"Shabbat Shalom from Bangkok"

Miraculous. Supernatural. Vs Predictable and Natural.

We are all a few days into wearing our Chanuka ‘glasses’. 

This is the perfect time to reflect on the miracles that take place in our lives in a personal way as well as nationally as the Jewish nation. 

The Chanuka festival was instituted more than two thousand years ago, after the victory of the Jewish traditionalist Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek armies. By winning these battles miraculously – they were totally uneven in terms of troop numbers and combat abilities - the Maccabees regained control of the holy temple in Jerusalem. After searching diligently, they found one untainted jug of oil suitable for lighting the Menorah. Though there was only enough oil for one day, the oil lasted miraculously for eight days. That small measure of oil burned miraculously for eight days when the newly produced oil was ready.

The next year, the Sages of Israel instituted a national eight-day celebration called Chanuka. 

To remember the miracles. The military victory and the oil miracle.

Clearly these were not events where the rules of ‘nature’ were followed. Small untrained armies don’t overpower huge well oiled military machines in the predictable ‘natural’ world. 

Oil doesn’t burn for eight days when there is only a one-day supply.

Hashems input was clear and obvious in these miracles.

Every year when we come to this time, we celebrate the miracles that Hashem did for us then. 

And we pause to reflect on the realization that these things happen during our times as well. Hashem makes things happen in our times that cannot be explained rationally according to the predictability of nature. Just as He did in the times of Chanuka.

The night before Chanuka I had a multisensory experience that reminded me in the most direct way about the miracles happening in front of our very eyes in year 2024.

I spent two days in Israel this week. In the middle of the night, around 4:00 am the sirens started wailing. It was a sign that there was an incoming missile detected. I ran to the safe room with all the pajama clad hotel guests and staff. Thank G-d not very long later we were able to go back to our rooms. Millions of people in Israel endured this for four nights this week. Senseless upheaval with no agenda other than anti-Jewish hate. My grandchildren in Israel went to school as usual the next day albeit having been wakened and rushed to shelters in middle of the night.

Why the rebels of Yemen choose to get involved in fighting Israel is a craziness. It makes as little sense as all the rest of the senseless antisemitism that we have endured for so long and has recently reawakened with vigor. Hate for the sake of hate. We pray for the end of this hateful and destructive reality and a beginning of a world with love for the sake of love, where all live together in peace – Mashiach NOW.

For me this 4am disturbance was impactful preparation for Chanuka. To remind me that Chanuka is not just a historical story but a real-life contemporary celebration. Especially during our current time period.

Let us unpack this for a moment. There have been nights when hundreds of fatal missiles and drones have been launched against Israel by Iran and they were 99% intercepted. (Click here for an article titled ‘Miracle of Miracles’ describing the direct Iranian attack on Israel earlier this year when Hashems miracles were obvious). Missiles, explosive-packed drones and countless other destructive tools have rained down on Israel over the past year. Our enemies have not ceased in their desire to wreak death and destruction G-d forbid upon the Jewish people. Yet time after time Hashem protects us and their diabolic plans are unsuccessful.

The obvious message here is that Hashem makes miracles today like He did in the times of Chanuka.

There are various kinds of miracles.

The splitting of the sea after our exit from Egypt was miraculous. Water that usually flows, standing erect like a stone wall while the millions of Jews walk through, now that is a miracle. No plausible explanation there. No human intervention. 

Then there are miracles, like the miracles I am describing in Israel in our times that have epic human effort and input.

Yet they too are an extraordinary show of G-d’s Light, Might and Miracles.

This is one of the extremely relevant messages of Chanukah.

Yes, the Maccabees were an army. They fought with weapons. But they understood that it was G-d who was making them victorious. 

This point, that Hashems miracles come on the platform of our natural efforts is central to the message of Chanuka.

These eight days of Chanuka are intended to give us an outlook and appreciation for the many miracles in our lives that we may be overlooking. 

Supernatural things. As well as ‘small miracles’. By this I mean natural events that come together in an unpredictable and miraculous way. 

True, there is a highly motivated and well-trained army in Israel. Our best and finest brothers and sisters are heroically and faithfully standing in defense of our people. All too many have paid the ultimate sacrifice. Yes, there are incredible technological developments that have created defense systems. Our ally, the USA contributes admirably to our protection. 

But the most important ‘ally’, the most significant ingredient, the ‘secret weapon’ that is the source of our strength and success is Almighty G-d.

Gavriela, a visitor to Chabad House in Luan Prabang Laos shared the following story with us.

"I wanted to publicize a truly miraculous event with you. While the Rav was reciting the 'Meshaberach' prayers for the soldiers at your Chabad House in Laos, my son was serving in the army in Lebanon.

Late at night, when all lights must be extinguished, an Israeli tank accidentally rolled over my son's knapsack. Inside, amongst other ammunition, was a "Lahav" missile. Miraculously, the missile did not detonate.

My son's siddur (prayer book) was crumpled, and his tefillin boxes were broken. However, the sacred parchments within the tefillin remained miraculously intact.

When I checked the time of the incident, I discovered it coincided precisely with the moment we were reciting the prayers for soldiers at your Chabad House.

I returned from the trip with cherished memories and am currently preparing a presentation to share them with others. My children have also been released from reserve duty, a source of immense relief.

May you be blessed with continued success. We send you our love."

Chanuka reminds us to look honestly and without bias at the events in our lives that cannot and should not be treated as ‘coincidence’. Rather we must see them for what they are. Hashems ‘Divine Providence’ and Miracles.

On Chanuka there is an ‘energy’ of miracles in the air.

Let us take full advantage of this opportunity.

By lighting the Menorah for the eight nights of Chanuka (on Friday afternoon before sundown) we remember and give praise to Hashem for the miracles of the olden days and the ones that He does now.

By becoming more aware of Hashems miracles that surround us, we invite and elicit more miraculous blessing into our lives.

Halleluah. Praise G-d. During the eight days of Chanuka we recite the Halel prayer daily. One hundred and twenty three variations of praising Hashem are included in one Halel recitation. Times that by 8 and you have 984 special Chanuka praising of Hashem.

May we keep praising Him for His miracles and kindness and may He bless us with miracles and wonders more and more till the miracle we are all waiting for, the coming of Mashiach when we can light the ‘real’ Menorah in the Bet Hamikdash in Yerushalayim, speedily in our days

AMEN!

Shabbat Shalom

Happy Chanuka

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PS. Please contribute tzedakah generously and please consider becoming a partner in our work in Thailand. Every dollar counts. Every blessing is appreciated. 

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

You are a treasure trove.

There is a wealth of opportunity within you.

The world will be a better place when you unleash your potential.

Don’t look around to see who I am speaking to. I am speaking to you, the one reading this message.

What are you waiting for?

Why are you sitting on this cache of precious commodities and withholding them from your loved ones, your community and by extension the entire world?

Can you imagine being in a place surrounded by starving and needy people, feeling helpless about not being able to help them. You knew that there was food in the kitchen, but you couldn’t share it with the needy because the kitchen was locked.

While you feel bad about the starving people, you don’t feel personally responsible. You know that it was beyond your control. After all, the kitchen was locked, and you had no way of getting in.

Imagine if you realized afterwards that you had the key to the kitchen in your pocket but forgot about it?

You would feel devastated and remorseful for your forgetfulness. 

Still in all, at least you can blame your forgetfulness for the blunder. You were not intentionally negligent and insensitive to the needs of others.

There is an even more pitiful and awful scenario that is possible.

That you saw the starving people, you knew the food was in the kitchen, you were quite aware that you possessed the key to the kitchen, but you couldn’t energize yourself to get up off your couch and open the kitchen to help those in need.

(I am not talking about inactivity caused by clinical depression or other forms of mental illness. 

My heartfelt prayers to those who battle this kind of imbalance. May Hashem give them the strength, perseverance and healing that is needed. We need to be mindful and spread awareness about the excruciating challenge of mental illness. 

Most importantly, the stigma and shame need to be stripped away. True compassion needs to be applied. We all ought to partner in helping shoulder the often-overwhelming financial burden that treating mental illness incurs.

Back to my article which refers to moods and energy that are a product of motivation and proper self-care which we must try to get better at).

How would you look at yourself in the mirror knowing that because you couldn’t drum up enough motivation or energy in yourself, you allowed people to suffer needlessly.

Is that excusable?

Imagine having a dream like that. It would be a nightmare that you would be happy to wake up from and discover that it was not for real.

Let me reveal to you that perhaps I am not depicting a scene that is so far from reality. 

The Rebbe quoted the Baal Shem Tov’s teaching:

It is written, "For you (the people of Israel) shall be a desirable land, says G d" (Malachi 3:12). Just as the greatest explorers will never uncover the limits of the great and valuable resources which the Almighty has placed within the earth, neither will anyone ever discover the limits of the great treasures which lie buried within a Jew - G d's "desirable land."

My dear friend,

This means to say that you and I have potential within us that is waiting to be revealed.

There is more, perhaps much more, that we can bring to the table.

This is the reality, says the Rebbe. Alluded to in the words of Malachi the prophet. Not wishful thinking or imagination. 

So why are we not realizing our potential?

Why are we squandering the incredible wealth and opportunity that we have been entrusted with?

