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In this heartfelt Ask Me Anything, Rabbi Bernath responds to someone from the Kabbalah for Everyone Community, a lifelong Reform Jew who asks a question many have quietly carried: “Am I less of a Jew because I was raised Reform?”

Rabbi Bernath explores how Jewish identity transcends denominational labels. Drawing on teachings from Tanya and Rashi, he reminds us that every Jewish soul is a piece of G-d, unbreakable and equally precious.

This conversation becomes more than an answer, it’s an invitation to rediscover who we are beneath the labels. It’s a love letter to every Jew who has ever wondered if they still belong.

Takeaways:

There are no “levels” of Jewishness. Every Jew, regardless of affiliation or observance carries the same Divine spark.

Denominations are man-made; the soul is G-d-made. Labels were meant to organize ideas, not divide hearts.

Jewish identity is a relationship, not a category. Wherever you learn, pray, or grow, your connection to G-d is real and alive.

Belonging is not earned — it’s inherited. You’re part of the same eternal covenant, the same people, the same love story that began at Sinai.

Your light matters. Every small act of faith, study, or kindness sustains the Jewish people.

#Judaism #Jewish #JewishIdentity #reform #orthodox #belonging #Kabbalah

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This morning, Rabbi Bernath explored a fascinating question raised by the great medieval sage Nachmanides (the Ramban): Why does the Torah introduce every major biblical figure with their background—except Abraham?

Why does G-d suddenly appear and tell him, “Lech Lecha — Go to yourself”, without any explanation of why him?

The Ramban and later Chassidic masters reveal something extraordinary: G-d didn’t just speak to Abraham. He speaks to everyone. The difference is — Abraham heard it.

“Lech Lecha” is not a one-time command; it’s a timeless call to every soul to move forward, step out of fear, and become the person G-d created us to be.

Rabbi Bernath illustrated this with the story of Avraham Vetzler, a 90-year-old Holocaust survivor who, after eight decades of silence, suddenly felt the call to return—to light, to Torah, to G-d. His story reminds us that it’s never too late to hear our own Lech Lecha.

Key Takeaways:

G-d is always speaking. The question is: am I listening?

“Lech Lecha” is a call to every human being — to leave behind fear, comfort, and old patterns and journey toward our truest self.

Growth begins when we notice that inner whisper and take one brave step forward.

You’re never too old, too far, or too lost to hear the call again.

#Kabbalah #Judaism #Jewish #LechLecha #Abraham #purpose #Faith #mysticism #spiritualgrowth #BibleStudy #Bible #Parsha #ParshatLechLecha #chassidus #chassidut

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This morning, Rabbi Bernath explored one of the most misunderstood heroes in Torah, Noach. While the Torah calls him a tzaddik, some sages question whether he was truly righteous or simply better than those around him. Why would our tradition, which praises kindness and humility, seem to downplay the one man who saved humanity?

Drawing on a 1964 teaching from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Bernath reframed the question: the Sages weren’t diminishing Noach, they were elevating him. Noach wasn’t perfect. He doubted. He hesitated. He stumbled. But he built an ark anyway. And that’s precisely why he’s the hero for the rest of us, for the ordinary, flawed people who still try to do good in a noisy, cynical world.

Noach reminds us that you don’t need to be Abraham or Moses to make a difference. You just need to build your ark, an island of sanity, compassion, and moral courage, right where you are.

Key Takeaways:

Imperfect Righteousness Is Still Righteousness.
The Torah’s praise of Noach is not about spiritual perfection, but about moral persistence. Doing good in a corrupt world is itself greatness.

The Power of Ordinary People.
Noach’s story teaches that world-changing moments often come from those who don’t feel extraordinary, just steady souls who keep showing up.

Struggle Is Part of the Journey.
Unlike “cookie-cutter” saints, real people wrestle with doubt, temptation, and fatigue. Noach’s humanity is his heroism.

Build Your Ark.
In a world flooded with noise and confusion, our job is to create spaces of kindness, faith, and integrity, shelters of light in turbulent waters.

Every Small Act Matters.
Like the girl tossing starfish back into the sea, we can’t save the whole world, but we can change someone’s world.

