"Shabbat Shalom from Bangkok"

Yesterday a young man came to the Synagogue to make the blessing of thanksgiving – Hagomel.

(Perfect timing for this discussion as this week’s Parsha Tzav is where the thanksgiving sacrifice of Todah - the forerunner to the Hagomel blessing is taught). 

After the first few words he choked up with tearful emotion and struggled to get the remaining words of the blessing out of his mouth. It was a raw and powerful moment. I was standing right next to him as the Torah reader, and I found my eyes filling up with tears of emotion. The other members of the minyan all stood reflectively. It was an intense moment.

The Hagomel blessing is made reminiscent of the sacrifice that was brought as a thanksgiving for being saved from a life and death situation. These days, we most commonly say it after overseas travel, which means that in a place like Thailand, which hosts so many travelers, people are constantly saying this blessing. Sometimes at one Torah reading we can have multiple Hagomel blessings being recited. 

Usually, this blessing is said without extraordinary emotion. 

I can only speculate as to why the young man who made the blessings yesterday was so full of emotion. What near-death experience had he been rescued from? I do not know, he didn’t share any background. 

I was envious of this young man’s emotionally laden prayer. 

(Envy of someone else’s good behavior is encouraged by the Torah unlike envy of someone’s material possessions which is the tenth of the Ten Commandments)

This is what true prayer should look like. 

The words of the Baal Shem Tov came to my mind.

It is a "great miracle" and a profound act of Divine mercy that a person remains alive after intense prayer.

When one prays with proper Kavana and intensity, the emotional feeling of desire to be one with G-d could lead to enrapturement. Literally the soul could fly back to its source of oneness with G-d leaving the person lifeless. 

Hashem wants us to live life in this physical world, so he miraculously keeps us alive even if our feelings of desire to cleave inseparably from G-d are overwhelming. 

Giving thanks to Hashem ought to be deeply meaningful.

One of the challenges we face in life is the fact that we are never totally problem free even as we are blessed in an exceptional and overwhelming way. 

For example, one may have been blessed with a new baby, the greatest gift possible. At the same time there may be some serious difficulties like not having enough money to support the family. If you just hear the person complaining about not having enough income, you may think that their life is full of difficulty. On the other hand, if you hear that they just had another healthy child, you recognize that their life is also so blessed. Yet at the same time the money issue is a real issue. 

Competing emotions. 

The Torah teaches us to thank Hashem for the blessings.

Even as we cry out and pray for salvation from the problems.

Israel is under attack right now.

Our hearts, minds, prayers and mitzvahs are dedicated to our brothers and sisters in Israel.

Millions of citizens are running back and forth to shelters as the enemy fires ballistic missiles and cluster bombs. 

At the same time the Jewish people are being showered with G-d’s openly miraculous protection.

Thank G-d most of the incoming missiles are intercepted by the Israeli army defense system. Alas, some missiles have made their way through taking innocent lives and wreaking havoc.

Even within the devastation there are miracles bearing the unmistakable markings of being direct protection from G-d to His people in His holy land of Israel, the land on which the eyes of G-d are focused at all times.

An example from Monday of this week:

An Iranian ballistic missile carrying hundreds of kilos of explosives hit a Tel Aviv apartment building directly on Monday night. Despite scenes of “widespread destruction after the missile impact left a large crater alongside mangled buildings and vehicles at the scene of the attack,” only four people were lightly injured, none of them requiring hospitalization. (Times of Israel, March 24, 2026).

If you read the in-depth reports coming out of Israel you will see that together with the unbearable devastation, there are openly Divine miracles.

This week’s Torah reading about Todah – thanksgiving reminds us to sing out to Hashem in song and praise for the miracles He does.

Just as we pour out our hearts in emotional prayer that He save us from our enemies.

Let us remember to also give thanks to Hashem for the blessings in our personal lives. And there are myriads of blessings. If one pays attention ones heart is full of song and thanksgiving to Almighty G-d.

On this Sunday we give thanksgiving to Hashem for the blessing our generation with the birth of the Rebbe on Nissan 11 in 1902.

Click here for more about the Rebbe and his absolute Ahavat Yisrael the cornerstone of his mission to reach out with love to every Jew in every corner of the globe with the Mitvzah Campaign.

The Rebbe and his enduring vision continue to guide and shepherd our generation as we inch ever closer to the final Redemption with the coming of Mashiach.

