Rabbi's Blog - Chabad of Pittsford

Jewish Thought of the Week (06/26/2026)

Friday, June 26, 2026 - 2:38 PM

Dear Friends,

A person with clear vision doesn't just see the challenge—they can also see the opportunity hidden inside it.

This week's (first ) Parshah, Chukas, tells the story of the fiery snakes. In short, after the Jewish people complained once again, Hashem sent poisonous snakes that bit them, and many people died.

Realizing their mistake, the people turned to Moshe. Hashem told him to make a copper snake and place it on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten could look at it and be healed.

The Talmud points out something fascinating: it wasn't the copper snake that healed anyone. The healing came when people looked upward and turned their hearts to Hashem.

But if the goal was simply to get everyone to look up, why make a snake? Why use the very thing that caused the pain?

Chassidus explains that sometimes the challenge itself contains the key to our growth. The snake, which represents the Yetzer Hara (inner evil inclination) and the struggles we all face, isn't just something to avoid—it can become the catalyst that pushes us to discover strengths and faith we didn't know we had.

When we only look down at the problem, all we see is fear, frustration, and pain. Hashem tells us to look up—to search for the deeper purpose behind what we're experiencing. That shift in perspective doesn't erase the challenge, but it can transform what the challenge does to us.

It's interesting that even today, antivenom is made from tiny amounts of snake venom. In a very real sense, the cure comes from the source of the danger itself.

Many of life's hardest moments work the same way. We wouldn't choose them, but they often reveal resilience, courage, and spiritual depth that would have remained hidden otherwise.

This Shabbos is the 12th of Tammuz, marking the 99th anniversary of the release of the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe from Soviet prison. What looked like a devastating setback ultimately opened the door for him to leave the Soviet Union and dramatically expand Torah, Jewish life, and Chassidus around the world. His work was later carried forward on an unprecedented global scale by the Rebbe.

Looking back, the prison wasn't the end of the story—it became part of the story of redemption.

We don't always understand why challenges happen. But Parshas Chukas reminds us that if we learn to look upward, we may discover that what seemed like the obstacle was also preparing us for our greatest.

Shabbat Shalom!

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Jewish Thought of the Week (06/12/26)

Friday, June 12, 2026 - 12:32 PM

Dear Friends,

Sports history was made this past Wednesday night.

In Game 4 of the NBA Finals, the Knicks found themselves down by 29 points against the Spurs! Yet they mounted the biggest comeback in Finals history to win 107-106 with 2 seconds to go!

After the game, a reporter asked Knicks' point guard Jalen Brunson, “How on earth did that just happen?”

His answer: “One word that captures it all is just believe.”

And he went on to explain that it came from the players believing in each other, believing in the process, and chipping away one possession at a time. It wasn't going to be one big play that changed everything. It was about “hitting singles, getting on base,” and continuing to chip away.

What a lesson for all of us in our own high stress "games" in life!

The great Jewish Chassidic mystic the Baal Shem Tov taught that everything a person sees or hears contains a lesson for his life's mission and Divine service.

And like all life lessons, this one is incredibly well timed with this week's Parsha, Shelach, and the story of the spies.

The basic story: as the Jewish people stood poised to enter the Land of Israel, Moshe sent twelve scouts to gather information. He specifically asked them to report on the people living there, the cities, the land itself, and its produce. They came back and gave exactly that information with a negative conclusion: Despite G-d's promise , there is no way we can go up and conquer our Promised land. Only Kalev and Joshua were positive that despite the challenges they believed the Jewiih people could be successful.

At first glance, the story of the spies seems unfair. They were told to scout and report and they gave their honest assessment.

So why were ten of them punished?

The answer is that the truth isn't only about what you say. It's also about how you say it and why you're saying it.

The ten spies didn't just report facts. They interpreted those facts through the lens of fear.

Instead of saying, “These are the challenges we'll need to overcome,” they basically said, “There's no chance. We can't do this.”

They took accurate observations and because of their lens of fear they presented them in a way that crushed the people's confidence. They focused on the obstacles and ignored the promise that G-d Almighty had already given them: that they would succeed.

But Kalev and Joshua saw the exact same facts and reached a completely different conclusion.

They understood that challenges are not proof that something can't be done. Sometimes challenges are proof that something important is worth doing.

In many ways, Jalen Brunson was describing the mindset of Kalev and Joshua:

Believe. Keep chipping away. One possession at a time.