I believe that there are two reasons.

Firstly, Ba’al Shemtov’s analogy clearly refers to the positive qualities and potentials as being ‘hidden under the ground. This means we need to uncover it. Even dig for it, if it is not near the surface.

For some, the treasure remains buried.

We may not have heard from someone else that they believe in us, and they identify great potential within us. Our potential may be buried to the point that we are not consciously aware of it and it remains undeveloped.

It starts from early childhood.

Someone shared the following story about his childhood. He was raised by his Jewish parents who intentionally left Jewish observance out of their household. He grew up knowing one word in Yiddish.

‘Vildeh Chayess’. 

This means literally ‘wild beasts’. The mother would sometimes tell her kids to calm down and not run wildly around like ‘vildeh chayess’. It’s a Yiddish term that she obviously grew up with.

How ironic and sad that the one Yiddish word that made it through the blackout curtains covering over the children’s Jewish identity was this disparaging term.

In the Yiddish vernacular there are so many uplifting words that parents refer to their children by.

‘Mayn Tzadikel/Malach’el’ ‘My saintly/angelic one’. ‘Tatteleh, Mamelleh, Buballeh’ ‘small father, small mother, small grandmother’. ‘Shayne punim’ ‘beautiful-face’ and many other endearing terms. They all have one thing in common. They refer to the child as someone special, beloved and a gift.

Hopefully we had parents who built our positivity by calling us uplifting names. Let us not judge them if they were not as sensitive to this as they could have been. It is our duty to be mindful about this and spread awareness about the empowerment we need to give our children.

If you are at the stage of raising children, or you have grandchildren, make sure to speak in a way that identifies the special qualities in your children/grandchildren.

Tell your loved one how special they are and how much potential you see in them. In a real loving and empowering way. 

I don’t mean false fawning of someone to endear yourself to them to get a favor from them.

I am talking about identifying the deeper abilities within people around you. Positive reinforcement when it is genuine and well-intentioned is a game changer. It brings out the latent positivity that is hidden beneath the surface. 

If no one else has told it to you, you now have heard it directly from G-d via the prophet Malachi with the analogy deciphered by the Ba’al Shem Tov and transmitted by the Rebbe to our generation on social media (see this video of the Rebbe).

The second hurdle is getting off our couches, buckling down and getting to work in implementing our missions. Lethargy and lack of motivation may be a greater challenge than one realizes.

Tanya teaches that when two people wrestle, it is not the stronger one who will win. It is the more agile and motivated one.

Imagine this scenario. Two people are vying for the same job. Both are endowed with the needed skill sets. One is more talented. The other one has noticeably more positive energy. Which applicant do you think will get the job?

Yep, you are right. The more enthusiastic and positive one will likely get the coveted position.

Getting yourself in the right frame of mind is not just an added perk. 

It can make or break your success.

I know people who are so gifted and capable, yet they are stymied by their lack of motivation. 

By contrast, I know super successful people who show up with zeal, determination and positivity while being significantly less talented than their counterparts. 

The gift of the teachings of Chabad Chasidism – whose founding two hundred plus years ago we celebrate today the 19th of Kislev - is contemporary and more relevant than ever.

Chasidut teaches and emphasizes the critical importance of always being joyous and upbeat with ‘simcha’.

So is the central teaching about Divine Providence.

You see, there is another excuse that would keep us from making efforts to unleash our inner gifts.

The classic excuses. 

‘I am not in the right place, or this is not the right time’. ‘If I was there’…, ‘if it was yesterday or tomorrow…’ then I would do it, but I am here. It is now. If only …. was different, then I would do …. ‘. 

Wistful and wishful thinking is a distraction and not in sync with true ‘mindfulness’ and being ‘present’.

One of the most central tenets of Chasidic thought it the Ba’al Shem Tov’s teaching of Hashgacha Pratit. 

Detailed Divine Providence. 

Even a leaf that blows in the wind is micro-managed by the Almighty Himself.

The place I am in. The time that I am in. The kind of person I am with the unique skill set, advantages, disadvantages, strength and weaknesses. 

They are all designed and planned by G-d.

The bases are loaded to use baseball language.

You are up to bat.

Recognize that Hashem looks at you like a ‘big leagues’ player. He is expectantly awaiting your effort. Only you can do your job. You are irreplaceable.

Don’t self-deprecate and minimize your abilities. Dig deep and uncover your potential.

Keep yourself in the positive zone of energy, joy and enthusiasm.

Do this by studying the uplifting texts of Torah especially as illuminated by Chabad Chasidism. Make sure your body is well calibrated by eating nutritiously and taking care of your body as the gift it is from G-d.  

This Friday and Shabbat, we commemorate the Alter Rebbe’s redemption from Czarist prison. In the Divine scheme of things there are special energies available to get ‘redeemed’, ‘unstuck’ and freed from constraints, both external and internal.

Utilize the timely special opportunity. 

Take advantage of the special redemptive powers that are available.

Take a moment to reflect on what you know deep down you could and should do.

Dare to believe that you too have a treasure and can do even more than that.

Be bold enough to disregard and dispel the voices that tell you to give up before you try.

Be open to the special blessings of this celebration of redemption and take the next step or even better, the next leap in shining your inner light outward, so that it creates a ripple effect of light and positivity. 

This will tip the scales and bring Mashiach now.

Happy 19th of Kislev.

Shabbat Shalom

And an early CHANUKA SAMEACH for this coming Wednesday night.

PS Click here for four incredible stories about Hidden Treasure

Mazal tov to Rav Nechemya and Mrs. Nechami Wilhelm from Chabad Bangkok on the wedding of their son Chaimke to Etti last night. 

Printing of the Tanya in Koh Phangan, Thailand this week

Gathering in honor or Yed Tes (19) Kislev at Beth Elisheva's temporary home, Bangkok
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Chanukah fun and smiles at Sunday school in Bangkok

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

Let me talk about the embrace of Judaism. 

The oneness of our people. 

Geographical differences, cultural biases, varying levels of commitment to Jewish observance aside, we are one. 

Our oneness even defies the generation gap that is universally bemoaned. 

Our traditions withstand the test of time.

As the verse from the Torah reads: (Samuel 2, 7, 23) And who is like Your people, like Israel, one nation in the world, whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people, and to make Him a name…

Last Thursday I made a morning-to-evening visit to Israel. It was to offer condolences to my aunt, uncle and cousin who had lost their grandson/son in Gaza. 

Sitting in the ‘shiva-tent’ in Israel I had a chance to see the unity and togetherness of our people in full display.

A picture display about my fallen cousin Zamir highlighted the volunteer work he did with special-needs children. This entailed engaging them in educational growth as well as tending to their demanding needs. He did not shy away from changing them and cleaning them up when they were soiled. 


My cousin Zamin HYD

His company commander paid a visit while I was there. He spoke about the compassionate nature of Zamir who himself was a staff sergeant and oversaw others. Zamir didn’t simply give orders to those he was responsible for; he tried to explain the rationale for those instructions when it was feasible. He had a positive disposition and cared deeply for those around him.

Zamir, my cousin, like the soldiers who served with him, yearn for peace yet understand the complex reality that fighting this war of self-defense that was thrust upon us, is the surest way to allow our people to live in safety in the land that Hashem has given us.

The atmosphere of love surrounding the ‘mourning tent’ in Bet Shemesh where the family lives was uplifting beyond words.

It was clear that the people of Israel were embracing the family of Zamir. 

Logistics were efficiently provided. Transportation to the funeral at Mt. Herzl, a special mourning tent to accommodate the large crowds, short shiva stools and an officer trained in grief counseling were all organized by the relevant Israeli government office.

The neighbors brought in food.

A Jewish organization from the USA sent financial help for covering related expenses. 

People of all ages and backgrounds came to comfort the bereaved family.

Some are relatives and friends of the family. Many don’t know the family. They simply feel the need to come and pay honor to the hero who fell in the defense of his people. They sit there respectfully, offer words of comfort to the mourners and reaffirm that we are all part of one extended family.

The fellow soldiers of Zamir’s unit were given time off to come and comfort the family.

And I sat there awash with grief and overwhelmed with feelings of awe and love for my brothers and sisters. Feeling very deeply how fortunate is my lot to be sitting with the special people – Am Yisrael - that I am blessed to be part of.

The ultimate oneness of our people is expressed by individual Jews being prepared to sacrifice their life in protection of their fellow Jews.

We hope and pray for the end to the physical battle raging in Israel. May our hostages return home safely, our soldiers be able to be a peacekeeping force and our wounded by healed. 

There is another spiritual front that we engage in simultaneously. 

Our generation is in a full scale struggle against the forces of assimilation. The weapons we use to fight assimilation are Jewish outreach activities. Jewish continuity can only be guaranteed when firmly anchored in authentic Jewish observance as taught in Torah and Halacha.

It was to fight this battle against Jewish apathy that leads to assimilation that the Rebbe dispatched his followers around the globe empowering them to be his representatives in spreading the authentic and holy light of Yiddishkeit.

My colleague R’ Tzvi Kogan was doing just that. He was manning a Jewish outreach outpost in the UAE engaged in peaceful and light-filled activities. He was armed with inspiration and determination not with physical weaponry. Tragically he lost his life at his post. 

