Dear Friends,
This week I’m especially excited — I’ll be taking five of our CTeen Rochester teens to Niagara Falls for the Great Lakes CTeen Shabbaton, joining six CTeen chapters from across the region! (Stay tuned for pics and follow us on Instagram chabadpittsford and cteenroc).
It’s always inspiring to see Jewish teens from different cities come together — celebrating Shabbat, connecting with each other, and strengthening their Jewish pride. These moments remind us that the capacity for love, connection, and purpose is already in our spiritual DNA.
That idea ties beautifully to this week’s Parsha Vayera.
The Talmud teaches that Avraham served Hashem out of love, and brings proof from the verse:
“You are the offspring of Avraham who loved Me.” (Isaiah 41:8)
The Mitteler Rebbe — the second Chabad Rebbe — asked: if the verse speaks about Avraham’s offspring, how is that proof of his love?
His answer is profound: Avraham’s love wasn’t just a reaction to Divine revelation. He worked to internalize it until it became part of his very being — so real, so deep, that it was passed down to his descendants.
That means every Jew carries within them a deep capacity to love — love of Hashem, of Torah, and of people.
When Avraham, though in pain, ran to greet and serve his guests, he wasn’t just doing kindness — he was living it. His love was active, personal, and genuine.
That’s the hallmark of the Jewish people. Even when later generations expressed different traits — like Yitzchok’s strength or Yaakov’s balance — it all flowed from the same root of Chessed, loving-kindness.
Love is our spiritual DNA. Our mission is to bring that love into practice — through words, actions, learning, and caring for others — until it transforms the world around us.
And on that note — this coming week, I invite you to Monday’s opening event at the JCC Authors + Innovators Festival, where I’ll be giving a tribute and book review of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, marking his 5th yahrzeit.
Rabbi Sacks was so much to the Jewish and greater world — a statesman, teacher, leader, and defender. But at his core, everything he taught and embodied flowed from love.
I’m honored to pay tribute and share some of his teachings at this opening night event.
(See flyer below and to register)
Let’s lean into our DNA of love and share it — through study, kindness, and creativity — bringing that light to the world.
Shabbat Shalom! Good Shabbos!
Rabbi Yitzi Hein