Prepare for inner liberation this Pesach by visiting some of the links below.

The Rebbe’s teaching on Postivity teach us how to view life through the uplifting and energy generating lens of positivity.

The Rebbe’s teachings on Purpose give a practical path to living a meaningful and purposeful life even as modernity surrounds us from all sides.

The Rebbe’s pronouncement that Mashiach and Geula-Redemption are imminent and immediate  fuels our deeds, our aspirations and our yearning for the greatest moment of history – the coming of Mashiach!

Best wishes for continued success in all your preparations for Pesach.

See below to sell chametz, order matzah, reserve your spot at a Pesach Seder.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

This Thursday we will celebrate the Rosh Chodesh beginning of the month of Nissan. The month of the exodus from Egypt – Pesach. The month of miracles!!!!

We are living in a time of miraculous and detailed oversight by G-d. 

The more you read the news, the more you observe and see the statistically impossible miraculous protection of our Holy Land. 

It is incredible to see the hand of G-d working through the sophisticated weaponry that we thank G-d have in our arsenal.

The Jewish people is in a time of war. In Israel, and the world over, we are praying more and connecting more to Hashem by upgrading our mitzvah efforts.

There is a theory out there in the internet that it is possible to predict USA military moves by the ‘pizza index’.

The way this thinking goes is that when there is a spike in pizza orders to the Pentagon in the wee hours of the morning, it’s a sure sign that people are working around the clock planning a military action.

Whether this is true or not I will leave for others to debate.

There is an organization that provides Tefillin for Israeli soldiers who request them. They say that just before the latest Israel air force action in Iran there was a flurry of Tefillin requests from the air force soldiers. 

I do not know this information firsthand. 

What I do know, is that the Rebbe quoted the Talmud’s statement that deterrence against our enemies is generated by Jewish men putting on Tefillin.

And knowing the nature of my fellow Jews, as non-observant as they may seem to be, deep down is a pulsating, living and thriving Jewish soul-neshama that turns to G-d when salvation is needed.

So its not hard to believe that when the action is imminent, soldiers reach out to strengthen their Tefillin observance.

As well, it is clearly stated in the Torah that having a kosher Mezuzah on one’s door is a sure way to ensure a secure and protected home.

This has led to a surge in those requesting mezuzahs.

Around the world more mitzvahs are being done for the protection of our brothers and sisters in Israel, civilians and soldiers alike. And for the protection of Jewish communities around the world.

We are all ONE.

Below are links for providing 

Tefillin for those who commit to wearing them.

Mezuzahs on the homes of IDF soldiers.

If you would like help in Thailand with obtaining a mezuzah for your home please contact me by clicking here.

Giving Tzedakah is always important, 

Here is the link to a ‘tzedaka PUSHKA app’. The default on this app is tzedakah for helping poor people in Israel. Chabad of Thailand has been privileged to be selected to be added to the list of causes that are on this app. 

Click here for an easy way to give tzedakah electronically. 

Make sure to start making your Pesach plans. 

Sell Chametz

Order Matzah in Thailand (order internationally here)

Participate in a Seder

And most of all, combat anti-semitism by doing acts of Judaism.

Joyously and energetically and proudly.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

How much would you pay to get your firstborn son back from the Kohen?

On January 1, 2025, it would cost you $105 USD

Today it would cost you $260 USD.

Yep, the mitzvah is that if a Jewish mother has a firstborn, (born naturally), the son needs to be ‘redeemed’ at thirty days old in a ceremony called Pidyon Haben. 

The Kohen receives 5 shekels of silver, or the value of those shekels.

Silver prices have risen so much that now the price of the mitzvah has risen dramatically. 

The price of silver does not just impact newly formed families. 

This week’s Parsha tells about the obligation for every Jewish male over the age of twenty to give a half shekel – which contains 9.6 grams of silver – to the collection for the Bet Hamkidash Temple building. 

Once the Tabernacle (traveling temple) was built, there was an annual half shekel collection that everyone was obligated to contribute to. This was for the purchase of the communal sacrifice.

As a remembrance to this collection that took place during the Hebrew month of Adar we reenact the giving of the half shekel. We incorporate it as part of the Purim custom. We each give a half shekel to tzedakah just before Purim starts. This practice reflects the above idea that the shekels of the Jewish people counteracted the shekels that Haman gave to have them annihilated. Click here for more. 