The Rebbe applied this idea to the social upheavals of the 1960s. Many people looked at a generation questioning authority and tradition and saw only danger. The Rebbe saw opportunity.

Just as the spies should have viewed the unusually large fruit as a sign of the Land's potential, the Rebbe saw young Jews searching for meaning as a tremendous source of future growth.

And history proved him right. Thousands of young Jews became committed, knowledgeable, and passionate about their Judaism.

The lesson for us is powerful.

G-d Almighty has promised that the world is moving toward redemption. That outcome isn't in doubt.

What is in doubt is how we choose to look at the obstacles along the way.

When we focus only on what's wrong, we can become like the spies—seeing every challenge as evidence that success is impossible.

But when we view challenges as opportunities to grow, create, and make a difference, we become like Kalev and Yehoshua.

The same reality can produce fear or faith.

The choice is ours.

Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yitzi Hein

Jewish Thought of the Week (06/05/2026)

Friday, June 5, 2026 - 1:21 PM

Dear Friends,

At what age should a person retire?

In some countries and workplaces, there is a mandatory retirement age. In others, forcing someone to retire because of age is considered discrimination.

This week's Parsha, Behaalosecho, gives us an interesting perspective.

The Levites were instructed to perform their regular duties until the age of fifty. But they did not retire from serving.

The Levites served in the Mishkan, the portable Temple that accompanied the Jewish people in the desert. Their responsibilities included carrying the Mishkan's components during travel, providing music for the Temple service, and serving as guards at its entrances.

At age fifty, they stopped carrying the heavy parts of the Mishkan and no longer played the instruments. But they continued to sing, stand guard, and assist the younger Levites—important roles that were less physically demanding.

The Rebbe often discouraged the idea of retirement. If someone could no longer work at the same pace because of age or other circumstances, their workload could be adjusted. But as long as a person is able, they should continue contributing.

There are two important reasons for this.

The first is spiritual. Every day of life is another opportunity to make a positive impact on the world. That is why we are here. Time is precious whether you are twenty or seventy-five.

Hashem continued creating the world until the very last moments of the sixth day. This teaches us the value of every minute. As long as we are given another day of life, there is still something meaningful for us to contribute.

The second reason is practical. Many people notice that when they retire completely, they begin to age more quickly—both mentally and physically. Some have even suggested that people do not stop working because they have become old; rather, they become old because they stop working.

Two stories about the Rebbe illustrate this idea.

When the Rebbe turned seventy, some people advised him to slow down. Instead, he announced that Chabad would establish seventy-one new institutions during the coming year.

A few months later, Rabbi Aron Dov Sufrin, head of education for Lubavitch in London, visited the Rebbe. Rabbi Sufrin had just turned forty-two. He had achieved remarkable success, but he felt burned out. He wanted to step back from his position and take on something less demanding.

The Rebbe smiled and said, "Learn from me. I recently turned seventy and committed to building seventy-one new institutions. I would like you to undertake forty-three new projects."

These could include launching new programs, helping additional families, publishing articles, or finding other ways to expand his impact.

At the same time, the Rebbe understood that some people either choose or need to retire from their careers. For them, he established a worldwide network of Kolel Levi Yitzchak groups, where retirees gather daily to study Torah, socialize, and continue growing. Thousands of people have enriched their later years through these programs.

Another example is Jerry Grafstein, a successful businessman and former Canadian senator.

When he celebrated his eightieth birthday, he invited the Rabbi of the Kotel to attend. The rabbi was unable to leave Israel, so Grafstein asked him instead to pray for the success of a new business venture he was launching—publishing in Chinese and Japanese.

The rabbi was surprised. Why would an eighty-year-old start such an ambitious project?

Grafstein explained that years earlier, as he approached fifty, he had become discouraged. Looking back on his life, he felt he had not accomplished enough. His wife suggested that he seek the advice of the Rebbe.

During a private audience, the Rebbe asked him, "Who was the greatest Jewish leader?"

"Moshe Rabbeinu," Grafstein answered.

The Rebbe pointed out that Moshe only began leading the Jewish people at the age of eighty. How was that possible? Because Moshe was not focused on what he had already accomplished. He focused on what he could still accomplish.

People who spend their lives looking backward grow old. People who keep looking forward to new opportunities remain young.

Thirty years later, Grafstein decided to follow that advice and launch an ambitious new project.

Perhaps that is one of the secrets to staying young—not measuring life by what we have already done, but by the unique difference we can still make.

Shabbat Shalom!

Good Shabbos!

Rabbi Yitzi Hein