At the Shluchim conference in NY just after his murder we renewed our commitment to our holy mission. We internalized the Rebbe’s response to darkness and tragedy which is to respond to the darkness with rebuilding even bigger. And to engage in efforts of light and goodness with ever increasing intensity. 

This week our community lost one of its oldest members. Mr. Norman (Chaim Nochem Halevi) Baum originally of Buffalo NY passed away just half a year shy of his ninetieth birthday. The burial took place at our local Jewish cemetery. 




Norman Baum with his visiting great-nephews . Bangkok 2013

Norman's niece Julie came from New Zealand to pay her respects on behalf of the family. From Julie I heard an incredible story that further illustrates the oneness of our nation.

Originally from the USA, Julie had relocated to her husband’s country of New Zealand. While having a bris for her first two boys born in the USA was a simple matter, arranging a bris for her third boy to be born in New Zealand, seemed like an impossible feat. Julie’s mother who lives in Napa Valley asked her Chabad rabbi in whether he could provide some prayers that the family could say while a non-Jewish doctor would do the circumcision.

Rabbi Elchonon of Napa Valley’s Chabad told the family the story about his great grandfather for whom he is named.  

Reb Elchonon Shagalov, dared to practice as a mohel circumcising Jewish children in the town of Homil in Stalin's Russia. One day he was taken by the KGB and never seen again. 

He made the family an offer. ‘My great grandfather gave his life for Bris, allow me to organize a mohel to fly to New Zealand and do a proper Bris’. The family agreed. If a rabbi cared enough to organize a bris in New Zealand, they would certainly agree to go along with it. They felt happy to give their son this eternal gift of entering a covenant with G-d in the proscribed manner.

The organization that sponsors providing a mohel for a bris was contacted and Rabbi Mendel Raskin flew out from Melbourne to Christchurch New Zealand to perform a bis on baby Daniel.

I was enthralled by the story and especially the twist it took with a mohel from Melbourne, having grown up there. I told Julie that I know Rabbi Raskin well. He was my teacher just after my bar mitzvah. A deeply spiritual man who is a paradigm of selfless giving.  

Julie and I were amazed.

Join the dots. 

A rabbi who loses his life in Russian for adherence to bris many decades ago. His great grandson a rabbi in Napa Valley who bears his name. The contemporary rabbi connects with a woman who has a brother in Bangkok. The daughter of the sister from Napa Valley moves to a town in New Zealand and at her mother’s rabbi’s urging lands up having a mohel circumcise her son. The mohel from Australia has a student who is the rabbi in Bangkok who tending to her uncle and eventually brings him to his final rest in the traditional Jewish way with Chevra Kadisha and funeral. The niece visits the uncle’s home and the story seems to come full circle.

It is the story of the circle of Jewish life. From being born as a Jew and entering the covenant of bris to dying as a Jew and having a proper Jewish burial.

Am Yisrael Chai.

I feel so warmly embraced by being part of this special people Am Yisrael.

And I hear the urging and insistent call of Shema Yisrael, - Hear Israel – you and I – Hashem is our G-d. Hashem is One!

This is a clarion call to jump into the action. Not to stay at the sidelines. Each of us needs to be prepared to do our bit for the oneness of our nation and for the continuity of our collective.

To look beyond what is selfishly good for me as an individual, rather to think of what is good for Hashems’ people as a whole. 

We ought to take the lesson of sacrifice from my fallen cousin, from my colleague R’ Tzvi Kogan the Chabad rabbi who was killed in UAE last week, and from the legendary Reb Elchonon Shagalov who gave their lives on behalf of our people. 

With one major caveat.

As we are so close to the coming of Mashiach, we pray to Hashem that we be granted the gift to show our sacrifice as living Jews. That our sacrifice will be that of sacrificing our egos. That our test of faith will be about foregoing on our wants and desires in favor of what is better for Hashem and our fellow Jews. 

By spending a bit less on our own frills and a bit more to giving Tzedakah and helping others.

May that blessed time of Mashiach be a reality for us really soon as in NOW.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PS. To give tzedakah and help others via the humanitarian fund, please click here. 

Traditional Latke baking infused with joy and fun at CKids Bangkok

Weekly Talmud Class in Bangkok

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

While I have physically landed back in Thailand safely thank G-d, it will take me time to ‘land’ emotionally.

The stimuli that I imbibed over the last few days was overwhelming in the most powerful way. 

Empowering moments. Euphorically uplifting ones. As well as tragic and sorrowful realities. 

Standing with thousands of my colleagues in prayer and recommitment at the Ohel of the Rebbe was empowering. As was standing for a half hour in the New York autumn cold as the photographer took the ‘class’ photo singing ‘marching’ melodies about marching forth to spread light.

Uplifting moments like learning about my deaf colleague who overcame all odds and now heads the Chabad center for the deaf in Israel. 

Watch "The Deaf Rabbi Who is Changing the World."

Euphoric moments of joy as we danced spontaneously with passion and elation over the great gift of being Shluchim of the Rebbe to spread the light of Torah throughout the world.

Gather strength and positive energy from the dancing here

And a somber reality check about the challenges facing the Jewish people during our current era.

The annual conference is always a powerful source of light, yet this year it stood out starkly against the backdrop of tragedy.

The tragedy of the brutal and senseless murder of our colleague R’ Tzvi Kogan in the UAE.

Click to watch the tribute to Rabbi Tzvi Kogan from the conference

Amidst the general state of war, loss and suffering that has been thrust upon our people in Israel since October 7th last year.

And the overall state of anti-semitism and security concerns for Jewish people the world over highlighted by the killing of R’ Kogan.

In a pragmatic way, sessions by professionals on how to upgrade personal and communal security were provided so that we can do what is needed during these daunting times.

On the spiritual side, the message of the Rebbe about reacting to tragedy and darkness by adding more light was front and center of the conference. 

There was a very powerful balance. Even while acknowledging the great challenges of our times, not for a moment did the unwavering commitment of the thousands of Shluchim falter. On the contrary. The burning desire to bring this madness of our exile to an end by bringing Mashiach was intensified. Our accelerated actions of goodness and kindness are the steps needed to usher peace into the world. 

In a most vivid way Brian Levine, a urologist shared how this call to reach out to fellow Jews to add in Torah and Mitzvahs can be carried out by each and every Jew wherever they may be.

Click to watch Brian Levine's stoty and message as shared at the conference

I did not plan to travel through Israel on my way home from the Shluchim conference in New York.

When I heard the tragic news that my cousin’s son Zamir Burke fell in battle in Gaza I felt my heartstrings directing me to pay a visit to my cousin and his parents, my aunt and uncle.
 

My cousin Zamir HYD

I didn’t realize just how much it would impact me and open my eyes to the specialness and uniqueness of Hashem’s Am Yisrael. ‘Mi K’amcha Yisrael’.

As it is close to Shabbat here in Bangkok, I will share more about yesterday's visit to Israel next week please G-d.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor

At shiva yesterday in Bet Shemesh with my Aunt and Uncle (right and left of me) visiting my cousin who is sitting shiva for the loss of his son Zamir HYD.

Head of intelligence for Thai Royal Police visited the Phuket Chabad House for a security briefing

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

The tragic abduction and murder of the late Rabbi Kogan in UAE by has called the world’s attention to the Rebbe’s Shluchim – emissaries posted the world over.

In a radical departure from the usually insular model of the devout and Chasidic way of life, the Rebbe charged his students with moving outside the bastions of established Jewish communities and enclaves. 

The mission was and remains to bring the world closer and closer to its perfected state of messianic peace. By helping people in whatever way possible. In being sensitive to their material needs, and in inspiring them to be more in touch with their inner G-dly soul. 

These goals are achieved by encouraging our fellows in doing more mitzvahs, studying more Torah, and thus embracing the true G-dly mission that every person has. 

It’s a universal mission for all the inhabitants of our world. A Jew has the mission to be a Jew with all of our mitzvot and every human as a ‘child of Noach’ has the mission of living life directed and inspired by the universal laws of Divine morality. 

One of our young pioneering Chabad rabbi’s was brutally murdered in the UAE as he did his job diligently, spreading the warmth and the light of Torah, Mitzvot, goodness and kindness.

This is a tragic story.

As I wrote earlier this week, we need to feel the pain of every life that is snuffed out. When one is killed just because they are a Jew, it touches us all very deeply. We are all part of one collective Am Yisrael.

This weekend, I am joining several thousand colleagues at our annual ‘Kinus Hashluchim’ – gathering of the Rebbe’s emissaries.

The story of Shluchim is a miraculous story. 

Our Parsha tells us the story of the first Jewish born Jew. Yitschak.

‘And Yitschak planted, in that land, one hundred times. G-d blessed him’.

Rashi comments. Even though it was a challenging year for agriculture. Even though the land was not fertile. The yield was one hundred times more than expected.

True, he planted. He put forth effort. But it was G-d’s miraculous blessing that brought his unparalleled success.

My friends, when one walks around the conference of Shluchim, one sees this above verse coming to life around the world.

Miraculous growth. Incredulous stories of how, by Divine Providence the young couples who headed out in their early twenties, saw things come together in a miraculous way.

Yes, they work hard, but the results are incredulously larger than naturally anticipated which makes it obvious and clear that it is G-d’s hand at work.

