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© 2026 Rabbi Yisroel Bernath & Daily Jewish Thought
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Thoughts on spirituality, Kabbalah, Jewish thought, Judaism and Relationships. Rabbi Yisroel Bernath is the Senior Rabbi at Rohr Chabad of NDG and the Director of Chabad on Campus at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Cherished for his incredible warmth and non-judgmental personality, this hipster is not your typical rabbi. In 2012, Rabbi Bernath founded the smashing success JMatchmaking International, a network of Jewish dating sites. He has made 104 matches (that he knows of) to date! In addition to being a matchmaker and dating coach, Rabbi Bernath is also the author of three books, and continuously produces engaging content on his many social media & podcast platforms. As a professional voice-over artist, screen-writer, and actor, he has been a part of dozens of productions, including the hit CBC Documentary "Kosher Love".
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Why did Moses smash the tablets and why were the broken pieces placed in the Holy of Holies alongside the whole ones? In this heart-open class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores one of the most powerful and surprising teachings in Torah: that brokenness is not the opposite of holiness, it can be its doorway. Drawing on the story of the Golden Calf, the teachings of the Talmud, Midrash, and the Lubavitcher Rebbe, this class reveals how Judaism embraces both the “whole tablets” and the “broken tab...
This wasn’t just another Shabbat. This was the kind of Shabbat that reminds you history isn’t something we read, it’s something we walk into. At Chabad NDG in Montreal, a Persian-themed Shabbat table became something deeper: a meeting point between ancient Persia and modern Iran. Between the story of Haman and the voices of real Iranian activists fighting for freedom today. Between fear… and courage. Then came the moment no one planned. Walking to synagogue the next morning, before even heari...
The Megillah opens with one of the most extravagant, unnecessary parties in history and somehow, it’s there to teach us how to live. In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath discusses a powerful insight from the Rebbe: even a foolish king understood something many of us forget, that life is not meant to be lived halfway. Through the lens of Achashverosh’s over-the-top feast, we explore what it means to stop playing small, access our full potential, and show up to our lives, our relationships, and...
Parshat Terumah introduces the Ark, Judaism’s holiest object and reveals a radical truth about the human soul. The Ark wasn’t one solid piece. It was gold on the inside, wood in the middle, gold on the outside. In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores how the Ark becomes a map of the inner life: A core that is pure and untouchable. A middle that feels messy, emotional, contradictory and an outer life that still has the power to shine. Drawing from Tanya and Chassidic psychology, this epi...
In this morning’s class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explored one of the Torah’s most psychologically honest teachings: what to do when our emotions and our values don’t align. Through the mitzvah of helping an enemy’s fallen donkey, we uncovered Judaism’s middle path, neither repressing emotions nor surrendering to them. Drawing from halacha, Kabbalah, and Chassidus, the class reframed emotional maturity as the ability to feel honestly while choosing responsibly, and offered a practical way to act...
Why would a powerful, respected spiritual leader abandon comfort, status, and certainty to join a nation of former slaves in the desert? In this morning’s class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores the story of Jethro—not as ancient history, but as a living mirror. Through a surprising Talmudic question, we uncover what Jethro really heard that compelled him to move from observer to participant. This class weaves together three forces that define the Jewish story, irrational hatred, the moral geni...
You don’t often see a book launch feel like a collective exhale. This recording is from the Montreal launch of The Forgiveness Experiment, featuring the author Rabbi Yisroel Bernath in conversation with Ilana Zackon. Ilana Zackon, an award-winning actor, writer, and filmmaker. Together, they dive into the heart of the book: why forgiveness matters, how it changes us, and what it means to live with open hearts even in a fractured world. Expect laughter, honesty, vulnerability, and plenty of in...
One of the first things we did together as a people wasn’t march, organize, or strategize. We sang. Standing at the edge of the sea, fresh from fear, not yet healed, still unsure where we were going the Jewish people lifted their voices in song. But the Torah leaves us with a mystery: how did three million people sing one song together? Was it led by Moses? Echoed by the people? Or did each person discover the song within themselves? In this class, Rabbi Bernath explores an ancient debate tha...
In Parshat Bo, G-d tells Moses something unexpected: “Come to Pharaoh.” Not go… but come. In this episode Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores a profound teaching from the Zohar and Chassidic thought: when we face a “Pharaoh” in our lives… fear, resistance, heartbreak, failure, or a person who seems to block our freedom… we are never sent alone. G-d says: Come with Me. Even more startling, G-d adds: “Because I hardened his heart.” The resistance itself is Divine. Not to stop redemption, but to reve...
