From The Desk of Rabbi Yehuda - Chabad Lubavitch of Westport

Happily Ever After!

Friday, April 24, 2026 - 10:00 AM

Every good story finishes with the words, “and they lived happily ever after”.

What is “after”?

Well, that depends on what the before was and where our values lie.

I thought of this as I saw a moving photo of Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu wearing the Tefillin of fallen lone soldier Sean Carmeli earlier this week on Yom Hazikaron.

“When I put on his tefillin, I feel the profound connection between the generations… between a quiet prayer and an act of self-sacrifice beyond compare,” he wrote, adding that he offered “a silent prayer… in memory of all our fallen, and for the future of our people.

After. Utterly meaningless without having a profound before and an enduring eternal tomorrow.

After. Continuity. Dor L’dor. Eternity.

Judaism is all about the after. We’ve been handed the amazing and transcendent Heritage that stretches back almost 4000 years and experienced with dedication, devotion and self sacrifice throughout the millennia in order to create the today which ensures an after.

After is in our hands whether we can quantify it or not. We’ve been graced with the opportunity and honor to create an “after” for our families, communities, future generations — we are the products of the after that preceded us!

Sean Carmeli was an American lone soldier. He electively joined the IDF defending the “after”, ultimately giving his very life — may his memory be for a blessing and continue inspiring.

After. What a powerful word not for its relativism rather for its ability to link the past with the future.

At the end of the day that’s what Am Yisrael has been doing for millennia — creating the “after”, today!

With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yehuda & Dina Kantor

P.S. Hear the story amazing connection with Sean Carmeli Tefillin and Camp Gan Israel. Powerful!

P.P.S. Are you a golfer? Join our Golf Outing it’s a great time and a great cause— Here. Or support the event — here.

P.P.P.S. The name of one of this weeks Parsha is “Acharie “ which means after. It tells of laws given after the passing of the two sons of Aaron. Here’s a link to read more about the Parsha to connect with the timelessness of Torah .

Time Out!

Friday, April 17, 2026 - 10:00 AM

It’s the new normal. Lately I’ve been chatting with bots.

Sometimes I don’t even know it’s a bot. So much for my sixth sense …

It seems so realistic until it isn’t. Admittedly it could be helpful yet It’s simply not like chatting with a real person.

Like, can a bot gossip?

Strange proof you may be thinking. Yet a quick perusal of this week’s Torah portion will illuminate this example.

You see, the Torah relates of a particular skin ailment that results from gossiping and chatting about others — the consequence of which the afflicted person requiring being quarantining outside the living area. ( thankfully this no longer happens).

It’s not quarantine in the medical sense as it wasn’t a medical ailment it was one of a spiritual nature. It was quarantine for the benefit of sitting alone and reflecting on behavior. Sort of like time-out. Quite progressive if you think about it.

It suddenly occurs to me, bots also don’t have time-out. How could they? They can't self reflect…

At the end of the day, human behavior is one that can stumble and at the same time it can repair and rebuild. Human are, well let’s just say human and that means we aren’t perfect and that’s just fine because that’s what life is all about and that’s the way Gd designed us. Yet it’s not the way Gd encourages us to remain.

We are here to live. To live is to be human. To be human is to work on perfecting. Our selves, our surroundings —and by extension the entire world.

Turns out, bots can be quite helpful but they can’t gossip and that is a problem!

Precisely!

Friday, April 10, 2026 - 10:00 AM

Passover concluded last night. Eight days of celebrating “Jewish Nationhood” with family and friends themed on where the Jewish nation originated and the Divine and deliberate nature of our journey ever since.

This Pesach was different however. With Israel at war, hunkering down in shelters for large periods of time at unearthly hours, sifting through the pain and challenge to extract the light and the miracles —provided an added challenge.

Yet that’s precisely what the essence and energy of Passover is all about. Freedom is earned. Light is extracted. Faith is nurtured. Trust is fostered and Hope serving as the eternal foundational belief sustaining us is imbued in our soul.

Yet on the concluding day of Pesach we add one more ingredient to the basket of our existence — the belief in a Messianic era. No war, no jealousy — peace and tranquility the norm —with our pursuits focusing on a higher level of living. The rat race in the rear view mirror and maximum appreciation and discernment of a higher, transcendent power, all the focus. What a glorious ending to Pesach!

What’s the secret of Jewish endurance and survival?

Whilst it may take volumes of books to wade through all the theories and ruminations that have been suggested — just experiencing one Passover and living it year round, answers it in the most unequivocal way with all arrows pointing undoubtedly to a bright and vibrant future — Am Yisrael Chai!

With best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom,