Thu, 24 Sep 2026 07:34:04 -0700WeeblyFri, 14 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/no-such-thing-as-a-small-jewToday we concluded the last day of Camp Gan Israel in Sioux Falls! This is our third year offering the day camp here in town, and the cheers and happy voices of the campers filled the streets throughout an incredible week. They learned more about mitzvahs such as Tzedaka and Shabbat and about Hashem. Most importantly, they made some new friends and developed a stronger Jewish identity and sense of community. 
For some of the children, this experience was particularly meaningful, as they might be the only Jewish child in their class, grade, or even their entire school. 
This reminded me of a story from 1984 on the Caribbean island of Curaçao. Eli Groisman was the only Jewish child in his school, and as he retold it, things weren’t always easy; he often felt small and lonely:
“I had a very difficult time at school. Although I was brought up in a non-observant household… non-Jewish students picked fights with me, and I even felt that my teachers and the school's principal were taking their side. When I reached 7th grade… I started skipping school. I spent my days playing golf at the nearby golf club, returning to the school grounds in time to meet my father, who drove me home every day.”
Groisman eventually confided in his parents about his struggles. His father was devastated and spoke to the principal, but nothing seemed to help. He went to the Synagogue, where he broke down in tears, praying that G-d would help his child.
Around that time, the Rebbe dispatched two Chabad rabbis to Curaçao to visit the small Jewish community there. When Groisman met them, he was in shock. It seemed miraculous, he said, that they arrived just when he needed them most. The rabbis uplifted the Groisman family and arranged for the young boy to spend the summer at Camp Gan Israel in New York.
Before the rabbis returned home, Groisman’s father, Chayim, gave them a note to deliver to the Rebbe, thanking him for sending the rabbis and for his concern, even “for a small Jew from Curaçao.”
The Rebbe’s response came shortly thereafter, thanking Groisman for his wishes, before adding:
“I must take exception to your referring to yourself as: “a small Jew from Curaçao.” There is surely no need to emphasize to you at length that every Jew, man or woman, has a Nefesh Elokis which is a “part of G‑dliness above,” as explained in the Tanya, beginning of chapter two. Thus, there is no such thing as “a small Jew,” and a Jew must never underestimate his or her tremendous potential.”
May each of us, and all humanity, recognize our tremendous potential, and be free from all anxiety, material or spiritual worry, and from anything that might distract us from serving G‑d wholeheartedly and with joy.
]]>Fri, 07 Aug 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/not-an-answer-for-why-bad-things-happen-to-good-peopleOne of the most common questions I’m asked as a rabbi is, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” or some variation of that age-old question. It’s something that bothers people because it is often also very personal. But a more interesting question might be: Why is there evil at all? Why did G-d create it? Why would He allow something that makes life difficult for us to exist?
The roots of this might be found in this week’s Torah portion, where the verse says, “See, I set before you today a blessing and a curse.” G-d tells us that blessing comes from listening to the Torah and mitzvahs, and the curse from rejecting them.
The reason G-d allows evil to exist is so that we can have free choice. If there were no evil, we would not have the ability to choose to do good. We would simply do good as a function of our existence. There would be no virtue or praise for someone who did something good, nor condemnation of someone who chose otherwise.
But this idea goes deeper. When we realize that evil was not created simply to cause us harm, but to give us the opportunity to choose something greater, then even its existence serves a positive purpose and gives us some perspective on why G-d created it. This also gives us the strength not to be deterred by evil. When we know that its existence gives us the opportunity to reject it and choose good, our struggle with it becomes much easier.
Thinking about this has helped me look for the hidden blessings in things I might otherwise immediately see as bad, and pushed me to try to turn those negative things into catalysts for even greater good. 
But perhaps most important are the opening words of the verse: “See, I set before you today.” When we can achieve the mindset that G-d’s words are not just something ancient from the past, but that we can actually “see” that they are actively “before you today,” we will merit G-d’s full blessings for good health, happiness, and prosperity, when all evil will cease to exist with the coming of Moshiach. 
]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/he-didnt-know-another-jew-in-townOver the past few weeks, we welcomed two yeshiva students to South Dakota. They spent time visiting communities across the state and led Shabbat services in Sioux Falls. Like the words of the prophet describing G-d saying, "I will gather you by the hand," the yeshiva students drove over six hours just to meet one Jew, and went from home to home, meeting people where they were, engaging them in Jewish discussion, Torah study, tefillin, and mezuzah.