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In this morning’s class, Rabbi Bernath explored one of the most profound paradoxes in the Torah, the two seemingly contradictory accounts of Adam and Eve’s creation. Far from a textual flaw, this duality encodes the deepest truths about relationships, individuality, and spiritual evolution.

The first creation describes Adam and Eve as one, a fused, bi-gendered being. The second describes their separation. From this, Rabbi Bernath revealed a timeless model: every relationship, whether between man and woman or humanity and G-d, must pass through three stages, oneness, separation, and reunion.

Through this lens, the Genesis narrative becomes not ancient history but a living blueprint. It explains the evolution of human intimacy, feminism, secularism, and the search for Divine connection in the modern age, showing that we are now entering the third stage: the age of chosen unity, love and faith born not of obligation, but of conscious choice.

Key Takeaways:

Genesis isn’t contradiction, it’s choreography.
The two accounts of creation mirror the cosmic dance between unity and individuality, dependence and independence, G-d and humankind.

True love is chosen, not imposed.
Adam and Eve’s separation allowed them to rediscover each other voluntarily, the foundation of mature, lasting relationships.

History mirrors the Garden.
From religious dependence, to secular independence, humanity now yearns for integration, faith and freedom intertwined.

Marriage is self-discovery.
In loving another, we reunite with the missing part of ourselves; separation was never punishment, but preparation for deeper connection.

The third stage is now.
Our generation is called to embody integration, where spirituality and modernity, masculinity and femininity, body and soul harmonize again.

#Genesis #Kabbalah #Judaism #Jewish #adamandeve #feminism #Faith #marriage #Relationships #Unity #Sprirital #Bible #BibleStudy #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #Torah #torahpsychology

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In The Dance of Return, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath delivers a moving Simchat Torah sermon celebrating the miraculous return of the hostages, a moment when prophecy, pain, and prayer converge into pure joy. He draws a profound parallel between this homecoming and the essence of Simchat Torah, a holiday where Jews dance not because of ritual, but because of belonging.

Rabbi Bernath reminds us that Jewish joy cannot be taken, it is divine, defiant, and eternal. Through the story of Isaac’s hidden treasure and the timeless circle of Torah dance, he calls every Jew, believer and skeptic alike, to join the dance of unity, gratitude, and faith reborn.

Key Takeaways:

A Living Prophecy:
Jeremiah’s words, “Your children shall return to their borders” come alive as we witness the hostages’ return, transforming tears of despair into tears of gratitude.

The Essence of Simchat Torah:
Unlike other festivals tied to specific mitzvot, Simchat Torah’s commandment is simply to rejoice. We dance with closed Torah scrolls because joy transcends knowledge, it’s about belonging, not perfection.

Eternal Jewish Joy:
The attack that began on Simchat Torah was meant to steal Jewish joy, yet this very year, that joy is reclaimed. Jewish joy is not circumstantial; it’s the pulse of our people.

The Treasure Within:
Like Isaac discovering the treasure under his own oven, we rediscover that the greatest strength and hope lie not in distant places, but within ourselves and our faith.

A Call to Dance:
Rabbi Bernath invites everyone, regardless of belief or pain, to dance with Heaven itself. This Simchat Torah, every step is a declaration: Am Yisrael Chai.

#hostages #Judaism #Jewish #hostagesreturn #jewishunity #simchatorah #AmYisraelChai #Faith #resilience #Israel #IsraelHamas

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When Rabbi Yisroel Bernath spotted a superyacht with an infinity pool merging into the sky, it sparked a journey through one of the most powerful Talmudic stories, Rabbi Akiva’s “sukkah on a ship.” From that image of faith floating on waves, this class dives into the timeless tension between fragility and faith, exploring what it means to build Jewish life and joy even when the ground beneath us feels unstable.

Through stories that span from ancient Rome to post-Holocaust Budapest, Rabbi Bernath reveals the unbreakable resilience of Jewish spirit and the eternal power of ideas that can’t be burned, silenced, or washed away.

Takeaways:

1. Faith in Motion: Even when life feels unstable, your sukkah, your faith, your values, your light, can stand strong.
2. Resilience Is Our Heritage: From Rabbi Akiva’s ship to a siddur saved from the ashes, Jewish history proves that our strength comes from rebuilding, not retreating.
3. Ideas Outlive Empires: The Romans burned scrolls, but not the words. Power fades; purpose endures.
4. Your Sukkah Is a Statement: Every mitzvah you do in today’s world is an act of defiance against despair and a declaration of hope.
5. We Are the Calm in the Storm: Our task is to build joy, faith, and community even when the waves rise because that’s where holiness truly lives.