One of the most surprising details in the Exodus story is that Moses, the redeemer of Israel, did not grow up as a slave, but in Pharaoh’s palace. In this morning’s Kabbalah class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores why Divine Providence chose such an unlikely path for Israel’s future leader and what it reveals about the nature of freedom. Drawing on Chassidic insights into the word sivlot“ burdens” that also mean tolerance, this class reframes redemption as a psychological and spiritual aw...
Moses had every reason to stay comfortable: palace roots, a peaceful life in Midyan, and an age where most people stop reinventing themselves. Then a bush burned and refused to go away. In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores the moment that changes everything: not charging forward, not fixing the world, but simply turning your head. Through the burning bush, the Midrashic debate, and Moses’ three objections, we uncover how purpose actually shows up, why resistance is part of the callin...
The moment Joseph reveals himself to his brothers is not just a family reunion, it is a soul disclosure. In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores why Joseph repeats himself, why he asks his brothers to come closer, and why he insists on reminding them that they sold him into Egypt. Drawing from Torah, Midrash, and Kabbalah, we discover that Joseph’s greatest holiness was not forged in comfort, but in confrontation with darkness. His life teaches us that our deepest light often emerges no...
This Shabbat, as Chanukah and Parshat Miketz converge, our hearts are heavy and our calling is clear. From the moment the Maccabees discovered a single cruse of oil in the desecrated Temple, Jewish history hinged not on what was found, but on what was done. They could have preserved the oil as a relic. Instead, they used it and ignited a light that has burned for 2,200 years. In the shadow of the tragic attack at the Chabad Chanukah celebration in Bondi Beach, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath delivers a...
In this morning’s class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explored the baffling, almost mythical global obsession with Israel and the Jewish people, a tiny nation that somehow takes up an outsized share of the world’s attention. Drawing on the teachings of Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Rabbi YY Jacobson, and Rabbi Manis Friedman, Rabbi Bernath unpacked the spiritual roots behind antisemitism and the world’s fixation on Jews. We confronted the paradox: being “chosen” doesn’t raise us above others, it humbles us...
In this heart-opening conversation, Rabbi Bernath shares a powerful true story of a needy bride who felt ashamed to accept financial help, until she discovers that she is a partner, not a burden. Drawing on the Torah’s teaching of Yissachar and Zevulun, and Chassidic wisdom from the Lubavitcher Rebbe, he reveals the revolutionary idea that tzedakah is not a one-way act of charity but a sacred spiritual partnership. Through moving stories, including a dramatic tale of a Hatzalah medic and his ...
In this remarkable conversation, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath sits down with Rabbi Dovid Eliezrie to explore UNdaunted, his newly released biography of the Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe, a hero of Jewish history whose courage rewrote the future. We journey through the Rebbe’s extraordinary childhood, discovering how early acts of bravery shaped a leader who would one day defy empires and rebuild Jewish life across the world. Rabbi Eliezrie speaks of the Rebbe’s profound influence on Montreal, from the ...
Prayer isn’t supposed to feel far away, confusing, or “for holier people.” It’s a ladder right beneath your feet, starting exactly where you are, in your busy, messy, beautiful real life. Tonight, we explore the ancient Kabbalistic map of the four worlds of Action, Emotion, Understanding, and Oneness and discover how the structure of our daily prayers is designed to gently lift us, step by step. Jacob’s ladder becomes our ladder: a practical tool for finding meaning, presence, and Divine conn...
Life doesn’t wait until everything is perfect. It shows up messy, unpredictable, and sometimes painful. In this uplifting and down-to-earth session, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores how Rachel Imeinu, through the birth of Yosef revealed a simple yet profound mindset that can transform the way we handle challenges. We’ll discover how gratitude isn’t about ignoring the hard stuff, but about seeing the hidden blessings behind the chaos. This class will help us feel more grounded, hopeful, and conn...
In this morning’s class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath dove into one of the strangest, most beautiful marriage scenes in the entire Torah, Yitzchak and Rivkah caught “jesting” behind a window. Why does the Torah use a word for laughter to describe intimacy? Why is the first Jew born into the covenant literally named “He Will Laugh”? And why does Rivkah’s name hint to a yoke of oxen, two forces pulling together toward transformation? Using Rashi, Midrash, Zohar, and the Alter Rebbe’s revolutiona...
In this morning’s class, Rabbi Bernath explored the timeless lesson hidden in a sleepy Midrash. When Rabbi Akiva saw his students dozing off, he woke them not with rebuke, but with revelation: the story of Queen Esther’s 127 provinces, mirroring the 127 years of Sarah’s life. From this, the Chedushei HaRim teaches that Sarah lived every moment so fully that each second became a kingdom of its own. Rabbi Akiva’s message? Every moment we “sleep through” is a world lost. Through humor, wis...
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