Social
Menu
  1. Home
  2. /
  3. Mendel's Messages
no comments

Shofar-Less But Shabbos-Full!

Some years ago we shared and posted a glimpse into the Chassidic teaching of “A Shofar-Less Rosh Hashanah when it falls on Shabbos”. See that post for a little of the deep dive into why we don’t blow Shofar … Read the rest

...
no comments

AI and Teshuva’s Transformative Change

No doubt that one of the most talked about things going into Rosh Hashanah 5787/2026 is all the buzz around AI, on a national scale and for personal use, in academic and in work settings, for and against, its opportunities … Read the rest

...
no comments

Rosh Hashanah 2026 on 9/11 – History or Memory?

It so happens that Rosh Hashanah 5787/2026 falls on September 11th, the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks on 9/11. Given that it’s now the quarter century anniversary/commemoration there’s more emphasis on 9/11 this year. What messages can we learn … Read the rest

...
no comments

A Memorable Brunch with Dr. Tzvi Yehudah Victor Sacks

This must have been back in 1998 or 1999. I got a call from R’ Yisrael “Jay” Bindell (a close communal friend and local businessman, who was instrumental in the early 1970s in bringing Chabad to Albany – more about … Read the rest

...
no comments

Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea

At Havdalah and Pizza Ari K. mentioned that he had read Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” over Shabbos. It’s 120+ pages of Hemingway telling the story of an old fisherman who hasn’t caught fish in some 80 days. A … Read the rest

...
no comments

B’Simcha uvTuv Layvov!

A little background first but this is about a verse in Ki-Tavo, that Alter Rebbe focuses on its inverse message in Tanya Chapter 26, and Rebbe used to quote and emphasize this a great deal.

I was ten years old … Read the rest

...
no comments

The “Hashkeefa” Magnifier

There’s an unusual word in Parsha Ki-Tavo: “Hashkeefa” that speaks of G-d gazing down upon us from heaven. Commentaries see that gaze as a “zoomed-in” look. This word has more meaning nowadays, now that we’re familiar with zoom lenses and … Read the rest

...
no comments

Reb Yosef the Coachman

My daughters at the long line of wagons and coaches in the historic museums at the Altamont Fair reminded me this beloved childhood story titled “Reb Yosef the Coachman”. You can read the children’s version here “The Coachman” on Chabad.org… Read the rest

...
no comments

Helping the Overloaded Donkey

If you see your fellow’s donkey or ox overburdened and fallen on the road, you must not ignore it; instead you must help raise it together. (Ki Teitzei—Deut 22:4)

The Torah portion for UAlbany’s Opening Weekend and the Welcome Shabbat … Read the rest

...
no comments

25 Years since the Jerusalem Sbarro Bombing

Sbarros isn’t a Kosher eatery in America, but back in 2001 it was a popular Kosher eatery in the heart of Jerusalem, on the corner of King George and Jaffa streets. On the fateful date of August 9, 2001, it … Read the rest

...
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182
Next