During their travels, Levi and Leibel had many great experiences and gained a deeper appreciation for Jewish life in rural communities. But the most meaningful moment happened one evening as they were walking down the street in Sioux Falls. All of a sudden, a man ran out of a spa and came up to them. He introduced himself as Shir and was in disbelief. He was shocked to see Jews.
With a mixture of excitement and amazement, he told the yeshiva students that he had moved from Israel to Sioux Falls several months earlier. He was not particularly religious, so when he moved to town he didn't feel the need to reach out or get involved with the local Jewish community. He told them he didn't even know there were Jews in town. It never crossed his mind to look. But he said he had recently been feeling lonely and out of place, though he couldn't really figure out why.
Then, as he was standing in the spa, he saw them through the window, dressed in their Jewish clothing, wearing kippot and tzitzit. He couldn't believe his eyes, so he rushed out to say hello.
After engaging in a lengthy conversion, the two yeshiva students invited him to Chabad for Shabbat services that week. Shir told Levi and Leibel that it would be his first Shabbat service in many years, and his first kiddush and hamotzi since coming to South Dakota. But he felt he wanted to do it.
Following the services, amid the joy of the kiddush and the embrace of the community, Shir asked if he could share a few words. He spoke about how he had never felt as at home as he did now. In Sioux Falls, of all places, he had decided that he wanted to become more involved in Yiddishkeit and reconnect with his faith and traditions.
This week we read the second haftarah of consolation. It begins with the prophet Isaiah describing how the Jewish people say, "The L-rd has forsaken me, and the L-rd has forgotten me," to which G-d replies that He will never forget us: "Can a woman forget her baby, or disown the child of her womb? Though she might forget, I never could forget you."
This fellow may have temporarily forgotten his people, but his people did not forget him. And no matter what, G-d will certainly not forget any of us. As the verse describes G-d saying, “I never could forget you,” and, “It will be on that day that you shall be gathered one by one, O children of Israel.”
]]>Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/america-is-no-differentThis Shabbat coincides with the Fourth of July as America marks its 250th year. 

There is an old story about ships arriving at Ellis Island. Some Jewish immigrants, believing that success in America required leaving the old ways behind, would symbolically throw their tallis and tefillin overboard before docking. Whether literally true or not, the story captures a mindset that many immigrants shared: what was important for Jewish life in the "Old World" was no longer needed in America. Maybe it was even a burden. 

But when Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn arrived on America's shores in 1940, he famously declared, "America iz nit andersh." America is no different. 
He meant that there is no reason to compromise authentic Jewish life here. If our parents and grandparents could remain faithful under persecution, then surely we can remain faithful in a country that guarantees religious liberty and opportunity. That same day he established a yeshiva.  

The Rebbe explained that compromising one's faith and traditions was not only unnecessary, but actually contrary to the ideals that make America great. In writing about public menorah lightings, he said they gave many Jews “a sense of pride in their Yiddishkeit... and the realization that there is no reason, really, in this free country, to hide one’s Jewishness.” On the contrary, he wrote, living openly as a Jew is entirely consistent with America's ideal of E Pluribus Unum, where people of different faiths and backgrounds contribute to the strength of the nation.

Alongside this message, the Rebbe emphasized gratitude for the blessings America has given the Jewish people. He would quote the prophet Jeremiah’s instruction that we: “Seek the welfare of the place in which you live... for in its peace you shall have peace.” 

While this applies wherever Jews live, it carries particular meaning in America, a country that has given us so much. The Rebbe often spoke about what this country had done for him and his family. He expressed deep personal gratitude that America had provided refuge from both Stalin and Hitler. It also enabled his father-in-law to reestablish the Chabad-Lubavitch movement on these shores, from where he would grow into a global movement serving the Jewish people and humanity.

One of America's greatest strengths is that its founding recognized the Creator. As our currency reminds us, "In G-d We Trust." Freedom is one of life's greatest blessings, but freedom without moral responsibility cannot sustain a society. As a free people, we must recognize that our rights and responsibilities come from the Divine Creator. 

Trust in G-d and a spirit of gratitude are two of the foundations that have sustained America's blessings. If we strengthen our trust in G-d and never lose our gratitude for Him and for the freedoms He has granted us, we can help ensure that those blessings continue for generations to come.
