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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 with integrity even when the heart resists.

Key Takeaways

The Torah acknowledges emotional resistance without letting it dictate behavior

Feeling something does not automatically make it true or actionable

Jewish Law validates emotions but prioritizes responsibility and mitzvah

Helping an “enemy” is about freeing yourself from the grip of impulse

In Kabbalah, the mind is meant to guide emotions like a wise parent, not silence them

Sometimes the heart follows the hands, action can lead emotion

#Judaism #Kabbalah #Jewish #Torah #TorahLessons #TorahPortion #Bible #BibleStudy #KabbalahForEveryone #EmotionalWisdom #torahpsychology #MoachShalitAlHalev #InnerWork #JewishMindfulness #SpiritualMaturity #HalachaAndHeart #chassidus #RabbiBernath #chabad

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

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Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

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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 genius of Torah, and the supernatural resilience of the Jewish people and asks a deeply personal question:

What does Judaism ask of us when it’s easier to stay comfortable?

Jethro’s journey challenges us to stop watching Jewish life from the sidelines and start stepping into it with intention, courage, and responsibility.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Being inspired is easy. Showing up changes everything.

Irrational hatred is often the shadow cast by something deeply holy.

Torah isn’t just tradition, it’s a radical moral framework that reshaped civilization.

Jewish survival defies history, logic, and probability.

You don’t need to be born into greatness, but you do need to choose it.

Judaism isn’t meant to be admired from a distance, it’s meant to be lived.

The real question isn’t what did Jethro hear? It’s what are we hearing—and what are we doing about it?

#Jewish #Judaism #Torah #Bible #BibleStudy #TorahLessons #Jethro #FromFanToPlayer #JewishIdentity #TorahLife #PurposeOverComfort #LivingJudaism #JewishResilience #WhyBeJewish #KabbalahForEveryone #RabbiBernath #JewishNDG #MeaningOverConvenience #StepIntoTheStory

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

Send us a text

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 inspiration.

Held in the days leading up to Yom Kippur, this wasn’t just a discussion about forgiveness, it was an exploration of freedom. Together, Rabbi Bernath and Ilana unpack the heart of The Forgiveness Experiment:

Why forgiveness isn’t about excusing harm. Why it’s not spiritual bypassing. And why, sometimes, forgiveness is the bravest form of self-respect.

What unfolds is honest, funny, vulnerable, and deeply human. Stories are shared. Assumptions are challenged. And the room slowly softens.

This conversation and the book weaves together Jewish wisdom, lived experience, and psychological insight, offering a grounded, compassionate approach to letting go of pain without losing your truth.

If you’ve ever wondered: Why is forgiveness so hard? Is it possible to forgive without minimizing what happened? What if forgiveness is something I do for myself, not for them?

This conversation is for you.

Since that night, The Forgiveness Experiment has become a #1 bestseller on Amazon, and Rabbi Bernath has traveled across North America sharing its message.

Recorded live at the Montreal Book Launch at Rohr Chabad NDG on September 28, 2025

Filmed and recorded by Yehuda Chiche

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

It's also available on Amazon just about everywhere else, UK, Australia, Europe...

The audiobook is on the way and will be released next week.

If you’d like to take this work a step further check out www.forgivenessbook.org

If this conversation resonates, consider subscribing, sharing, or leaving a review. Your voice helps this message travel further.

#Forgi

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi