Dear Friends,
What a beautiful Rosh Hashanah we just celebrated together! From our warm community dinner to two full days of heartfelt services — and over a hundred people joining the 18th Annual Tashlich by the Canal — it was uplifting to see so many faces, both familiar and new, praying, singing, and reconnecting to our roots
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To give a sampling of the messages we talked and 'farbrengen' about this year’s Rosh Hashanah here there are. They are like two sides of the same coin.
Day One theme was all about I Am Yisrael Chai — not only that the Jewish people live on, but that I live on — that each of us is called to carry the flame of Jewish life personally and proudly. Every Jew is a walking lighthouse, bringing divine light and purpose into the world through their mitzvot and actions.
The opening joke: a son once asked his father, “What’s the secret to forty years of marriage?”
The father smiled and said, “Simple — from day one we agreed: I decide the big issues, and your mother decides the small ones. We each agreed to our role so there is no conflict”
He paused and explained: “For example, I decide big issues like who should be the next president and what America’s foreign and energy policies should be… and your mom decides where we live, how we raise the kids, and what kind of family we are. Y'know, the small issues.”
Our real “big issues” in life aren’t in Washington — they’re at home. In how we raise our children, how we speak, and how we live as Jews. That’s where the world is truly shaped.
Day Two flipped the coin to its other side: Mi Kamcha Yisrael — “Who is like Your people, Israel?” If Day One celebrated personal responsibility, Day Two celebrated the power of belonging — of being part of an unbreakable family that stands by each other through thick and thin.
One excerpt highlighting the Day 2 theme was a story that says it all. In short: a graduating class of IDF soldiers decided to hold a lottery before going home. Everyone threw some money into the pot, and an American donor doubled it. to make a nice jackpot of $5,000! When they drew the winner, the room erupted in cheers — it was the soldier who had been wounded in battle. He more than the others could really use it to get started.
But as some stayed back to clean up, then they noticed something extraordinary: every single name on the tickets in the box was that soldier's name. Each soldier had quietly written his name instead of their own. That’s the Jewish heart — we see another’s pain as our own, and another’s joy as our victory.
Like the sequoia trees that grow tall and strong because their roots intertwine beneath the surface, we too draw our strength from each other.
I Am Yisrael Chai — I must live it. Mi Kamcha Yisrael — we live it together. Two sides of the same coin, two melodies in one eternal song.
And that brings us right into this week — Shabbat Shuva, the Shabbat of Return. It’s the bridge between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, a time to come home — to ourselves, to our community, to G-d.
Join us tomorrow, Shabbat morning at Chabad of Pittsford 10am, for a meaningful service and special Kiddush at 12:30pm sponsored by the Kaiser family in memory of Richard Kaiser (Reuven ben Dovid) — a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.
And as we approach Yom Kippur, remember: everyone is welcome to join for any part of the services — no charge, no tickets, just open hearts.
With heartfelt blessings for a sweet, healthy, and good New Year,
Rabbi Yitzi Hein
Chabad of Pittsford