​
So as we celebrate Independence Day this week, let us thank Hashem for the blessings of America, pray for its continued peace and prosperity, and use the freedoms we enjoy not just for our personal quality of life, but for the good of others as well, to build stronger Jewish homes, raise proud Jewish children, and live openly and faithfully as Jews. That’s how we show that today, just as the Frierdiker Rebbe said in 1940, “America iz nit andersh.”]]>Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/lessons-from-sioux-falls-elections2344589This week, Sioux Falls made national news. Our mayoral runoff election came down to the wire, with just two ballots separating the candidates. The result is expected to trigger a recount and perhaps even legal challenges. One thing is certain: we likely will not know who our next mayor is for some time.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything a person sees or hears should serve as a lesson in our daily lives and in our service of G-d.
Watching this election unfold reminded me of a passage in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, one the Rebbe quoted perhaps more than any other: 
"A person should always see himself as equally balanced between merit and sin, and the entire world as equally balanced between merit and sin... If he performs one mitzvah, he tips his own balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit, bringing deliverance and salvation to himself and to others."
When we read these words, it sounds nice and inspiring, but it can sound almost too lofty. Does my thought, speech and action really make that much of a difference? Can one small deed really have an impact? Can my single mitzvah really affect the destiny of the world? 
This week's election reminds us that it can.
We clearly see the power of a single ballot, and no doubt many people who didn't vote are wishing they had. A single vote may not seem like much, yet it could have changed the course of an entire city. 
The Rambam tells us to view our own lives the same way. When you offer someone a kind word, you cannot know how deeply it will affect them. When you give tzedakah, you may never know whose life you have changed. And when you put on tefillin, light Shabbat candles, or perform any mitzvah, you may not realize it, but you are doing exactly what the Rambam describes: tipping your own balance, and that of the entire world, to the side of merit.
]]>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/today-is-3-tammuzToday is Gimmel Tammuz, the Rebbe’s yahrzeit.
I was a young child when the Rebbe passed away. We were living in Bournemouth, England, and I had the good fortune that my parents brought me to visit the Rebbe several times as an infant and young toddler. When the Rebbe fell ill, we included a prayer for his recovery every day. It has been many years since then, but the consciousness the Rebbe gave us is still here.
When I walk into the Rebbe’s synagogue at 770, stand near his office, or pray at the Ohel, there is a deep sense of reverence and awe that calls me to be better, to do more, and to engage more deeply. I do not always live up to the standard the Rebbe set, but I am challenged by it. The Rebbe’s message was comforting, but it was also very very demanding. It urged us to take responsibility for ourselves, for one another, and for the world around us. And perhaps most importantly, to never sleep at the wheel. “Man was created to toil,” the Rebbe would often quote from Job. To do any less would be to fall short of the purpose for which we were created.
The Rebbe gave us a sense of safety and purpose. Like an island in time, he created a place of refuge in a turbulent world. More than anything, he gave us a way of seeing ourselves, our fellow Jews, and our responsibility to the world.
For the widow, the Rebbe was a protector. For the orphan, a father figure. For the scholar and academic, an unbiased mentor. For the statesman and diplomat, a trusted source of counsel. And for the everyday person, the Rebbe was a man of the people. Never out of reach, but always able to see beyond the thirty-thousand-foot view. To each person, he gave love, but also a deep sense of accountability.
By living it himself, the Rebbe showed how G-d, through His Torah, gives each of us the blueprint and purpose of our lives. The Rebbe inspired a broken and perplexed people and taught us how to see the redemptive spark in our fellow man, in ourselves, and in the world around us. In the Rebbe’s world, we were not just tiny specks on earth; we were partners with G-d in bringing His purpose into the world.
In the words of the Midrash that the Rebbe quoted so often, G-d desires a dwelling place here on earth. Every act of goodness, every mitzvah, and every effort to bring holiness into daily life helps fulfill that mission.
Here was a man who, having lived through the Bolshevik Revolution, Stalinism, and the Nazis, witnessed some of the worst that humanity has to offer, but never gave up on a single human being. He believed in us, often more than we believed in ourselves.
Thirty-two years after the Rebbe’s passing, his presence and message are still felt strongly. That sense of accountability did not disappear, and the moral compass the Rebbe provided is very much with us. Today, Mussie and I try to carry the Rebbe’s mission and vision forward and to share it with our children. The road ahead is can sometimes seem uncertain, and the challenges can seem larger than our abilities. But the Rebbe taught us to focus less on our limitations and more on our responsibilities.
Just as Caleb trusted that if Moses directed the Jewish people to do something, they could accomplish it, every mission G-d gives us is within our ability to fulfill. The Rebbe never asked us to do the impossible. He challenged us to become the people G-d created us to be. As our Sages describe Caleb’s confidence in Moses: “Even if he were to tell us, ‘Make ladders and climb to the heavens,’ we would succeed.”
