carried her further than fear ever could.

(Her story was recently published in a book ‘I’m Not Alone’ and has gone ‘viral’ in the Jewish book scene. See here).

Every family has their story of how Judaism, and its indomitable belief in the coming of Mashiach has coursed through the veins of their family through the thick and thin of life.

And so it has been for our entire nation all the way back for almost two thousand years.

It seems like it is too long. Because indeed it is too long.

Alas, while we believe and feel that it is so close, we have suffered too many devastating setbacks along the way.

The murderous attack on Jews celebrating Chanuka in Bondi, Australia have shaken diaspora Jewry to the core. 

I want to focus on one current story that has me crying tears of emotion and inspiration. 

Leibel Lazaroff a young rabbinical student who grew up in Texas, to parents who are Chabad on campus rabbi and rebbetzin, traveled to Sydney to study and teach. He was heartlessly shot and severely injured for no other reason than him being Jewish and attending a Chanuka program, barely making it out alive. While he miraculously survived, the medical journey has been arduous and there is still quite a way to go.

At a National Day of Mourning memorial event in Sydney, the following song was sung in memory of the holy martyrs, the senselessly gunned down victims who died ‘Al Kiddush Hashem’ for being Jews, Am Yisrael the people of G-d.

You can watch the clip of the song here.

It is a prayer from the Monday and Thursday prayers.

Gaze down from heaven and see that we have become an object of scorn and derision among the nations.

We have become considered like sheep led to the slaughter, to be slain, to be obliterated, to be stricken and to be disgraced.

These words depict the heartbreaking and tragic story of the Jewish journey from the destruction of the holy temple,  through crusades, inquisitions, death camps, gulags, wars against Israel and terrorist attacks. 

The prayer concludes 

Nevertheless, we have not forgotten Your name. Please, do not forget us.

Despite our persecution, we cling unhesitatingly and faithfully to the Almighty committed to Torah and Mitzvahs and rebuilding the Jewish nation time after time.

We do not get depressed. This is not a prayer that is meant to bring us to a depression of G-d forbid leave us feeling like we have no hope.

On the contrary.

These tragedies and the instinctive resilient comeback and continuity that Am Yisrael exhibits, only accentuate and highlight the two-way love that exists between the Jew and G-d.

It is telling that Leibel, the heroic survivor, performed a solo on the concluding part of the prayer that proclaims our unwavering faith.

Nevertheless, we have not forgotten Your name. Please, do not forget us.

When Leibel says those words ‘we have not forgotten Your name they ring and reverberate bursting with authenticity.

Watch here how Leibel and his mother describe their journey. In Leibel’s words ‘G-d chose me to be shot by a terrorist’.

I cannot watch Leibel’s performance without sobbing.

Not the kind of crying that comes naturally for tragedy. Sadly, we have had many opportunities for that especially on and since October 7th. 

These are different kinds of tears. They are tears of overwhelming emotion and inspiration from the pure faith, trust and G-dly resolve that this young man exudes.

What incredible internal strength. What and unshakable commitment. 

It is one thing to believe conceptually that all is from G-d and bless G-d for the bad just as for the good. 

It is entirely different to implement this in action. To sing, dance and leap forward with positivity, determination, hope and joy even after going through multiple surgeries.

The bravery and heroism of G-d’s people is inspiring and empowering. We are blessed links in an illustrious and glorious chain.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe – who’s anniversary of leadership we celebrate on ‘Yud Shevat’ Wednesday of this upcoming week – proclaimed with conviction and determination at his inaugural address in 1951 that it is our generation that is tasked and will succeed with finally bringing Mashiach. 

During the decades of the Rebbe’s talks and guidance, the path was always headed towards the long awaited and highly anticipated destination. The only result that will somehow make it all worth it.

Mashiach!

In 1951 that seemed like a distant goal. In 2026 there are multiple signs that we are nearing the final goal of Mashiach coming.

….Moreover, there are also good and happy signs indicating the imminent coming of Mashiach: a good measure of prosperity;10 a renewal of Torah-study;11 and opening of the “gates of wisdom above and the wellsprings of wisdom below,”12 evidenced also by scientific and technological discoveries and advances; a manifestation and propagation of the mystical teachings of the Torah;13 and also “In the time that Mashiach will awaken, many signs and miracles will occur in the world.”14
lick here for full article

Yet, it is still a work in progress.