Here is a story I heard from the Rebbe’s Shliach in a city in Europe last year. I was attending a wedding of a close friend, and the local Chabad rabbi gave me a tour of the Jewish institutions in the city. As he was showing me the impressive Chabad day school, I asked him how he had managed to purchase the buildings. He said that he had received a favorable mortgage from the regional bank. When I asked him if it was easy to get the mortgage, he told me that usually it is very difficult for a non-for-profit institution to get a such a large mortgage with very favorable terms but he had been blessed by a miracle from G-d.

Here is the story the way he told it to me:

The city council of our city invited me to accompany them on a visit to Auschwitz. They wanted a rabbi to join along with them. It was a good opportunity to meet new people so I went along. 

After seeing the site of the death camp, the press who was accompanying us, asked me to share my feelings.

I said, as one whose grandparents lived through the Holocaust and who lost near and dear ones, I have one word. I feel like taking revenge. But let me clarify what I mean by revenge. 

Revenge as taught to me by the Rebbe, means that instead of Judaism and Jews disappearing from the world as the Nazis wanted, I will recommit myself to double and triple my efforts in building Judaism and ensuring that more Jewish children are born into this world.

My words said with much passion, and with such a positive angle to the concept of revenge made a deep impression on the group.

On the next day it made headlines in the newspapers.

‘Rabbi’s REVENGE, adding in Jewish life and light’.

There was an elderly respectable gentleman who had been very quiet throughout the trip, who came over to me and gave me his card. He was visibly moved by my remarks and told me that if I ever needed help I should feel free to call him. 

Upon reading his card, I saw that he was the senior regional manager of a large banking network. I duly filed away his card without much thought.

A few months later, the bank that we banked with was bought out by the larger regional bank. The local manager was being unhelpful. I decided to go to visit that elderly gentleman whose bank had just purchased our local bank.

On the way to the meeting, in which I was going to ask for help in something rather trivial, I got a phone call. The call came from the main school building which we were renting. We had expressed our desire to buy the building, but the owner didn’t want to sell. Out of the blue, the owner now called me, asking me if we wanted to buy the building. 

I was already on the way to the regional bank for a meeting with the highest manager of the region who had pledged to help me.

The meeting now changed directions and emphasis. It now centered on the major acquisition of our school building which the regional bank manager facilitated. The other smaller matter was also resolved without issue.

My friend turned to me and said, this is a sampling of how we succeed in our work. Hashems miracles unfold and manifest in our meager-by-comparison efforts. 

Dear friend, I love these stories. There are myriads of stories like this.

Where Hashems blessings show that even a small effort to do the right thing, can be a catalyst for the most incredibly unimaginable results.

Some of my stories have been recorded in my book ‘Chai from Thai’.  Many others are etched into my memory and new miracles are happening on an ongoing basis.

The Rebbe taught us that to be a ‘Shliach’ which literally means ‘one who is sent’ is to think bigger than ourselves. To recognize that Hashem is sending you on His mission. To embrace the call to action by the Moshe of our generation – the Rebbe – who fueled by his unconditional love of every Jew is empowering us to care for our fellow Jewish wherever they are. Material and spiritually. By building social welfare programs, promoting Judaism and Jewish life and in the signature ‘Mitzvah Campaign’ launched by the Rebbe, by reaching out to every single Jew one mitzvah at a time. 

Here is a message for you and I and anyone who is ready to surprise themselves with the latent potential they have inside of them.

Challenges exist. Boundaries present obstacles for growth. Finances are not easy to come by. Apathy abounds. 

Yet, if you move forward fearlessly and full of faith, you will prevail over all challenges. On the contrary, what will be revealed is that the boundaries and handicaps are intended to make you reach deeper, jump higher and invite the blessings of G-d’s miraculous power into your life.

See here for a short story about the miracles YOU can make.

I am in New York this weekend. You are in my mind as my colleagues and I pray at the Rebbe’s Ohel for our loved ones, our communities and the entire world and as we rededicate ourselves to the singular mission statement of the Rebbe to bring this world to its intended state of being a dwelling place for Hashem.

Join me in this forward march mission of light, goodness and optimism for the glorious future of Mashiach.

DO A MITZVAH TODAY.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

Dear Friends,

You may have heard the sad, horrifying news about Rabbi Zvi Kogan - Zvi ben Alexander HaKohen, a fellow Chabad Rabbi, 28 years-old, who was murdered by Islamic terrorists after being kidnapped on Thursday in Dubai, while serving the Jewish community in the UAE.

Ever since the signing of the Abraham Accords peace deal with Israel, the Emirates has seen its Jewish population grow exponentially. There have been shuls opened, the first Jewish education center in the Gulf, and a wide selection of kosher food.

Rabbi Zvi and his wife Rebbtzin Rivky Kogan soon moved on Shlichus and lived in Abu Dhabi. She taught in the school while he operated the Rimon Kosher supermarket in Dubai, the city that drew most of the tourists and visitors.

“He was a cheerful person who never said ‘no’ to anyone, always helping and assisting everyone,” a friend of his said. “Every person would leave him feeling better; he always knew how to guide and assist. He was a modest individual who honored his parents in a remarkable way, a truly G-d-fearing person who always remained humble and grateful.”

Our hearts go out to Tzvi’s family and wish them strength and comfort. As we keep sending strength and comfort to our brother and sisters in Israel, to all the families of the murdered, the wounded, the hostages, the heroic soldiers of IDF.

Thank you to all who have reached out to us, as fellow Chabad Shluchim in a more ‘remote – exotic’ location, with empathy, compassion and concern. You love and care mean so much to us and give us strength at this trying time.

For me personally, this reawakens the searing memories of the treacherous attacks on the Chabad House of Mumbai, (sixteen years ago on November 26). It was then, after the horrific murder of our colleagues, that we started to implement security protocols at all our Jewish Thailand locations. This current development and general climate of anti-Semitic hatred, calls for further review and strengthening of security arrangements.

That attack in Mumbai was around the time of the international conference of Chabad Shluchim. This current tragic loss is just a few days before this year’s annual conference. 

The Rebbe repeatedly reminded us that darkness is banished by light, fear is dispelled by acts of connection to G-d and that above all, Jewish life must be celebrated and fulfilled joyously. 

My colleagues and I will recommit ourselves to returning to our countries, cities and communities and adding light and positive energy of Torah and Yiddishkeit even more than before. (Parts of the conference will be streamed live, more details in my weekly email).

Friends, there is a worldwide effort to delegitimize, instill fear, and destroy the Jewish people in Israel and everywhere and this is not a time to stand by. 

We must all take the necessary precautions, ensure that our security protocols are up to date and be proactive about our rights to live openly as Jews without fear and without danger. 

And we must keep our unwavering trust and faith in Hashem ironclad and vibrant.

This has been a very difficult period for the Jewish people.

The horrific attack on October 7th, and the subsequent multi-front war in which we have lost hundreds of IDF soldiers, the holiest of our people, who stand between the Jewish People and those who seek our annihilation. We have also lost innocent civilians who have been killed in rocket attacks and other terror attacks in Israel. 88,000 or so are still displaced from their homes, too many thousands wounded - physically, and so many more emotionally, mentally, psychologically, etc. We continue to pray for the welfare of the captives and their immediate return, in safety and enduring security, as well the as the overwhelming success of those who are putting their life on the line to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish people and all who live in Israel. 

As a peaceful nation, with a Torah of peace, we seek peace for all, and we look forward to a time very soon when there will be goodness and kindness for all of mankind. We are all created in G-d's image, and we all deserve dignity and peace.

Please take the time to connect to your Judaism today in some way. Put on tefillin, give tzedakah and random acts of kindness, to study some of the Torah portion or to read a Psalm, and to strengthen your connection to other people or do any other mitzvah of your choice. Now is the time to commit yourself to Jewish UNITY and think of one way in which you can personally stand up to say: I am my brother's keeper, and I will do something about it.

Our hearts go out to Tzvi’s family and wish them strength and comfort. 

As we keep sending strength and comfort to our brother and sisters in Israel, to all the families of the murdered, the wounded, the hostages, the heroic soldiers of IDF.

We will mourn, we will cry, but more importantly, we will re-energize and shine brighter than ever before.

Zvi - as so many of our brothers and sisters - lived heroically fighting against evil and hate. We must continue your legacy of serving the Jewish people with love and dedication, bringing G-dliness, morality, and kindness to the world, leading to the day when we will see the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Torah, the day when peace will come to our world and all evil will cease--may it be soon.

With best wishes for only the best and happiest of news in the future, and we say to Hashem - Ad Mosai, until when? Enough is enough, its time for all the promises to our ancestors to be fulfilled in reality!

Shavua Tov - may you have a bright, blessed, and good week going forward,

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

‘Did you do anything special today?’ she asked her husband.

The husband blushed. 

‘Because I had a miracle just now,’ she continued.

One of my overseas friends told me this story about what happened to him this week.

‘A needy member of my community approached me for a loan to take care of something medical. He was asking for several thousand dollars as a loan, but he still owed me several thousand dollars from a previous unpaid loan.