So today, on Gimmel Tammuz, join me in doing a mitzvah in honor of the Rebbe. Thirty-two years later, his voice still calls on us to do more, care more, and become more. May his holy soul continue to inspire us to bring more goodness, kindness, and holiness into our world.
]]>Fri, 12 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/reflections-from-the-living-legacy-conferenceThis week, I spent two days in Washington, D.C., attending the Living Legacy Conference. The gathering celebrated the Rebbe's contributions to the Jewish people and humanity while marking the 85th anniversary of the Rebbe and Rebbetzin's arrival in the United States and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
The Rebbe was always grateful for the blessings America provided him: a safe haven and fertile ground upon which to transplant and rebuild the Chabad movement, much of which had been decimated by Stalin and Hitler.
Throughout the program, we heard from elected officials, foreign ambassadors, peace negotiators, and academics, about the state of Jewish life across the United States and around the world. Breakfast was held in the Senate Judiciary Committee Hearing Room in the Hart Senate Office Building, and lunch was held at the State Department.
One highlight was a lecture at the Library of Congress on Chassidic philosophy. Rabbi Justice Marcus Solomon, a judge of the Supreme Court of Western Australia, addressed the nature of antisemitism and the Rebbe's approach to confronting it. He drew upon the biblical account of Jacob's fear of Esau's desire to kill him, and their ultimate reconciliation. (I reached out to his office and requested a transcript, which I hope to share here once I receive it.)
In his words, while governments and institutions often focus on commissions of inquiry, new legislation, or Holocaust education, the Rebbe recognized that antisemitism is a natural reality that will only end when the Moshiach comes. Until then, no inquiry will uncover anything new, and no law will eliminate the hatred. Still, the Rebbe believed that reconciliation was possible. Like the reconciliation between Jacob and Esau, it will not come through protests, diminishing our Jewish practices to match others, or trying to educate the antisemite, but through Jews being uncompromising in our commitment to Torah and living unapologetically as Jews.
As examples, Solomon cited French President Georges Pompidou, who imposed an arms embargo on Israel during a critical period, and U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, who was long viewed as one of Israel's harshest critics in the U.S. Senate but later became one of its strongest allies. In both instances, he said, the Rebbe advocated maintaining a firm Jewish position while preserving diplomatic relations, viewing this as the most effective way to influence others.
The final dinner was held at the Organization of American States, with military leaders in attendance. The U.S. Army Band performed the National Anthem. The parents of Edan Alexander, the last American hostage to be freed from Gaza, spoke about their visit to the Rebbe's Ohel and how it gave them hope in their darkest hour.
As I left Washington, I thought of the contrast between the challenges facing our people and the strength and vitality of Jewish life today. Eighty-five years after the Rebbe arrived on America's shores with little more than faith and determination, his vision continues to inspire and shape communities. The conference was a testament to how that vision continues to bear fruit, not only in Jewish life, but in the broader society that gave it room to flourish.
]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/lessons-from-sioux-falls-electionsThis week, Sioux Falls made national news. Our mayoral runoff election came down to the wire, with just two ballots separating the candidates. The result is expected to trigger a recount and perhaps even legal challenges. One thing is certain: we likely will not know who our next mayor is for some time.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything a person sees or hears should serve as a lesson in our daily lives and in our service of G-d.
Watching this election unfold reminded me of a passage in Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, one the Rebbe quoted perhaps more than any other: 
"A person should always see himself as equally balanced between merit and sin, and the entire world as equally balanced between merit and sin... If he performs one mitzvah, he tips his own balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit, bringing deliverance and salvation to himself and to others."
When we read these words, it sounds nice and inspiring, but it can sound almost too lofty. Does my thought, speech and action really make that much of a difference? Can one small deed really have an impact? Can my single mitzvah really affect the destiny of the world? 
This week's election reminds us that it can.
We clearly see the power of a single ballot, and no doubt many people who didn't vote are wishing they had. A single vote may not seem like much, yet it could have changed the course of an entire city. 
The Rambam tells us to view our own lives the same way. When you offer someone a kind word, you cannot know how deeply it will affect them. When you give tzedakah, you may never know whose life you have changed. And when you put on tefillin, light Shabbat candles, or perform any mitzvah, you may not realize it, but you are doing exactly what the Rambam describes: tipping your own balance, and that of the entire world, to the side of merit.
