Rabbi Yisroel Bernath unpacks a fascinating teaching: why does G-d reject the idea of a single-stone altar? At first glance it’s just about ancient rituals, but the deeper message is timeless. Real faith and real life can’t be built on “one stone” one path, one perspective, one style. True oneness comes from many stones joined together. This class explores how individuality and diversity aren’t just tolerated by G-d, they are essential to His plan.

Key Takeaways

• Oneness ≠ sameness: G-d is One, but He created a world of diversity.
• The danger of single-stone thinking: When we make faith, truth, or life only in our image, we exclude everyone else.
• The power of many stones: Each person carries a unique piece of truth, and together we make the divine symphony whole.
• Celebrating difference: Authentic spirituality means honoring the uniqueness of others, not fearing it.
• Practical takeaway: Stop trying to make others fit your mold; instead, see how their “stone” adds to the altar of life.

#diversity #Judaism #Jewish #Torah #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #BibleStudy #oneness #individuality #Unity #Faith #community #pluralism #spiritualgrowth #beloning #community 

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Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] or http://www.theloverabbi.com

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The 5-Step Program of Spiritual Courtship, Engagement, Marriage, Honeymoon, and Real Life: Discovering the Divine Romance in Our Lives

In this sermon, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores the deep and mystical relationship between G-d and the Jewish people, likened to a sacred marriage. Drawing from Kabbalistic and Chassidic teachings, Rabbi Bernath delves into the spiritual phases of this divine union, paralleling it with the milestones of human relationships: courtship, engagement, marriage, honeymoon, and the day-to-day reality of married life. Through the lens of the High Holiday season, this episode offers a journey of rejuvenating our connection with G-d, culminating in the ultimate intimacy that shapes our everyday existence.

Takeaways:

1. Courtship with G-d: The month of Elul as a time of divine dating, where G-d meets us in our natural state, inviting us to connect authentically.
2. Engagement Proposal: Rosh Hashanah as the moment of commitment, where G-d proposes a deeper relationship, and we respond with the cry of the Shofar.
3. Marriage Ceremony: Yom Kippur as the day of divine union, where we fast, atone, and solidify our eternal bond with G-d.
4. Celebration and Intimacy: The festivals of Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, and Simchat Torah as the celebration and intimate consummation of our relationship with the Divine.
5. Real-Life Relationship: The month of Cheshvan as the time to nurture our ongoing relationship with G-d in the everyday moments, discovering the sacred in the ordinary.

#Spiritual #Judaism #Jewish #HIghHolidays #RoshHashana #RoshHashanah #Yom kIppur #Kabbalah #Torah #chabad #mysticism #sukkot #simchatorah

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Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] or http://www.theloverabbi.com

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In this class, Rabbi Bernath drew a powerful line from Hitler’s Germany to Hamas today, using a hidden diary entry of the Lubavitcher Rebbe dated September 11, 1941. The Rebbe reflected on why kosher fish require both fins and scales, teaching that these symbolize two essential traits for Jewish life: ambition (fins) and integrity (scales).

-Nazi Germany had ambition without integrity — brilliance used for destruction.

-Radical Islam represents integrity without ambition — piety warped into death and stagnation.

-The Jewish mission is to embody both: to live with moral armor and to harness our talents fully, so we don’t just survive, we shine.

The lesson is timeless: G-d doesn’t only want us to be “good”; He wants us to transform the world with goodness, courage, and light.

Key Takeaways

1. Integrity without ambition leads to stagnation or fanaticism.
2. Ambition without integrity leads to brilliance that destroys.
3. A kosher life = both: moral protection (scales) + bold drive (fins).
4. Jewish history and today’s crises prove: our task is to shine with values intact.
5. G-d calls us not only to resist evil, but to increase Torah, life, and light.

#Israel #Hamas #Judaism #Torah #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #BibleStudy #Bible #Morality #Jewish #chabad #Rabbi #Rabbiyisroelbernath #yisroelbernath #fins #scales #October7 #Kosher #koshersigns #LightOverDarkness 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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.

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I just returned from the JLI Retreat in Washington DC, at retreat at around 1:30am on Saturday night, I sat down with Jeffrey Warner, a university student from Arizona who has been listening to my podcasts for a long time. Our conversation about life, love, relationships, and so much more was raw and real, the kind of talk that reminds you what it means to be human.

Jeffrey brought honesty, courage, and an open heart to this dialogue. We explored the struggles and joys that come with being young, building relationships, and searching for purpose. It’s not polished, it’s not scripted, it’s simply real. And I’m so excited for you to spend this time with us.

---

Support Jeffrey and His Family

Jeffrey’s story doesn’t end with this conversation. His family is facing a heartbreaking reality. In September 2024, his father suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed, while his mother continues her long battle with Multiple Sclerosis. Both now require 24/7 care. Jeffrey and his siblings, all full-time students, are doing everything they can to keep their parents safe and supported, but the need is overwhelming.

If this conversation touched you, please consider helping Jeffrey and his family in this urgent time of need.