I sent out a note to our Shul group and I was able to collect several thousand dollars to assist him. Within a few hours after he had asked for my help, I sent him the money. Not as a loan but as a tzedakah from our collective shul group.

That evening my wife went out to give a lecture. The intercity road had an oil spill on it. My wife lost control of the car and crashed into another car from the side, while another car rearended her. 

We had a miracle that night.’

My friend asked me ‘do you think there is a correlation between what I did during the day, helping that person, and my wife’s miracle in the evening?’.

He didn’t really mean it as a question. For he knows as I do that the Talmud says.

צדקה תציל ממות

‘Tzedaka saves from death’.

Clearly his benevolent act of tzedakah saved his nearest and dearest from injury or worse G-d forbid.

I love this story because of its clarity. Help others, Hashem will help you.

There is also a very important lesson here that will help us reframe the way we look at the sometimes-burdensome task of helping others.

In this story one sees clearly how Hashem implanted this tzedakah opportunity into my friend’s life. Baruch Hashem my friend acted on it and thus activated the opportunity Hashem had given him.

How many times do we whine and complain when we are called upon to help someone. Sometimes we genuinely can’t help and that is justifiable. We all have limitations.

But sometimes we don’t even listen. We ignore and don’t pay attention to the needs of others. 

That is where we have to be more aware and more attentive.

My friend could have brushed this request off. He had lent the fellow money. He was not yet paid back on that loan. The same individual came to borrow money again. 

My friend rose to the occasion and did what a truly G-dly person should do. He emulated Hashem who always listens to the needs. Especially to the needs of the downtrodden. Those are vulnerable and not able to fend for themselves. 

My friend was not cynical, callous or dismissive. Rather he listened empathetically to his plight and expended effort and time to raise funds to help him.

He acted selflessly.

Little did he know…

Really, he was helping himself more than he could ever imagine.

His wife was miraculously saved from what could have been a major tragedy.

Even financially he should be covered. The police wrote a report about the oil spill which means please G-d the insurance will cover all associated costs.

I am inspired by the obvious timing of these two events. Before my friend even knew that he should be praying for the safety of his loved ones, Hashem had organized the response to his yet unspoken prayers.

A similar theme to the Parsha’s story of Eliezer’s mission on behalf of Avraham to find a wife for Yitschak.

Eliezer was sent to the familial territory of Avraham to find a suitable wife for Yitschak. It was an overwhelming task. Finding ‘a needle in a haystack’ may have seemed easier. Eliezer turned to G-d and prayed that he find the right girl.

Before he even finished his prayer Rivka appeared before him. She fulfilled all the criteria and went on to become Yischak’s wife – our second Matriarch.

Hashem always hears and answers our prayers. Sometimes even faster than we can imagine.

Before we even know that we have an issue that we out to pray about.

Yes, I am saying that it is valid and kosher to motivate yourself to be more empathetic, giving and benevolent to others by recognizing that you are earning Hashem’s commensurate kindness to you and yours.

Helping others, even because you realize you are really helping yourself is fully acceptable according to the Torah.

You know why?

Because for the poor person, the loaf of bread will satisfy his hunger even if you are not one million percent altruistic.

The needy person will be able to pay their rent even if you gave them money with the intention that G-d bless you with success in your endeavors.

If you wait till you refine yourself to be a saintly altruistic Tzadik, you may delay your giving and it may arrive too late. Coming too late can sometimes be fatal G-d forbid.

Tzedaka needs immediacy. And shouldn’t be overthought.

When you have an opportunity.

Just DO IT. 

I mean acts of kindness and tzedakah.

Look out for those who Hashem cares for, the needy, downtrodden, ill and challenged. The consequence? You will not have less or suffer. 

The code of Jewish Law says clearly:

‘A person never becomes poor from giving charity and nothing bad or destructive happens from giving Tzedakah as the prophet says (Isaiah 32, 17) And the deed of righteousness shall be peace’

On the contrary, Hashem will bless you, your loved ones and your wherewithal. 

May Hashem bless Am Yisrael with peace, the safe return of our hostages, the secure homecoming of our soldiers and those who have been displaced and the healing of the wounded. 

May the entire world finally be blessed with the coming of Mashiach and the utopian peaceful state when ‘the wolf will lie with the lamb’, AMEN.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PS. Just under a month away from Chanuka and from end of year, it is a great time to give Tzedakah to help others. Hashem will help you!

By the Grace of G-d

Thank you all for your concern in response to the news stories and alerts regarding the Jewish/Israeli travelers and institutions in Thailand.

As always, we prioritize the safety of our community. We work closely with Thai police authorities to implement robust security measures, especially during heightened security concerns like this week. Security guards are stationed at all Jewish institutions, and we have significantly increased security protocols across all our branches in Thailand. 

May God watch over and protect all of Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael and anywhere they may be in the word.


Rabbi Dovi Deutsch of Chabad Koh Phangan and Thai police issued a statement this week regarding security measures at Chabad Koh Phangan.

Dear Friend,

I was a witness to Jewish history at the beginning of this week.

In Oslo Norway a new Chabad House was opened in a stately, iconic and beautifully renovated building in the center of town.
 

Chabad of Norway's new home

I was privileged to participate in the opening ceremony and give a speech at the Shabbat services.

There is a saying in the Torah that ‘one should not deviate from local custom’. (Of course not if it clashes with Jewish Halacha law).

We see it in this week’s Parsha when the angels disguised as men come to visit Avraham and they partake of a sumptuous meal. Why do they eat if they are angels? The Talmud answers that this teaches us the rule of not deviating from common local practice. They adopted the local practice. Human beings eat. When the angels came in the guise of humans they too (feigned as if they) ate. 

What did I do in Norway that was the custom of the place? 

Let me tell you about my sauna/fjord dip. 

There is a Scandinavian tradition to dip into the chilly waters of the fjord (a deep narrow ocean inlet) after warming up in the adjacent sauna. The temperature now is around 7 degrees Celsius. 

I figured that the traditional custom engendering heightened spirituality of periodic mikva immersion for men blended well with the local Nordic culture of taking a cold plunge.

I had heard many a tale of heroic women keeping the foundational mitzvah of family purity even when conventional mikvahs were not available. My wife’s grandmother shared tales of life in Soviet Russia where immersion took place in frigid and freezing underground mikvahs, oceans or lakes.

Many Chassidic men took icy plunges in rivers in Russia to keep the tradition of tevilah immersion.

The weather in Oslo mid-November, was not nearly as cold as the Russian winter so the cold plunge in Oslo was not daunting. 

A couple of us banded together to rent a private little floating sauna on the fjord. We warmed up the sauna, it got very hot, and then we took a quick plunge into the freezing waters. 

Outside the fjord in Norway

We came out refreshed physically and spiritually. 

Of course, we recognized that we were not at all brave or tough. 

It was quite a simple thing, once feeling boiling hot in the sauna, to jump briefly into the cold waters.

Let me repeat that. 

It is not difficult to jump into the frigid waters after warming up in a sauna and returning to a warm indoors. It is entirely different than the valiant dedication of the Jews who broke the ice to immerse and had to brave the freezing outdoors before and after their immersion.

This is a paradigm for life.

Before you go out into the cold make sure you warm up your insides so that the you can withstand the cold until you get back to a warm environment.

This is why in Jewish tradition one sends one’s children to Torah day and high schools, to be immersed in Torah study for the formative years of their life. After getting ‘hot’ and ‘inspired’ in the cocoon-like holy environment of the hall of Jewish study, prayer and practice one is buttressed with the faith and conviction needed to be able to go out into the ‘freezing’ ‘faith-challenging’ mundane world.

In our annual calendars we have Shabbat and Chagim that provide us with holy infusions and ‘protected space’ so that we can then emerge into material existence and impact them with holiness without being compromised.

Daily we also ‘warm ourselves up’ before going out into the ‘cold’. We pray, put on Tefilin, study Torah at the beginning of the day to inculcate our minds and hearts with connection to Hashem. Once fortified by this introduction to the day, we can then go out and ‘take on the day’ in the bustling marketplace of life.

This juxtaposition – warming up in a sauna before entering the cold fjord waters – was the heart of my experience over the weekend I spent in Oslo celebrating the opening of the new Chabad House in Oslo. 

The building itself is a protected building as it was built in 1850 by a well-known architect. 

Providentially, the year 1851 is the year that it became permissible for Jews to live in Norway since the ban prohibiting Jewish residence in Norway was instituted in 1687.

We attended the local Oslo Synagogue on Shabbat. Ate our Shabbat meals at Chabad House. A ribbon cutting ceremony by the donors at the Chabad House on Sunday early noon.
 

And as a grand finale, a festive dinner and Jewish Unity concert with Jewish superstar Benny Friedman at the Thon Hotel later in the evening.

Clip of energy of the Jewish Unity Concert

With all of this action, Norway is still not one of the major international hubs of Jewish life.

Yet, though the local Jewish community is quite sparse, their spirit is alive and vibrant. The Jewish pride and enthusiastic energy that I witnessed among the Jews of Norway at these inaugural events was uplifting and inspiring. 

The singer said that the concert he put on in Oslo was more spirited than the ones he does in NY. In NY he has to work much harder to ‘wake up the crowd’, while in Oslo they were literally raring to go with gusto and amazing energy.

