Rabbi's Blog - The Shul of Bellaire

Can You Stay Jewish in the Real World?

Friday, December 26, 2025 - 4:44 PM

Who is your favorite biblical character?

When I ask this question, one answer I hear again and again is Joseph. What is it about Joseph that makes him so unique?

There has long been a debate about the best way to live as a Jew. Some believe that to remain true to Judaism, one must withdraw from the surrounding culture so it does not distract or compromise one’s commitment to Jewish life. Others argue the opposite: that we must fully assimilate, become citizens of the world and keep a measure of Judaism but confined to the privacy of our homes.

Each approach has its pitfalls. The first misses Judaism’s mission, to influence and elevate the world. The second compromises Jewish identity itself.

Joseph shows us a third path. The only true one.

He was fully immersed in Egyptian society, serving as Prime Minister and engaging deeply with the people and their needs. Yet this did not compromise his commitment to Judaism even slightly. He remained steadfast in his values and raised two sons who were proud Jews, even in that environment.

Joseph teaches us that we can live within the world while remaining above it.

This idea is beautifully symbolized by the oil of the Menorah. Oil penetrates everything it touches, yet it never truly mixes or loses its identity. It always rises to the top. A Jew, too, can engage fully with the world while remaining distinct, elevated, and faithful.

You stand out only by being different. When we become like everyone else, we disappear. But we are here for a reason. Our ability to elevate the world and teach humanity G-d-given values exists only when we are recognizable as proud Jews with a mission.

What does this look like in practice? Enjoy your vacations like everyone else, but make the effort to enjoy a meal at a Kosher restaurant, visit a Jewish site, or seek out a local synagogue. Live fully in the world, but do so proudly and visibly as a Jew.

Globalize the… Light of Chanukah

Friday, December 19, 2025 - 5:19 PM

There is not a Jew in the world, nor any decent human being, who was not shaken by the recent events in Sydney, Australia. The pain is real and the grief is deep. Yet this tragedy did not cause us, nor the thousands of Chabad celebrations across the world, to retreat or cancel. On the contrary, we responded as Jews always have, with faith, strength, and resolve.

At the same time, we know something about human nature. With time, the sharpness of the pain will fade. Headlines change. Life moves forward.

But moments like this are meant to change us.

They call on us not only to feel, but to act. Not only to mourn, but to strengthen everything our enemies set out to destroy. Our Jewish identity. Our pride. Our commitment. In ways that endure long after the news cycle moves on from Sydney. The response cannot be fleeting emotion alone. It must be lasting commitment.

We learn this lesson from the Biblical Joseph. During the seven years of abundance, he instructed the people of Egypt to store grain for the years of famine that would follow. Our sages explain that Joseph preserved the grain together with some of the very soil in which it grew, so that it would retain its freshness and vitality for years to come.

So too with us. The shock and pain we feel now must be translated into action. The loss of these holy and innocent victims must not be in vain. Let it become an impetus for each of us to identify more deeply and more tangibly as Jews. To explore more. To learn more. To do more. Starting with observing the remaining days of Chanukah by lighting your Menorah at home, until Sunday evening with all eight candles.

That is how we honor their memory. That is how we ensure that the unprecedented light of Chanukah 2025 does not dim, even after the Menorahs are put away for the year ahead. When they say: Globalize the intifada, we say: Globalize the light of Chanukah!

May G-d comfort the bereaved, heal the injured, and bring consolation to a hurting community, with the permanent eradication of evil and the swift arrival of our ultimate redemption, Amen.

Are You Just Breaking Even?

Friday, December 5, 2025 - 2:56 PM

When someone goes into business, they invest time, energy and money with one goal. Not just to come out intact, not just to break even, but to turn a profit. To end with more than they started.

Life as a Jew is not always easy. Kosher food can be more expensive. Attending services or Torah classes stretches our schedules. Our charitable responsibilities stretch our wallets. And especially in the last two years, with the Jewish people under attack both in the media and on the streets, it can feel as if simply surviving would already be a victory.

But here is the thing. The Jewish people were not created just to survive. We were not chosen merely to withstand whatever comes our way. Survival is essential, but it is not our purpose.

We are here to change the world for the better. To be a light to the nations. To show what it means to live with faith, integrity, compassion, and commitment. To model a life touched by G-d and shaped by higher values.

Some days, survival feels like an achievement in itself. But if all we do is survive, we fall short of why we are here.

Jacob understood this deeply. During his long and difficult twenty-two year journey under the crooked Laban, he did not simply endure hardship and return home intact. He elevated his surroundings. He transformed darkness into light. He made a spiritual profit.

To be a light to the nations, we too must first uncover the light within ourselves and make it visible. We do that by looking into the Torah, by living its Mitzvot, and especially through the teachings of Chassidut that reveal the soul, the inner spark within every person and within reality itself. When that light is revealed, it naturally shines outward, reaching our families, our communities, and ultimately the world.

And in that shining, we do more than endure the darkness. We transform it.

And on that note, now is the time to make sure you have what you need to celebrate Chanukah, both in your home and by sharing the light outward, proudly and publicly.