And it is eminently hard to wait. It is entirely appropriate that we itch with impatience.

While reading this week’s Parsha Bo about Exodus from Egypt the following realization jumped out at me.

The Torah says (Shemot 12:40)

The total length of time that the Israelites had lived in Egypt and other places as foreigners since God's prophecy to Abraham "between the parts “was exactly 430 years:  

And at the end of 430 years, on that very day, all the hosts of God left the land of Egypt. Once the appointed time came, God did not delay the Exodus even by an instant.

The actual time spent in Egypt was 210 years.

Can you imagine. 210 years. The progeny of Yaakov was talking about leaving Egypt. As the years went by things seemed bleaker and less realistic that they would actually leave.

But it did happen.

Like in the blink of an eye.

When the time came, it was not delayed even an instant.

My friends, the Rebbe continuously told our generation that Mashiach’s coming is imminent.

That is the way it will happen for us as well.

It is not hard to imagine how in one instant our lives could change for the absolute better and our entire world be transformed into an island of peace and coexistence with serving and learning about G-d being the sole occupation of humanity.

How will we find out? In the blink of an eye.

I’m imagining that an alert will flash across all platforms. Phones, social media, speaker systems, televisions, newspapers and any other communication mediums. 

They will all announce simultaneously, 

MASHIACH IS HERE.

I can’t wait for that moment. Till it comes we must do whatever we can to hasten it. And prepare for it.

No one likes being caught unprepared. 

Imagine you are whisked into an audience with the king without having advance notice and you are in your sloppy ‘around the house’ clothing without having brushed your hair, your teeth or putting on makeup. You get the picture. It would be quite embarrassing.

It is much better to be prepared. 

Especially when entering a meeting with the long awaited anointed one of G-d – Mashiach.

As a faithful leader, and a shepherd of faith, the Rebbe encouraged us and empowered us to take practical steps to be prepared to greet Mashiach in a way that would find us appropriately ‘attired’ in good deeds and strong connection to G-d.

The way to get ready for Mashiach is to learn and educate yourself about redemption and do Mitzvahs to hasten Mashiach’s coming.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor

I am writing to you from Bangkok. One of the cities that sometimes reaches the dubious distinction of being in the top ten of the worst air polluted cities in the world.

The good news is that it is only seasonal. Therefore, Bangkok does not get the dishonorable title of being a ‘smog capital’ of the world.

It does draw our attention to the great importance of clean air. 

Oxygen is the most critical ingredient of human life.

We can go for lengthy periods of time without eating, drinking or sleeping. We cannot go for more than a very short time without breathing.

How is it that we don’t make a special blessing for every breath we take?

The simplest answer is that while we must be mindful of the blessings inherent in every breath we take, since breathing is so constant, and so crucial, by thanking G-d for returning our soul in the morning we are essentially also thanking him for the gift of breathing.

The topic of blessings came up as I was giving my daily Talmud class between Mincha and Maariv at Bet Elisheva.

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: Anyone who derives benefit from this world without a blessing, it is as if he stole from God and the community of Israel (Berachot 25, B)

The explanation of this is:

The Torah instructs us to thank G-d after eating. ‘You will eat, be satifisifed and bless Hashem’. This is referred to as ‘Birkat Hamazon’ the ‘Grace after Meals’.

The Rabbis in the Talmud took that one step further.

Not just must we thank G-d AFTER eating, we ought to bless and ‘ask permission’ of G-d before eating as well.

Simply put, since G-d is the owner of the world and its contents, it behooves us to acknowledge and ask permission before partaking of the bounty of the world which we imbibe or experience.

Based on this premise, the Talmud states that if one eats without paying homage to G-d by making a blessing, one is stealing the blessing that was due to G-d for benefiting from the world.

Moreover, when one does not adequately thank G-d for the gifts of His world the blessings for the future success of the harvests are not forthcoming. 

If there is no blessing, the yields of the fields and orchards of the land of Israel will drop.

When the output of the agricultural industry falls, the entire community suffers from having less produce.

Hence the statement of the Talmud, if one doesn’t make a blessing to thank G-d for His beneficence not just is he withholding blessing due to G-d, he is also causing a loss and thus ‘stealing’ from the entire community.