This celebration of Jewish life provides the internal warmth needed to be able to go out into the world as a minority in number but steadfastly Jewish in identity, spirit and most importantly in Jewish practice.

Think of it like a spiritual sauna. It is analogous to getting fired up and toasty hot in a spiritual sauna of Jewish communal celebration and pride. 

This is a unique time we are living in. Never did we expect to face such rabid anti-semitism on college campuses, in major European and American cities and in social media.

Our enemies recognize us wherever we are. If we are going to get called out for being Jews, let us embrace the specialty of it.

It behooves us to embrace our identity as Jewish people, G-d’s ambassadors to the world.

Study Torah. Do more Mitzvahs.

Feel empathy and kinship with all of our brothers and sisters throughout the world, and especially in Israel.

And remember to get toasty hot and inspired by participating in as many happy, joyous, pride-filled Jewish events as you are able. In person, on zoom, via any medium that you live life.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

The Chagim, Simchat Torah, Sukkot, Yom Kippur and Rosh Hashana are now several weeks behind us.

The ‘regular’ year has begun. 

The exciting events, sumptuous festive holiday meals and hours immersed in praying, study and holy camaraderie of last month are a warm memory.

Back to 9-5 work.

That is no reason to feel like you are living a life of drudgery.

The best way to live every day of our lives is joyously.

What motivates this joy?

A brief meditation on the following should put a bounce in your step, a smile on your lips and a cheery tune humming in your mind.

Life is one long series of interactions with Hashem in the world that He created. 

He has appointed us as His agents to transform the world into an abode for Him.

If landing your ‘dream job’ in the workplace and getting a humungous pay package makes you feel good, when you work for Almighty G-d how much more should you be happy and joyous above and beyond.

What an epic honor, pleasure and privilege to be given a mission by G-d to transform our material world into the Garden of Hashem that it is destined to become.

It is a good reason to dance. Literally.

Yet, we all know the realities of life and especially the unprecedented times we live in. Admittedly, this can make being happy quite challenging. 

Let me share some of the lessons I learned from contemporary heroes this week.

Earlier this week Avi Borenstein shared the story of the life of his eldest son Ori Moshe hyd. 

The talk was titled ‘From Ostrowiec to Har Hertzl – a bereaved parent’s hsperspective on Israel at war and Am Yisrael’.

Ostrowiec is the village in Poland from which Avi’s family comes. The Jews were all taken to Treblinka to the extermination camp. Avi’s father survived and recently celebrated his one hundredth birthday in Toronto. 

Har Hertzl is the site of Israel's main military cemetery.

Tragically, two days before Yom Kippur, Ori Moshe was killed in Gaza at the young age of 32 as his convoy came under enemy fire. 

After his death a letter that he wrote to his younger brother surfaced. There are many life lessons to be gleaned from that letter. 

Avi, who travels the world for business, has made it his mission to share with others the inspiration that his son shared during his lifetime. From a busy day at a trade show in Bangkok he hurried over to the Chabad House to give his talk.

I was mesmerized by Ori’s father Avi. Here is a father, who lost his son three weeks ago, that is actively and energetically spreading encouragement and hope. He is a man with a mission to share life lessons to be gleaned from his sons honesty, caring and searching for deeper relationship with G-d and Torah. Avi has revealed his indomitable faith and spirit and is using his grief in a positive way by creating an impact and inspiring others to bring more light and goodness to the world. 

From where does he take the strength to keep going with energy and positivity? 

Clearly his neshama (soul) that is referred to as a ‘candle of G-d’ is fueling his unshakeable belief and devotion to Hashem and Am Yisrael.

Let me share another story I heard this week.

Oriyah lost so many friends on October 7th that he felt compelled to run away from the memories that haunted him in Israel. He spent the last year traveling in Thailand.

He spent many a Shabbat at Chabad House in Bangkok with Rabbi Nechemya. 

On the first night of Simchat Torah during the dancing, R’ Nechemya noticed that Oriyah was not there.

The next day at the meal he asked him where he was.

Oriyah told him ‘I just couldn’t dance. My memory took me back to the horrendous losses that I suffered, and I ran out of the Synagogue to my room’.

Rabbi Nechemya told him ‘Tonight there is a second night of Simchat Torah dancing. Please join in the dancing even for a very short while. When you feel you have had enough and can’t dance any more, please come to give me a hug before you go’.

Bolstered by this hug even before it was given, Oriyah danced and danced and danced that second night of Simchat Torah till the dancing finished.

He came to R’ Nechemya the next day and thanked him for the gift of healing. He had thought he could never dance again but on that night of Simchat Torah he found the inner strength to proclaim his love to Hashem and His Torah together with Am Yisrael.

Oriyah said he felt uplifted, inspired and ready to resume the trajectory of resuming his life in Israel. The next day he flew back home to rebuild his life and please G-d start a family.

These stories among so many others touch me deeply.

They are stories of deep tragedy.

Generational suffering.

As well as a story of resilience.

The unbelievable inner strength of the heroic People of Israel to continue to dance with the Torah against all odds. 

A story that depicts the journey that Am Yisrael has been making for the thousands of years of our history. 

In this week's Parsha named ‘go’ ‘lech’ we find the beginning of our journey. Avraham is told by Hashem to leave his land and go to the land ‘which I will show you’. 

Avraham and his wife Sara arrive in Israel (Canaan at the time) and immediately a famine hits the land. They need to go to Egypt to find food. 

Rather than start questioning G-d they simply continue to journey. 

Avraham's life is filled with challenge but it is also filled with deep faith, benevolence and proactive outreach that transmits a joyous positive message as we relive the events in the parsha.

His namesake in 2024 Avi ( = Avraham) Borenstein continues in that special path forged by our forefather.

I feel humbled and inspired by Avi’s greatness.

And the greatness of the other bereaved parents, spouses, children and friends in the ‘club’ that he represents.

Israel is filled with contemporary heroes who have lost loved ones. 

Heroes who are putting their lives on the line to protect our people.

Families whose husbands and fathers have spend the better part of last year in ‘milu’im’ army service. 

I am inspired by my brethren in Israel who live in a constant state of alert for incoming missiles and projectiles.

Under the greatest of challenges, the spirit in the country of Israel and in Am Yisrael as a whole, is one of positivity, unity and mutual responsibility. 

The ‘hit song’ that is wildly popular in Israel today has the following lyrics:

‘Hashem always loves me and always makes sure that I will have only good. And even better, and yet better….’

השם יתברך תמיד אוהב אותי, ותמיד יהיה לי רק טוב. ועוד יותר טוב ועוד יותר טוב...

This is the Jewish story. 

A story of indomitable trust in Hashem.

A story of care, compassion and love.

A story of joy and positivity no matter the circumstances.

It may be scary out there, but if we stick together, we are unbreakable, and we have G-d’s promise that He will bring Mashiach and Peace will reign in the world.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

Dear Friend,

Are you SAD?

I know you may be thinking that I seem to be fluctuating wildly.

Last week I was promoting joy. 

This week I am asking about being sad.

Earlier this week I noticed a news headline about Seasonal Affective Disorder = SAD.

Apparently, when the winter months come, some people suffer bouts of moodiness or even depression.

It has been discovered that having mood changes as the seasons change it is not an isolated phenomenon. It is widespread enough to be given a name and a treatment solution.

Reading about this disorder this week, seemed so well suited to my own mood.

Coming from the extremely busy, holy and fast-paced month of Chagim of Tishrei, having a ‘regular’ work week was a bit of a shock to the system.

Let me do the calculations.

During the first 23 days of the Jewish month of Tishrei (from October 4 – 26th) we had three holidays at the beginning (two days of Rosh Hashana going straight into Shabbat). Followed by Yom Kippur (on the following Shabbat). Three days at the beginning of Sukkot (two days of Sukkot going directly into Shabbat). Three days at the end of Sukkot (two days of Simchat Torah and Shabbat). Plus, four ‘intermediate’ chol hamoed days. That makes fourteen out of twenty-three days being chagim. Out of the other nine ‘regular’ days, four of them were not really full working days as the Jewish holidays and Shabbat starts at sunset which means from early afternoon onwards you have to be making final preparations for Shabbat and Chag. 

Not much ‘regular’ ‘working weekday’ routine going on. Lots of praying, studying, feasting, dancing and camaraderie. 

I find it challenging to adjust back to ‘mundane’ life after such an abundance of holidays and Chagim.

When I read the headline about SAD I realized that this was providentially brought to my attention so I could embrace the reality of the transition I was going through.

Upon further thought, I was wondering why that topic suddenly made it to my news feed. When I googled the topic, I found that just last week (in the middle of the holiday of joy of Sukkot) a book was printed about this very topic. ‘How to Winter’ is the title of the book and it talks about ‘harnessing your mindset to thrive in cold, dark or difficult times’. 

Norway is used as the testing ground for making the best of long dark winter nights.

To me this is such special Divine Providence. 

The timing is so perfect.

Because this is exactly the feeling that Jews have as they exit the special month of Tishrei with all of its Chagim. Its like a radical season change from a sunny balmy month, to a cold winterly reality.

It also perfectly fits the theme of the Parsha this week which is about Noach and the flood.

One of the fascinating things about the flood was how Noach needed to be instructed to leave the ark.