While it is not necessary to give the true value of half shekel, as it’s only as a remembrance to the ‘machatzit hashekel’ during temple times, there are many who do choose to give true value that a half shekel of silver (9.6 gram) would cost. 

Last year on Purim that was $10.43. This year it is $26.29 USD.

While it’s startling to see the galloping-runaway price of silver, even at this higher price of silver, it is not a huge amount of money. Granted, it is not a trivial amount, but I sincerely hope that for most people reading this article, this amount of money is not prohibitive.

I asked Google what $26 USD would buy in an average Western country. Here is the response:

Casual Dining: One main course at a mid-range restaurant, likely without alcoholic beverages or appetizers. 

Small Basket: A few days’ worth of essentials: 1 litre of milk, 1kg of sugar/rice, a loaf of bread, eggs, and a small amount of fruit/vegetables.

Personal Care: A basic haircut at a budget salon or a few toiletry items (toothpaste, shampoo, soap). 

The amount required is not meant to be out of reach of the lower income people. It is not about amassing large amounts of money. 

In this collection there needed to be equality. The rich could not give more. The poor could not give less.

This created the ‘communal-ness’ of the offerings. By each one paying in equally, it meant that all members of the Jewish community were equal partners and owners in the daily communal offerings. For this purpose, there needed to be a unison amount that everyone contributed without distinction.

It wasn’t a huge amount.

Quite the contrary, it was a modest donation that we are talking about.

Yet the Torah describes it as being impactful in a major way. ‘It atones for your souls’.

Moshe was astonished, how could such a meager donation bring such a major achievement of forgiveness and atonement?

Indeed, our Sages relate that Moshe found it difficult to understand the concept of the half shekel and Hashem showed him a half shekel coin of fire.

One of the explanations is that Moshe had this very question. How can such a modest coin engender such a powerful result. To which Hashem showed him a fiery coin. 

It is not the amount. It is the fire, passion, excitement and devotion with which this coin was given that generated this powerful result. 

Click here for a longer essay based on teachings from the Rebbe about this.

Our connection to G-d is not about quantity. It’s about Kavana, intention and devotion. Warmth and passion. Joy and enthusiasm. 

That makes all the difference in the world.

Take a moment to ask yourself. How do you show up with your gift for G-d?

When you see an appeal from someone needing help.

Do you show your displeasure and annoyance at being ‘solicited’ for yet another cause?

Or are you thankful to the Almighty for having created a way to connect devotedly to him by something so material and base as money.

Do you see giving tzedakah as a way of elevating the mundane to become a holy part of G-d’s plan for the world?

Sure, large amounts can do big things.

Yet it is the - small in quantity but large in intention - monies given with a true and genuine feeling of warmth and fire that become worthy of being a offering to G-d.

G-d wants our passion and our heart. 

My friends, the threshold for being a part of G-d’s holy work here on earth is not a quantitative one. It is a question of spirit and commitment. 

One becomes an active partner with G-d, by contributing resources, time, money and attention to building G-d’s abode here on earth. 

At the very basic level, the smallish amount of half shekel is all that is required.

In addition to the communal collection of half shekel there were and still are other collections where everyone is called upon to do what is in THEIR ability. 

This can be quite extreme. 

For example, if someone can afford two million dollars and only gives one million, they have not lived up to their capacity and their charitableness is not up to G-d’s expectations of them.

Whereas if someone could afford to give ten dollars and forgoes a few things to push themselves and give eighteen dollars, they have given tzedakah in a laudatory way.

None of us are exempt from giving.

Each of us ought to look at their own situation and give at least a bit more than they are comfortable with. 

And remember, this refers to time and attentiveness to others, as well as resources.

In the merit of Tzedaka the Redemption will come.

And boy oh boy are we praying right now. For the victory of our forces immediately. For peace with enduring security. 

And even more so for the overall and comprehensive solution that we await for so long. For Mashiach to come right now. 

Mashiach’s coming will usher in an eternal peace that will obviate the need to fight even righteous and moral wars. 

For the sake of our brothers and sisters, grandchildren and grandparents, who are running in and out of shelters in Israel, for the sake of the multitudes of people whose plans have been thrown into chaos all over the world, and for the sake of humanity at large, may we merit the coming of Mashiach so that the entire creation will serve Him – Almighty G-d - with dedication and devotion.

AMEN.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor