Daily Jewish Thought

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From Loss to Hope: October 7, Three Years Later — The Jewish Courage to Keep Building | Keynote Address West Island Community Memorial Event

2026-10-1519:17

Keynote Address by Rabbi Yisroel Bernath | West Island Community Memorial Event | Beth Tikvah, Montreal | October 2026 Three years after October 7, how do we honour the people we have lost, carry the pain that remains, and still find the courage to hope? In this deeply personal and moving keynote address, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath reflects on his journey to Israel just two weeks after the October 7 attacks, arriving with 27 duffel bags of essential supplies and hundreds of handwritten letters fro...

What Will Live Because You Lived? | Rabbi Bernath's Sermon for Neilah 2026

2026-09-2337:13

As Yom Kippur moves toward Neilah and the gates begin to close, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath asks a question far more important than what we achieved, accumulated, or accomplished: What will live because you lived? We live in a civilization of astonishing progress. We can fly across oceans, carry the world’s knowledge in our pockets, and ask artificial intelligence almost anything. But technology can give us the means to live without necessarily giving us a reason to live. Civilization is what we ...

Is Someone Doing Your Thinking For You? | Rabbi Bernath's Sermon for Kol Nidrei 2026

2026-09-2244:17

In this Kol Nidrei sermon, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath asks a deeply uncomfortable question: Who is doing your thinking for you? We live in an age overflowing with information but increasingly short on reflection. Algorithms, social media, political tribes, influencers, institutions, AI—and even our own wounds—can quietly hand us conclusions that we eventually mistake for our own beliefs. Beginning with Abraham smashing the idols of his father’s shop, Rabbi Bernath traces a distinctly Jewish ...

The Secret Israel Knows About Happiness | Rabbi Bernath's Sermon for Shabbat Shuva 2026

2026-09-2023:44

In this Shabbat Shuva sermon, delivered by Rabbi Yisroel Bernath at Chabad NDG in Montreal, we explore a surprising question: Why are people able to experience happiness even when life is difficult? Looking at Israel’s remarkable longevity, strong family culture, and consistently high levels of reported happiness, the answer may have less to do with comfort and more to do with connection, community, meaning, and knowing that you are part of something larger than yourself. Rabbi Bernath conn...

The Forgiveness Experiment: Take Back the Pen, Put Down the Poison

2026-09-1850:06

What would your life look like if you stopped waiting for an apology, stopped replaying the hurt, and stopped allowing yesterday’s pain to occupy today’s heart? In this deeply personal and practical talk, delivered at JLI’s 20th Annual National Jewish Retreat in Doral, Florida, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores forgiveness not as a one-time declaration, but as a spiritual practice of reclaiming your life. Drawing on the biblical story of Joseph, an ancient teaching about Rabbi Abba, Jewish...

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