]]>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 07:00:00 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/what-im-learning-from-the-artemis-missionThe big thing in the news these days is the Artemis mission, it feels like it comes up in every conversation. In general there’s a real fascination with space exploration and we apparently even have better satellite maps of Mars and the Moon than we do of the ocean.
The Baal Shem Tov taught that everything a person sees or hears is part of the Divine plan, and carries a lesson for our own lives. As we follow the Artemis mission, beyond the science and discoveries, there is also something here for us to learn. With the four astronauts currently in flight, here are three lessons the Rebbe taught during the earlier Apollo missions:
1. G-d has given each one of us a purpose and mission in this world. Just like an astronaut cannot suddenly decide his role is somewhere else, and the engineer in Mission Control cannot switch places either, for the mission to succeed each person must do their specific task. So too in our lives, we must strive to do precisely what G-d wants of us, and not try to turn it into something else.
2. Astronauts carry enormous responsibility. A mission costing billions and built over decades depends on the actions of a single individual. They cannot rely on others or assume everything is already in place. Every detail must be followed carefully, since even a small deviation can jeopardize the entire mission. The same is true in our lives. Each of us has a role that G-d has prescribed, and it matters that we fulfill it with care and precision.
3. One of the challenges in rocket design was achieving liftoff and escaping Earth’s orbit. The thrust required demands large amounts of fuel, but that creates a cycle: the more fuel you carry, the heavier the rocket becomes, which in turn requires even more fuel. The solution was the multi-stage Saturn rocket, which sheds its empty sections during flight. In the same way, just as a rocket must release what is no longer needed in order to rise higher, a person must let go of unnecessary and outdated habits to grow and reach higher spiritual goals.
While we work to incorporate these in our life, let us wish them success in their mission and pray for a safe and successful return this evening.
]]>Sun, 15 Mar 2026 20:53:48 GMThttps://www.jewishsd.org/rabbiblog/podcast-hosts-detroit-and-the-third-templeThis week has been a whirlwind. We have seen horror, and we have seen miracles. We have seen the very worst of humanity, and we have seen its best.
Last week, and again this week, Tucker Carlson went on another one of his evil tirades in his disdain of Jews. Full of lies and conspiracies as usual, this time he singled out Chabad as somehow being behind the war in Iran and America’s involvement in it. Chabad is dangerous, he told his followers, they are everywhere and they support violence against innocents. 
Really. That is what he told millions of people.
Just yesterday, we saw an Islamic terrorist ram his car, loaded with weapons, into Temple Israel in Detroit, where there were about 150 children on site at the time.
I know Detroit well. I lived there for three years. A friend of ours recently enrolled their four toddler in that school.
If the attack itself was not bad enough, to add insult to injury, there have already been subtle attempts to contextualize, justify, and explain the attack. “His brothers were killed by Israel in Lebanon” without of course mentioning they were active Hezbollah terrorists. Or “Temple Israel was founded in 1941 and dedicated to the formation of a Jewish state,” this from the New York Times. Or “It was an 'Israel' synagogue. Its very name is Temple 'Israel',” said on a television show.
Can you imagine a white supremacist attack followed by editorials explaining that it happened because of this or that reason, or a tragic school shooting being explained away? I can’t. But somehow when it comes to the Jews, it is different.
So yes, we have been given another painful reminder of the very worst of humanity. This is part of galut. As we say in the opening words of Vehi Sheamda at the Seder “in every generation they rise up against us.” 
But we have also seen miracles, and we need to recognize them and thank G-d for them. What are the odds that in the planned attack in Detroit not one child, community member, or staff member was killed or injured?
This itself is another powerful reminder that even amidst the horror, G-d still watches over us. As King David says in Psalms “Had it not been for the L-rd Who was with us when men rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us raw when their anger was kindled against us.”
And locally here we have also seen the very best. This morning we received a donation from someone I had never heard of. I called him to thank him and asked what led him our way. He said it may sound strange, but he heard what Tucker had said this week and was so disgusted and outraged that he decided he had to do something positive rather than just be angry. So he reached out to his local Chabad to make a donation.
This is an important lesson for all of us. We should be thankful and appreciative of those who stand with us. We must also recognize G-d’s miracles and blessings around us, here at home and in the Holy Land of Israel, and turn our pain and frustration into more goodness and positivity. Not only does this make the world a better place, it makes our own lives better as well, ultimately leading to the final words of Vehi Sheamda, “But the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers us from their hands,” with the coming of Moshiach.
​P.S. There has been much discussion recently about the Beit Hamikdash and the rebuilding of the Third Temple. I think you may find this article on the topic informative.
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