One of the attendees at the class commented ‘this seems to be a very big exaggeration’. How could one person not making a blessing be considered injurious to the entire nation?

His comment triggered the most inspiring realization.

Indeed, while it seems radical, the Talmud is saying that every single person’s behavior impacts the entire collective of the community.

Let’s go back to smog for a minute.

What is causing the smog in Bangkok?

Open burning (burning the remains of crops to clear farmland), vehicular emission and industrial pollution from factories.

All man made.

Not just the collective ‘society’ but ultimately every individual who makes up the society.

Every single farmer who puts on a fire, every factory owner who operates a pollution producing plant and yes, every one of us who drives a car contributes to the smog.

This is a reason to jump for joy.

For whatever is true in the negative is also (and even more) true in the positive. 

When we flip this conversation to the positive side what becomes joyfully evident is that each and every one of us has an impact and is RELEVANT to all of us:

YOU MATTER.

I MATTER.

What you and I do impacts not just us but everybody,

One of the leading causes of lack of motivation, apathy and even (non-clinical) depression is the feeling of IRRELEVANCE.

I have witnessed energetic people fall into inactivity and depression when they lose their role of leadership on their homes, workplace of community. 

On the flip side, I have been amazed at how apathetic and seemingly lazy people beyond repair have had a rejuvenation and rebirth when they felt that they were needed for something.

Feeling and knowing that you make a difference and are relevant is the difference between living aimlessly or living purposefully.

Everyone is needed.

The Midrash says, while G-d has myriads of angels who praise Him constantly, it is specifically from his His earthly people that He desires praise.  

As the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaah 43:21) says in the name of G-d:

This people I formed for Myself; they shall recite My praise.

So, every time you make a blessing and praise G-d you are exercising the purpose of your creation, and you are providing something to G-d that He desires.

To bless G-d. Every blessing makes a difference. To G-d (so to speak) and to the collective. 

What could be more meaningful than that?

Not just does G-d desire and receive your praise, the entire community is blessed when you do your part in contributing to the collective goal.

(To read further and deeper on this topic click here).

Feeling down in the dumps?

Take a deep breath and remind yourself that Hashem gives you life, every breath is given by Him. 

G-d keeps you alive because he chooses to need you. 

In the words of Rabbi Yisrael Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Chasidism, “Every Jew is as precious to G-d as an only son born to his parents in their old age is to them – and, in fact, even more precious.”

Plan to do the things that you can do to fulfil your mission here on earth.

Do mitzvahs.

Make blessings.

Breathe. 

May G-d bless us all with the health, wisdom and wherewithal needed to serve Him with JOY!!!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

Last week, a new subscriber to my weekly email sent me the following note:

Dear Rabbi Yosef,

I read the above from top to bottom. Very excellent writing that feels authentic (not AI generated) a skill that is quickly going away. 

I specifically liked the comparison between taking care of the body versus taking care of the soul. That alone can change a person’s attitude to life. Yashar Coach:)! 

Shabbat Shalom, 

B.

This email came just after I spent time catching up with a long time local Jewish community member. During our conversation he told me that he had taken a long walk during which he had a dialogue with an AI program about the meaningful things of life. "It was incredible," he told me. "The AI generated so much sensible content that I found helpful to the issues going on in my life."

It was also on the very day that I visited a local community member to offer condolences on the loss of a parent. The person I visited is very active AI start-up companies. During our conversation he showed me the incredible feats that AI can produce. It was mind blowing to see the creativity and sheer computing power generated by AI.

Clearly AI is powerful. 

Admired and feared at the same time. 

Yet, as that email indicated and as I have heard from many people, there is something special about reading an article that is written and presented by classic (G-d given) human intelligence.

Believe it or not, many decades ago, people would show off imports like furniture that was made in China. Until ‘made in China’ meant mass production by factory lines. Hand crafted imports then regained their place in the hierarchy of what people consider valuable. 

I am guessing that while people who can generate AI material are today ‘ahead of the curve’ and many look up enviously to them, ultimately the value of personal human interaction will not go away. On the contrary, against the backdrop of ‘mass-produced’ artificial intelligence, the personal touch will be even more valued for the authenticity of interacting with a fellow human who was created in the image of G-d.