Think about it. If you were cooped up in an ark with only your wife, sons and daughters-in-law and every species of animals on the face of earth, and then they announced that the flood was over, would you need to be instructed to emerge from the ark? I would think that after such an ordeal, the moment the earth was dry enough, you would be itching to leave and get outa there.

Noach, having gotten used to the environment of the cocoon of the ark didn’t want to leave. Inside the ark it was idyllic and peaceful. Even Messianic in the sense that all types of animals that usually devour each other were coexistent and cooperative with each other. Just like it says in the prophecy of Mashiach that ‘the wolf will live with the lamb’, this is what took place in the ark of Noach.

Who wants to leave that kind of warm, holy, camaraderie filled environment?

Its like going out from the warm summer months to the cold harsh winter.

Or like leaving the exalted, inspirational days of the Chagim to enter the stark mundanity of the challenges and tensions of life. 

(This is something we Covid generation can relate to. Some people had trouble reengaging with society after being quarantined in their hotel room for two weeks upon entry to Thailand. There was something relaxing and redeeming about that isolation. Nothing was expected of you. None of the tensions of responsibilities, deadlines, schedules and putting up with the friction of society).

Yet, as spiritually uplifting as the atmosphere in the ark was, Noach was instructed to leave.

Because the intention of Hashem is not to keep the saintly Noach in the enclave environment of cloistered holiness of the ark. Hashem wanted Noach to create a refined world by engaging in it. To be married. To have children and grandchildren. To engage in planting and harvesting. To develop commerce and civic occupations. And against that backdrop, to cultivate the holy environment that Hashem will then call His home.

This is a message to us as well.

Just as Hashem instructed Noach to leave the ark, Hashem moves our seasons and calendar onwards and yes, the winter comes. And we need to learn how to weather the winter.

In the spiritual realm, the celebration-laden month of Tishrei gives way to the not-even-one-holiday-month of Marcheshvan. 

SAD?

NO WAY.

I don’t know what the author of the winter book wrote. I know what the Torah tells us. 

How do you enter the ‘regular’ year and stay JOYOUS? By never truly ending the holidays. By taking the holiday inspiration and spirit and bringing it with you as you ender the mundane days of the year.

The joy of Sukkot and Simchat Torah is meant to give us the tools to inject the rest of the year with joy.

On Sukkot we remember Hashem’s protective embrace. This embrace is always there. We enter the new year in Hashem’s protective hug. It requires thinking back once in a while to the eternal message of Hashems protection.

How can you be scared when embraced by the Almighty?

From whence to get Joy?

Simchat Torah instills within us the joy of being Hashems nation to whom He gave the Torah.

This joy doesn’t stop after Simchas Torah. If we have observed and inculcated the message of Simchas Torah properly, we have started studying Torah more consistently. 

Our joy only grows as we engage in enhanced Torah study.

My friends, there is no reason and no excuse to be sad. 

And more importantly there is no time to be SAD with moodiness from the season change.

During these turbulent times we need ‘all hands on deck’. 

Our holy and heroic soldiers are literally putting their lives on the line as they valiantly protect us at the borders of Israel. The holy residents of Israel who continue to live life with resilience and optimism are awesome. 

All of us wherever we may be spread throughout the world must do our bit as soldiers in ‘tzivot Hashem’ the ‘army of Hashem’. Each of us must do their best for the collective benefit, safety, and redemption of Am Yisrael.

Forward march to making this world the holy and G-dly place that it needs to become.

It starts with making ourselves more G-dly.

The way to do that is first of all by studying Torah.

This is a call to action. 

Incorporate daily study of Torah into your schedule.

Click here for TORAH STUDY

There is no excuse these days not to study. Online Torah lessons, subscriptions to daily emails of Torah, videos teaching Torah, the opportunities to learn Torah have never been greater.

Take a deep dive into Torah. 

Try it. Daily. Please G-d it will provide you with joy, stability, meaning and purpose.

And most of all, you will be connecting intimately with G-d by having His intellect meshed with your brain in a consummate bond that is beyond description.

Shabbat Shalom

Chodesh Tov

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

The way my eight-year-old grandson told it to me made such simplistic sense.

‘On Sukkot Hashem hugs us, on Simchas Torah we hug Hashem’.

This exuberant comment from told to me by a young child touched me.

This is a very deep concept distilled into a one liner that even kids can understand. 

So poignant for this year – one year from last Simchas Torah (October 7 2023) - in particular.

The Sukkah represents the Divine Clouds of Glory that enveloped and protected us during our journey from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. This is likened to the embrace of G-d. By sitting in the Sukkah, we are being ‘hugged and embraced’ by the Al-mighty so to speak.

On Simchas Torah we lift the Torahs and hug them while we dance with them. 

Hugging the Torah is in a sense like hugging Hashem.

The Zohar teaches: The Jewish people, Torah and Hashem are all one.

Hashem is to be found in His Torah. Torah is Hashems wisdom. Hashem and His wisdom are one.

Thus, in a sense, hugging the Torah that contains the wisdom of Hashem is like symbolically hugging Hashem.

Sukkot and Simchas Torah represent the reciprocal cosmic hugging between Hashem and Am Yisrael. 

As my grandson simply put it (kudos to his teachers and parents) 

‘On Sukkot Hashem hugs us, on Simchas Torah we hug Hashem’.

This year we have another extremely holy angle to consider.

We are remembering the ‘kedoshim’ – literally ‘the holy ones’ who were murdered on last Simchat Torah in the holy land of Israel, simply because they are Hashem’s holy people of Israel.

In English the word ‘martyr’ is used to describe those who were killed. 

This does not adequately express the name they are given in Hebrew.

In traditional Hebrew they are referred to as Kedoshim. 

Holy ones. 

True, we are all holy as we are one with Hashem. We have a neshama, a soul that is a ‘piece of Hashem’ so to speak within us.

But we also have bodies that can create friction between our holy side and our impulsive ‘human’ mundane side.

The martyred kedoshim are not limited by material bodies. 

The kedoshim whose lives were taken ‘al kidush Hashem’ are bound up with Hashem in an inseparable bond. 

Their unity with Hashem is transparent and complete. We refer to them as the ‘holy ones’.

The Torah rejoices on Simchas Torah, but the Torah doesn’t have feet and cannot dance. 

We are like the feet of the Torah when we dance on Simchas Torah.

This year we will also be like the feet of the martyred kedoshim whose souls are dancing in the presence of G-d, and whose memories we remember, honor and cherish.

A dear friend sent me a picture of what his Synagogue in Israel did. 

They embroidered the Sefer Torah coverings with the names of the martyred kedoshim. Every kibbutz will be represented. Every martyred kadosh will be hugged as the Torah’s whirl around with joy and optimism and the belief that lies deeply in every Jewish soul that ‘I believe with perfect faith in the coming of Mashiach!

We will dance as we pray and pray as we dance. For the return of our hostages, the wellbeing of our soldiers and the security and safety of the Jews of Israel and the world over.

Until we merit the end to all of suffering and tribulation for all of mankind, with the coming of Mashiach, NOW.

Chag Sameach

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

(A long) P.S.

Topic:

 ה' צילךHashem is ‘your shadow’.

Our connection to Hashem is both reactive and proactive.

Rabbi Levi Yitschak of Berditchev taught in the name of the Ba’al Shem Tov the following kabalistic truth.

The words of King David (Tehilim 121) likening Hashem to our shade/shadow gives us a deep insight into how Hashem runs his world.

Hashem so much desires to have the created beings engage with Him in a meaningful relationship, that He mirrors the activities and even the demeanor and mood that we project on our faces and through our actions.

If we act melancholy, the reciprocal divine flow from above is anxious and non-joyous energy.

When we act joyous and our faces light up, Hashem projects light, happiness and a radiant ‘face’ so to speak.

This means that when we need Hashems benevolence and extra positive attention, we would best be acting joyously down below. This will elicit the flow of Hashem’s infinite joyous light.

If there was ever a time that we need G-d’s love and joy to shine down upon us, it is now.

Just after the Yom Kippur war, the Rebbe shared this kabbalistic teaching and urged and encouraged us to take our joy on the holiday of Sukkot and Simchas Torah very seriously. 

We have an opportunity to generate that kind of radiance from above by being happy down below.

On Simchas Torah we are instructed to be happy. This means that Hashem not just gives us permission to be joyous, he instructs us and empowers us to be joyous.

By being happy we change the equation.

Don’t stay on the sidelines this year.

The people of Israel needs every song, every joyous handclap, every foot that can dance to bring victory and peace to our people.

By having simcha joy on this Simchas Torah you will be participating in the rejuvenation of our people, in strengthening our nation and in continuing in the glorious chain of our holy ancestors who all rejoiced with the Torah throughout the millennia.

Let us add our link to that illustrious chain.

Even if you cant make it to a shul or join with a community of Jews who are celebrating, do a dance in your home. with your family. Or even alone.

Chag Sameach

By the Grace of G-d

Dear friend,

Ori Borenstein HYD, 32 years old, was killed last Thursday as the convoy he was in, was ambushed in Gaza.

I have an important message from Ori Moshe ben Avraham’s father who visits our region for business.

Avi asked me to relay to my community and my readers a heartfelt Chag Sameach.