#sukkot #resilience #sukkah #sukkah2025 #sukkot2025 #sukkos #rabbigamliel #rabbiakiva #Hope #HopeAndResilience #JewishIdentity #Talmud #LightOverDarkness #joy #JewishHistory

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Rabbi Yisroel Bernath recorded this sermon before Rosh Hashana as he was preparing and we are sharing it with you... of course it’s nothing close to the magic of Rosh Hashana at Chabad NDG in Montreal.

Rabbi Yisroel Bernath’s Rosh Hashanah sermon reminds us that the world doesn’t change through headlines or massive movements alone, it turns on small hinges. From Newton’s apple to Rosa Parks’ quiet defiance, from Elkanah’s changed walking route to Raoul Wallenberg’s forged passports, history is reshaped by individuals who cared enough to act.

Each of us is that “breeze” a gentle but decisive force nudging another soul toward light, dignity, and hope. The shofar calls us not to despair at the scale of the world’s darkness, but to rise with courage, to see that every mitzvah matters, and to live as though even one small act can tilt the future. This Rosh Hashanah, the call is clear: be the breeze that shifts the course of another’s life.

Key Takeaways

• Small Acts Matter: World-changing moments often begin with the smallest gestures, a smile, a word of encouragement, an invitation to Shabbat.
• History Turns on the Individual: From scientists to prophets, seamstresses to diplomats, one person’s choice has often redirected the course of nations.
• Jewish Legacy of Influence: The story of Elkanah and Shmuel teaches that our steps, words, and presence ripple far beyond what we see.
• Moral Courage is Contagious: Rosa Parks’ bus seat and Wallenberg’s forged passports remind us that courage inspires movements.
• The Shofar’s Call: Rosh Hashanah summons us to battle despair with action, to hear the call of responsibility, and to know that every soul counts.

#RoshHashana #RoshHashanah #HIghHolidays #Judaism #Rabbi #yisroelbernath #chabad #Antisemitism #Jewish #Jewishfuture #JewishIdentity #resilience #Sermon

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Rabbi Yisroel Bernath recorded this sermon before Rosh Hashana as he was preparing and we are sharing it with you... of course its nothing close to the magic of Rosh Hashana at Chabad NDG in Montreal.

In this Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath weaves humor, Torah, and Jewish resilience into a message of hope and renewal. Beginning with laughter, he acknowledges the fears weighing on the Jewish heart today, rising antisemitism, uncertainty, and the heaviness of history. But he reminds us that the Jewish story begins not with despair, but with laughter: the birth of Yitzchak to Abraham and Sarah. Through a transformation of identity and vision, G-d teaches them, and us, that our destiny is not defined by the past but pulled by the promise of the future.

The sermon moves through stories of Jewish survival, historical cathedrals, personal anecdotes, and Sheldon Adelson’s shoes in Jerusalem, all to paint a vivid picture: we are builders of a spiritual architecture that spans generations. Each mitzvah is a chisel, each act of faith a brick, each Jew a builder. And above all, our answer to fear and hatred has always been joy.

Key Takeaways

1. Identity Shapes Destiny
   Abraham and Sarah became parents only after G-d changed their names, showing us that how we see ourselves changes how we live.
2. History Pulled by Promise, Not Pushed by the Past
   Jewish survival isn’t logical, it’s miraculous. Our story isn’t driven by yesterday’s pain but by tomorrow’s promise.
3. Laughter as Our Legacy
   The first Jewish child was named Yitzchak, laughter, teaching us that joy and hope are the foundation of Jewish life.
4. Generational Builders
   Like the cathedrals built over centuries, Jewish life is a project carried forward by every generation. Each mitzvah is part of a vast spiritual architecture.
5. Joy as Resistance
   When the world says to give up, we laugh. When it says to despair, we believe. Our answer to hatred has always been love, laughter, and building.

#RoshHashana #RoshHashanah #HIghHolidays #Judaism #Rabbi #yisroelbernath #chabad #Antisemitism #Jewish #Jewishfuture #JewishIdentity #resilience #Sermon

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