Do you want a color copy of a famous piece of art on your wall, or would you rather an authentic hand original?

Think about it objectively. If cost was not an issue, and you had a choice to converse with an AI who is created in the image of man, or a human who is created in the image of G-d, who would you choose?

Yet, if you are looking for information like how to get from point a to point b, if you are engaging in transactional and functional matters, AI is the way to go. It is more economical, faster and does the job better than many humans.

I would sum it up as follows.

AI is here to stay. The world was created by Hashem. Hashem is the source of everything – AI included. There is a synergy to be struck between human input and the Divine soul of the created universe. 

The balance between progress and immovable bedrocks of life is where the important discussion needs to take place.

This week’s Parsha, Parshat Shemot, is exactly about that.

The children and progeny of Yaakov who have only started to be identified – informally – as a nation as they proliferate in Egypt, are faced with this very challenge of modernity vs tradition.

On the one hand they are living a cushy, comfortable and protected life in the land of Goshen. They are permitted to keep up their traditions and unique un-Egyptian customs. Yet, as the years go by, they adapt more and more to the prevailing culture.

Our Sages tell us that while they ‘modernized’ and adapted to the Egyptian lifestyle, there were several key items which they considered holy and inviolable. 

During that pre-Sinai period of our history, their key fundamentals were keeping their Jewish names, dress, language and food-diets. 

This enabled them to remain distinctively separated from the pervading culture that was seeping into their lifestyle. 

In this merit, say our Sages, our forefathers were redeemed from Egypt.

Many things are negotiable. 

Progress is not an enemy of tradition.

On the contrary. The Rebbe was unequivocal in his opinion that
the reason that technology was created in our times is to deepen
and enhance our relationship with Hashem.

Just as the Midrash teaches that gold was created for the Bet
Hamikdash, technology was created for serving Hashem. Click here to see how satellite hookup was used to connect the world for a Chanuka celebration. Today we do this on our phones… then it was a huge innovation.

Torah is the ultimate truth. The Torah cannot be changed. It is the Divine word of G-d. Eternally true. 

Using modern technology, you can get so much valuable help and access to sources of knowledge to advance your Torah study.

But it can only be safe to adapt to modernity after you ensure that the foundational principles of divine-based morality, and the Torah’s bedrock principles of faith and conduct are the base and the center around which every decision is made.

The life of a Jew is created around the guardrails and instructions of the Torah.

For example.

Kosher food. 

The laws of kosher were given by G-d to Moshe at Mount Sinai. Moshe transmitted them through the ‘Five books of Moses’ that he wrote before his passing. The Oral Law was later transcribed in the Talmud.

Divine laws cannot change. 

Kosher food means food that is ‘fitting’ for being eaten by Jews according to the G-dly mandated diet as prescribed in the Torah.

This is unchangeable. 

Pork, shellfish, mixtures of meat and milk, all of these (and many other detailed laws) are simply not kosher. A Jew many not eat them. It has been that way since the Torah was given more than three thousand years ago. it will stay that way forever. 

Not to be confused with what people call ‘kosher style’ which is open to evolving and changing. 

For Ashkenazi Jews above a certain age, things like kneidelach. Kasha knishes, chopped liver remind them of what their grandmothers used to make. For Sephardic Jews there are other foods. 

The definition of ‘kosher style’ can and does change based on the times.  Gefilte fish for example which traditionally starts off the first course on Shabbat (it is a halacha and custom to eat fish on Shabbat) can be replaced with sashimi or sushi. There is no divinely mandated mitzvah tradition to eat fish in the recipe of Gefilte fish or other foods that create nostalgic memories.

It is the laws of kosher food that cannot change. The recipes and taste nuances are constantly changing. 

Another example. Wearing a head covering and tzitzit, this is Torah based and cannot change.

Wearing a ‘black hat’ is absolutely not a rigid rule that cannot be adapted or evolve into another form of head covering.

In my weekly YouTube videos the video that went viral is the ‘Why do Jews wear black hats.’

The ‘flight or fight’ question to ensuring Jewish continuity is what items are flexible and adaptable to fit the contours of modernity and what aspects are the very foundations and guardrails that protect the religion from melting and dissolving into assimilate G-d forbid.

What enhances our eternal path vs what threatens it.