👉 Donate to the Warner Family GoFundMe

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

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Why was Joseph, the viceroy of Egypt, buried in the Land of Israel, while Moses, the greatest Jewish leader in history, was not?

In this timely and emotionally-charged class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath unpacks a Midrashic conversation between Moses and G-d that reveals something deeper than geography: the power of Jewish identity without shame. Joseph never let go of his roots, even when it cost him everything. Moses, for reasons of his own, allowed others to misidentify him.

What emerges is not a critique, but a calling.

This is a class about Eretz Yisroel, yes. But it’s also a class about spiritual backbone, about moral clarity, and about what it means to be a proud Jew in a world that often wants us to shrink.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Being “too Jewish” is never the problem, being disconnected is.
Joseph’s merit was his unapologetic loyalty to Israel, even in exile.
Spiritual identity is not something we rent. It’s who we are.
Moses was not punished, he simply wasn’t a fit for a mission he didn’t fully embody.
Today, being a Joseph means embracing our role as G-d’s ambassadors, even in the toughest rooms.
Israel is not just a land—it’s the soul’s homeland. Even from across the globe, we are rooted there.
When we stop apologizing for our presence, our light begins to shine.

#Israel #Judaism #Jewish #Zionism #EretzYisrael #Midrash #Moses #Joseph #IsraelHamas #IsraelWar #MoralClarity #JewishHistory #Torah #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #torahwisdom #torahpsychology #BibleStudy #Bible #BiblicalCrticism 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

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onight, in a darkened room lit only by the soft flicker of individual candles, over a hundred souls gathered in sacred stillness for Eicha by Candlelight. This was not just an event, it was a ritual of remembrance, a meditation on exile, and a quiet act of spiritual defiance.

Rabbi Yisroel Bernath opened the evening with a heart-stirring monologue, inviting us not to perform grief, but to hold it. To slow down. To soften. To sit low with history and let the silence speak.

Rabbi Yosh Berkowicz then chanted Megillat Eicha, Lamentations, in its original Hebrew, each verse a cry from the Prophet Jeremiah that echoed through centuries of loss—and resilience. Participants followed along in English, or simply let the rhythm wash over them like waves of collective memory.

Following the reading, Rabbi Bernath led a reflective journey through Jewish history, from the destruction of both Temples to the Crusades, from the Spanish Expulsion to the Holocaust—framing Tisha B’Av not only as a night of mourning, but as an ongoing thread of survival and spiritual resistance.

A deeply moving segment explored the story of the Conversos—Jews forced to hide their faith in 15th-century Spain. Their secret fasts, their quiet mitzvot, and their admiration for Queen Esther became metaphors for our own inner strength. Esther, the hidden heroine, became theirs—and perhaps ours.

From there, the group entered a sacred space of reflection with personal prompts. Participants journaled, sat in silence, or shared memories and prayers aloud in a gentle, optional open-mic circle. Candles flickered. Tears flowed. And still—hope rose.

Three Prophets, Three Eichas, One Call to Action
Rabbi Bernath wove together the three biblical voices that cry out “Eicha”—Moses, Isaiah, and Jeremiah. Each saw the Jewish people at a different point: in their dignity, in their moral decline, and in their devastation.

 Each Eicha reminds us: the question isn’t just historical, it’s existential.

 “How can I carry this alone?”

 “How can it be that righteousness has been replaced by ruin?”

 And…

 “How can it be that a holy city sits in desolation?”

The Rebbe taught that we are the answer. That we must turn the Eicha of exile into the Eicha of leadership. That each of us is a shliach, a messenger, charged with rebuilding—one mitzvah, one soul, one light at a time.

 As the evening closed, Rabbi Bernath reminded us:

“We’ve sat together in the ruins. We’ve cried the ancient cries.
 But we’r

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

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On the night of the 9th of Av, our ancestors cried tears of despair—tears the Talmud calls “בכיה של חנם”, baseless weeping. G-d’s response wasn’t punitive, it was prophetic: “You wept in vain, and this day will be one of tears for generations.” But what were they really crying about? And why do we still cry?

This class explores the roots of generational trauma in the Jewish psyche, from the fear of the spies to the quiet despair echoing through the Jewish community today. We'll dive deep into the psychological and spiritual scars left by centuries of exile, oppression, and self-doubt and discover how fear can shape reality more powerfully than facts.

Using Torah, Talmud, Chassidut, and modern psychological insight, we’ll unpack how vain tears become real sorrow—and how breaking the cycle starts with reclaiming our Divine power. From elephants in the circus to Harvard psychology experiments, this session will challenge you to reframe your internal narrative, discard inherited limitations, and begin the long-awaited journey from grief to redemption.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• The Origin of Tisha B’Av: Understand the deeper meaning behind the “vain tears” of our ancestors and why this night became one of generational grief.
• Trauma as Inheritance: Discover how Jewish despair today is often rooted not in current events, but in stories, beliefs, and fears passed down through generations.
• The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Learn how our perception of self shapes our destiny—and why seeing ourselves as grasshoppers ensures others will too.
• From Powerlessness to Purpose: Gain tools to shift from victimhood to empowerment, and how G-d never asks us to face a challenge without first giving us the strength to overcome it.
• Healing the Diaspora Spirit: Explore how our generation can begin to break the cycle of inherited fear and transform Tisha B’Av into a festival of light.