And to share that his concluding remarks at his sons memorial at the Mt. Hertzl cemetery. He will finish his speech by instructing himself and his family and friends to meticulously fulfil the instruction of the Torah of ושמחת בחגיך   ‘you shall be happy and rejoice, on your holiday of sukkot’.

Avi concluded ‘Rabbi, as you share these words with your readers, please impress upon them that Ori is not a singular hero. Ori is part of a bigger picture of heroism, during our times, and stretching back all through our history. Giborim and Kedoshim who gave their lives for Hashem and Am Yisrael.

Chag Sameach’.

And with this we concluded our telephone conversation as he was on the bus to the cemetery hours before the onset of Sukkot.

Allow me to share some thoughts about this.

Close your eyes .

Breath in deeply.

Imagine….

Imagine a world that makes sense.

A world where everyone knows that Hashem is the provider and sustainer.

He makes the rains fall in their proper time.

He and only He can ensure that the forces of nature all work in perfect balance without tornadoes, earthquakes or other natural disasters upsetting the ecosystem.

A world where it is clear to all major world leaders that the flow of G-d’s beneficence is dependent on the Jewish prayers in the Temple.

A world in which there is a universal awareness that the blessing come to them through the prayers of the Jewish people even sans Bet Hamikdash.

Through Israel praying and beseeching G-d for the blessings of peace, bounty and beneficence G-d rains down His blessings on all of mankind,.

Ah, what a peaceful and joyous world that would be.

In a world like that, Israel would not need to invest in its defense for no one would be crazed enough to attack it. On the contrary, the entire civilized world would send troops to protect Israel and the Bet Hamikdash Temple in Jerusalem.

In a world like that, anti-semitism would be equivalent to sheer lunacy.

No one would allow the nation of Israel who is the conduit of blessing for the entire world, to suffer.

That would be cutting off the branch that they are sitting on.

This is the way our Sages describe what the world would look like if they but knew the truth.

A peaceful serene happy and relaxed world for all its inhabitants.

Our prophets prophesied that this will be the reality when Mashiach comes.

(see Zecharia 8, B amidbar Rabba 1:3, Talmud Sukkah 55b

May it be NOW! Amen.

Open your eyes .

You may be in for a shock.

The world still is not perfect.

The nations of the world, including our dear friends, think that Israel’s protection is only for the benefit of Jews.

No. They still don’t recognize that by protecting the Jewish people, by protecting Israel they are protecting themselves.

Our friends admirably feel they are protecting a friend, an ally. But there are limits to how much you do for a friend.

Those limits seem like they are stretched to the limits.

The difference between the ‘should be’ and ‘reality’ is stark.

How are we to live?

With the ‘eyes closed’ idyllic version of life, or with ‘open eyes’ harsh reality?

There is a tension in our existence that seems to have always been there.

G-d created us a people who is an impossibility. From the birth of Yitzchak to a 100 year old father and 90 year old mother. In a long and tumultuous history, all the way to modern day Israel, where seven ‘war fronts’ need to be managed simultaneously.

We are an enigma as it doesn’t make sense that we are still here.

Yet we are very much still here thank G-d.

We conduct our lives in two tracks simultaneously.

We, Am Yisrael are a people who lives by being realistic on the one hand and knowing that G-d will do seemingly impossible miracles to save us on the other hand.

The Rebbe spoke very firmly and outspokenly during the Gulf War that Israel is the safest place in the world for a Jew. The Torah says so. Click here for more.

We need to do our best to physically protect ourselves and we need to employ the greatest levels of faith and trust in Hashem to bolster our spiritual defense system.

Yes, so long as Mashiach has not yet come we need the strongest army possible in Israel.

And Jewish communities around the world need to employ the strongest means of self-defense.

Together with that we need to pray to Hashem, trust in Hashem, study His Torah and engage in his mitzvahs as these are our spiritual and miraculous shields.

The mitzvah on sukkot is to rejoice.

On sukkot Hashem instructs us to remember His protective clouds of glory in which he enveloped us in safety. For seven days we are to sit in ‘sukkot’ booths and remember Hashem’s kindness to us.

During those seven days we are instructed to be joyous.

Sing, dance and rejoice.

It may be scary outside. Dark and foreboding ominous clouds may lurk in the background. Yet, Hashem instructs us to remember His protective shade when we left Egypt. Hashem instructs us to overcome our fears, nightmares and traumas and garner up the energy and courage to rejoice.

The Torah instructs joy especially on Sukkot. Our sages explain that this is because it is at the end of the harvest season, after the crops are safely away in storage. Equivalent to having ‘money in the bank’ after successfully buying and then selling all your merchandise and the buyer having paid up in full. That yields a contentedly happy kind of feeling.

Sometimes, like in our current times, the happiness is not assisted by what is going on in our outside lives. So much uncertainty about the hostages. So many bereaved families. So many wounded. So many displaced. And so many threats from our enemies.

YET, Ori’s father, from the memorial service for his son who was cut down in the prime of his life, reminds us that we need to wish each other Chag Sameach.

ה' עוז לעמו יתן ה' יברך את עמו בשלום

The verse says ‘Hashem gives strength to His people, Hashem will bless His people with Shalom PEACE’.

The strength, and obstinacy of the Jewish people is such, that when Hashem says ‘Vesamachat Bechagecha’ be joyous during the holiday, we resiliently, spiritedly and heroically fulfill it. Even when it is challenged by outside realities that are dispiriting.

The best thing you and I can do to bring peace and blessing to our people and to the world, is to fulfil the mitzvahs of Hashem.

On Sukkot this means to activate our resilience, strength and resoluteness and REJOICE and BE HAPPY.

Join us at our Sukkah in Bangkok, or visit a Sukkah wherever you are around the world.

Chag Sameach

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

PS part 2 to be continued next week in honor of Simchat Torah.

Topic:

 ה' צילך Hashem is ‘your shadow’.

Our connection to Hashem is both reactive and proactive.

By the Grace of G-d

Dear Friend,

Let us put on the special glasses of the sages of the Talmud.

The way they looked at Hashem’s benevolence in rewarding people for honoring Him, becomes a powerful case for blessing and reward from G-d for each and every one of us.

Perfect for sharing just before Yom Kippur. The holiest day of the year when we stand before Hashem to have the blessings of the coming year signed and sealed.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 96a ) tells the story of the powerful Babylonian monarch Nebuchadnezzar.

He started off as a secretary and scribe for a previous Babylonian monarch. 

How did he become the most powerful king of his time (around 2600 years ago)?

Once, when Nebuchadnezzar was absent from work, another one of the royal scribes drafted a letter to be sent to the king of Yehudah, Chizkiyahu. The letter began: “Greetings to King Hizkiyahu! Greetings to the city of Jerusalem! Greetings to the great God!”

When Nebuchadnezzar returned to work and discovered how the letter was written, he objected, saying “you call Him ‘the great G-d,’ and then you mention Him last?!”

Nebuchadnezzar insisted that the letter be redone, writing: 

“Greetings to the great God! Greetings to the city of Jerusalem! Greetings to King Hizkiyahu!”

The problem was that the messenger had already been dispatched to Jerusalem with the first version of the letter in his hand.

Nebuchadnezzar ran out to call the messenger back and redo the letter, running three steps to catch the messenger. 

The Talmud credits this behavior, the running of three steps for G-d’s honor, for his subsequent ascension to power.

Let us wrap our minds around this for a minute. 

The kingdom of Babylon was the prevailing ‘super-power’ of the time.

Nebuchadnezzar ascended to power, his son followed him in the monarchy as did his grandson.

Three generations of kingship of the most powerful monarchy of the civilized world. 

He received that as a reward for a mere three steps that he walked in honor of G-d. 

Literally a triple dose of absolute royalty for three steps.

The Alter Rebbe R’ Shneur Zalman made the following observation.

‘There is no Jew who has not honored Hashem to this (almost effortless) level. This means that every Jew is deserving of all the good in the world’.

(This is one of the reasons that we take three respectful steps backwards after concluding the Amidah prayer. Click here for more).

I find this perspective a very important one to have in our toolkit.

Too easily we can fall into the trap of ‘justifying’ bad things that happen to other people. ‘They are sinful’ we may say. Thus ‘they deserve it’ some may even add.

We ought to keep that kind of judgmentalism to be used solely on ourselves (and even that must be kept to a minimum). 

When something doesn’t go for us the way I wanted it to go, we ought to recognize that hardship as being a ‘wake-up call’ from Above.

It is probably intended to give us a push in the right direction. To get better and ascend in the ladder of connection to Hashem by studying Torah and doing Mitzvahs.

However when it comes to the way we view others, we must use the yardstick outlined above.

That they are deserving of Hashem's benevolence. 

Recognize that all the people around you have certainly gone three steps for Hashem. According to the above Talmudic logic they are all deserving of wonderful things.

On a personal note: every single Jew I know and have ever known, have all shown respect for Hashem at least as much as the three steps that Nebuchadnezzar took. 

This moves me and inspires me to beseech Hashem for blessings, kindness, light and joy to everyone I know, to you and all of Am Yisrael.

May the world be blessed with the coming of Mashiach NOW.

Chatima Ugmar Chatima Tova

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Yosef & Nechama Kantor