Thank G-d we are luck to live many many generations after the Jewish People became a nation at the feet of Mount Sinai. A mere fifty days after emerging triumphantly from generations of slavery in Egypt.

I say we are lucky because ‘history repeats itself’ and by looking into history we can know in advance what works and what fails dismally.

Throughout history the (well intentioned) Jewish activists who thought to alter and tamper with halachic Jewish values, traditions and practice to ‘suit the modern times’ disappeared into the annals of history without leaving a trace. 

The story of Chanuka is about the attempted Hellenization of Israel and the Jewish people. This was a movement championed by parts of the Jewish establishment. 

Without the uprising of the Maccabees we would G-d forbid have lost our Jewish identity. 

Till today the entire Jewish people celebrate the miracle of Chanuka which reminds us how critical it is to defend the principle of our faith from melting away and assimilating under the guise of modernizing the ‘archaic’ Judaism of the path.  

Our Jewish identity, our nationhood, is because we are the ‘people of the Book’ – the Torah. 

Any identity that we may try to form outside of the immutable Torah values is like a tree that is planted that has no roots. 

At best it is like an AI generated essay.

Seems erudite. But not authentic.

It can last for a while. Sometimes even a few decades or longer. But we are a people who have survived thousands of years. As a people, a nation that is a direct continuation to the Jews who left Egypt and entered Israel. 

In the long term we know that only Torah based Judaism lasts. 

Because it is true. It is Divine. 

Only G-d can guarantee that Am Yisrael is for ever. 

Anything else built on human invention is temporary. Eventually it crumples under its own meaninglessness. 

Just like true authentic human experience will never be replaced by AI.

At the core of every human is the quest for meaning and personal connection. AI cannot replace that. 

It can create a lot of confusion along the way.

Like many isms, movements and fads. They come and they eventually go. Sometimes leaving a sad trail of destruction in their wake. 

AI is great. After all, it comes (through human minds) from G-d who is the source of everything. 

It can only be good though, when it is used based on the guidelines of Divine morality.

When it comes to the unique mission of the Jews only authenticity will survive. For at the core of every Jew is a divinely given ‘neshama’ Jewish soul. The neshama can taste the difference between ersatz and real. 

The Jew who comes to a Passover seder can only nourish his neshama soul with kosher Matzah. The other cultural and familial Passover traditions are important for they create a vibe and an atmosphere. For example matza ball kneidlach can stimulate nostalgia. But it cannot be at the expense of the authentic Seder mitzvahs of telling about the redemption from Egypt and eating truly kosher matzah. 

Your personal nostalgia is not transferable. Your children don’t have nostalgia for the grandmother you are nostalgic for.  

Remember, you are the grandmother and grandfather of your grandchildren please G-d. Think about ways that you can create authentic Jewish memories for them.

Nostalgia is powerful. We should be mindfully building experiences in our family life that spark those feelings. 

You can listen to Moshe Yess's song about this topic, My Zaidy.

Here is my call to mindful action.

You are in the driving seat of your future and that future of your family and ultimately the future of your community.

Take a few moments to ponder and research about the best way to transmit Judaism to the next generation and beyond.

Make an honest appraisal about what key values and foundations are critical to Jewish life. The ingredients that have allowed us to survive and even thrive in the various cultures and countries that we live in throughout the thousands of years of our tumultuous history.

Be objective, even if it may seem that you cannot live up to the objective standard you believe in. It is so shortsighted and self-centered to try to trim the truth to fit personal convenience. 

Take one step closer towards the ideals that have survived our thousands of years of wandering.

And incorporate at least one more authentically Jewish action, one more mitzvah into your lifestyle. 

And that one mitzvah will lead you to a second and third as a mitzvah pulls and contagiously elicits another mitzvah. 

And brainstorm with the young people, the innovators, the inventors, the start-ups and the modern thinkers to see how to bring the most vibrant, advanced and exciting technology to upgrade and enhance the authentic Judaism that you practice.

This will ensure our continuity with the best balance possible. 

A contemporary ‘with-it’ version of the same ‘good-ole’ time-immemorial traditional Torah based Judaism. 

A winning blend.

The only blend that can ensure that Am Yisrael CHAI. 

We the Jews are alive. Because G-d is alive. And we are His people, connected to Him via His Torah.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yosef Kantor