#TishaBav #VainTears #GenerationalTrauma #Bible #BibleStudy #spies #TorahLessons #TorahPortion #Torah #Devarim #Deutoronomy #inneregypt 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

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This class explores one of the Torah’s most striking rebukes, Moses’ fiery confrontation with the tribes of Reuben and Gad and uncovers why they chose silence over self-defense. Through this encounter and a powerful Chassidic story about the Sefas Emes, Rabbi Bernath examines why we often recoil at criticism and how to reframe it as a holy opportunity for growth.

From Moses to modern marriage, from a misunderstood heretic to the Maggid of Mezritch, we dive into the soul’s secret defense system and how to disarm it with self-worth, humility, and Chassidic wisdom.

Takeaways:

1. The power of silence: Sometimes, it’s more spiritually transformative to listen to criticism than to justify ourselves, especially when it comes from someone wise.
2. Criticism doesn’t define you: When you know your core worth, you can absorb criticism without collapsing.
3. Not all rebuke is rejection: Moses’ rebuke was intense, but it came from leadership and love.
4. Marriage tip: Your spouse’s critique might not be a judgment, it might be a chance to expand your perspective.
5. The Maggid’s wisdom: True self-esteem is found when neither praise nor criticism defines your value.
6. Criticism is holy rain: It should nourish, not erode. But to receive it, we need rooted self-worth.

#Bible #Torah #criticism #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #BibleStudy #Moses #selfesteem #God #self-esteem #sefasemes #maggid #solomonmaimon #humility #personalgrowth #Spiritual #spiritualleadership #emotionalresilience #torahwisdom 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

In this eye-opening session, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores one of the most profound and misunderstood topics of all time: What is G-d? Moving beyond simplistic childhood images of a supernatural sky-being, we delve into Jewish, Chassidic, philosophical, and even scientific perspectives on the Divine. Drawing from thinkers like Einstein and the Alter Rebbe, this class gently unpacks a paradoxical truth: G-d is not less than personal, but also infinitely more than any person. Whether you’re a believer, skeptic, or somewhere in between, this is a class that will stretch your mind and open your heart.

Takeaways:

Not All “G-ds" Are the Same
The God that many reject may not be the G-d Torah and Kabbalah actually describe.

Beyond Supernatural vs. Natural
Judaism sees G-d not as a supernatural being outside nature, but as the source and essence of all existence, both within and beyond nature.

Personal and Infinite
G-d is not a person, but also not less than personal. The Divine is both the cosmic Author and the intimate Listener.

Language & Metaphor Matter
The Torah uses varied metaphors to relate to G-d, each revealing a facet, none capturing the whole.

G-d Is Experienced, Not Just Explained
You may not "prove" G-d like a theorem—but you can encounter G-d in awe, in kindness, in Torah, and in the quiet moments of the soul.

#God #theology #thegodquestion #chassidus #Kabbalah #chabad #Spinoza #einstein #jewishphilosophy #Faith #personalgod #infinite #soul 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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

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

In this gripping journey through Parshat Balak, Rabbi Bernath reveals the hidden spiritual war behind the political drama. Balak, king of Moav, turns to the infamous prophet Bilaam to curse Israel—but instead, Bilaam becomes an unwitting conduit for some of the most beautiful blessings in Torah. From the fall of Sichon and Og to the rise of Pinchas, this class explores how even our enemies testify to our eternal strength—and how every darkness can be transformed into light.

Takeaways

Spiritual Warfare: The real battle wasn’t fought with swords, it was waged in the heavens. Balak understood the power of spiritual energy and tried to use it against the Jews.

Power of Blessing: Bilaam, despite himself, delivered the deepest praises of the Jewish people, because truth isn’t controlled by ego, but by G-d.

The Danger Within: When external curses failed, Bilaam exploited internal weakness—seduction and immorality. The greatest danger often comes from within.

Transformation is Inevitable: Even klipah (spiritual husks) serve holiness in the end. Bilaam’s blessings live on—while his plots fade into oblivion.

Identity is Non-Negotiable: The Jewish soul cannot be cursed. Our truth is eternal, our connection Divine, and our mission unshakable—even our enemies admit it.

#ParshatBalak #Balak #Judaism #Torah #Bible #BibleStudy #Bilaam #Moav #Moshiach #Curses #Prophecy #Parsha #TorahPortion #TorahLessons #TorahPortion 

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Fit, Healthy & Happy Podcast
Welcome to the Fit, Healthy and Happy Podcast hosted by Josh and Kyle from Colossus...

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Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at [email protected] 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