News Blog

This past Saturday, on the last day of Passover as we prepared to recite the Yizkor Memorial Prayer at the Chabad Center of Sudbury, I read and spoke about the meaning of the words of Isaiah which are traditionally read on that day. In that reading, Isaiah talks of our hopes and aspirations for the future of the world where all of mankind will work with together for a common greater good that has been envisioned for this world by G-d, when of course there will be no more fighting and bigotry.

Meanwhile thousands of miles away in California, my colleague Rabbi Yisroel Goldstein was preparing to read the same verses with the same message at the Chabad Center of Poway. But the deadly gunfire that was directed at him and his congregants in… Read More »

What a joyous and meaningful Passover it has been so far!

Thank you to the dozens of guests who graced at our Seder Tables and thank you to the dozens who have been coming over the course of Passover to our daily services. Chabad of Sudbury was also able to put on several Passover programs at local senior homes like the Wingate & Orchard Hill to bring the joy of Passover to the residents.

On a personal note, having my parents and two of my siblings and their families to celebrate Passover with has made it extra enjoyable and meaningful on many levels.

We will conclude Passover with the final two days of the Holiday beginning this evening and continuing tomorrow and Saturday with services from 10am - 12pm and with the Yizkor Memorial… Read More »

CHAMETZ OR MATZAH IN BERGEN BELSEN CONCENTRATION CAMP
This picture is a handwritten prayer that was composed by spiritual leaders in the Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp for people to say before the ate Leavened Food on Passover due to the difficult and dangerous living conditions. 

It was written down in multiple copies by Elchanan Emanuel HY"D who after doing back breaking slave labor for twelve hours, toiled and worked hard to make multiple papers with this prayer for people to use on the night of Passover in the Concentration Camp. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the Concentration Camp inmates could not eat Matzah and had to eat leavened food to survive but were very torn at not being able to do Passover in the… Read More »

Every so often I end up in my wife's hometown of Los Angeles where even in midwinter the plants are blooming and the flowers are blossoming. When I see that, especially when I know that it is still winter back east and the branches are bare and the ground is frozen, it is both enjoyable and refreshing.

At the same time, it always make me think, that there is something uniquely invigorating about Spring that is only appreciated in the wake of a Winter. When the first flowers break out the still cold ground and the blossoms appear on the barren trees which appeared to have been dead for the last few months, there is an incredible life that is beginning to burst forth that is inspiring and uplifting.

The truth is, that the Winter is not… Read More »

 It is not every day that you meet someone who stared down a Death Sentence, spent 11 years in the Gulag and kept up his Jewish pride and positive attitude throughout. Thank you Rav Yosef Mendelevich for an incredibly inspiring evening last night and for all your perseverance on behalf of Soviet Jewry and world Jewry in all the years since then.

Another beautiful dimension of last night, was that besides the speaker, we had multiple Jewish Americans who had been very active on behalf of Soviet Jewry back in the 70's at the same time that his trial was going on, and we also Jewish people who were originally from Russia who shared their memories of this incident and the impact that it had on them. One lady told of the tension in… Read More »

This past Sunday we had a wonderful "Demo for Dads" event which was an amazingly engaging event for the students and their parents. At the "Demo for Dads" program, we enjoyed wonderful presentations from so many dads about what they do or a hobby they have, and what we can all learn from this in life. It was a very entertaining program as well as very interactive and the kids all had a great time!

Of course before that we had our regular learning and fun Hebrew School program.

Thank you to all the students, dads and grandparents who were able to join us for this and for putting in all the time in preparing the presentations.

You can see lots more pictures of this wonderful event over… Read More »

 Hundreds of people attended some of the multiple exciting Purim programs and celebrations at the Chabad Center of Sudbury over the last few days. Just this week lots of ladies had a great night out on Sunday at the Hamantaschen Bake, dozens of adults enjoyed the Mentalist Show & Adult Purim Party and a huge crowd enjoyed the Purim in Hawaii Celebration last night.

In addition the Hebrew School students had lots of fun getting ready for Hebrew School this week and thanks to the extra help we had over the Holiday from some visiting Yeshiva students, many individuals and seniors had visits and four local Correctional Facilities had great Purim Programs arranged through the Aleph Organization.

You can see the pictures of… Read More »

In our society, when we are introduced to new people, the conversation usually goes like this, “What is your name?” and then followed by “What do you do?”

Usually the response is something similar.

My name is …. And I am an Electrician, a Stock Broker, a Realtor, a Developer or an Attorney….

Great… now we have a name and a definition of what the person is about.

However this may be true to a degree, yet at the same time, is this the end all?

Perhaps we need to ask ourselves, how are we viewing and defining people and perhaps to the same degree, how do we view and define ourselves?

Does our profession define who we truly are, both in the way we view ourselves and in the way others view us?… Read More »

According to a 2018 large-scale survey from a major health care provider, a huge chunk of Americans suffer from strong feelings of loneliness and a lack of significance in their relationships. Almost half say they sometimes or always feel alone or “left out”, and 13% of Americans say that zero people know them well. The survey points out that loneliness seems to be getting worse in each successive generation even though we live in a world that is more interconnected than ever before.

Judaism has always placed a huge emphasis on building community and building institutions that will cultivate community. Yet in the end of the day, buildings alone to do not create community, instead they can merely facilitate and stimulate… Read More »

One of the biggest challenges facing our generation is the issue of Mental Health and its ramifications on individuals, families and communities. Studies show that 44 Million American Adults have been diagnosed with a Mental Health issue and a staggering 12% of youth in this country, a number which continues to climb.  

As part of my work I visit many people in all kinds of situations including some who are going through some painful and challenging adversities. Yet when I visit and work with families or individuals who are dealing with a Mental Health issue within the family, there is often a pain and suffering beneath the surface that is beyond words and articulation.

Thankfully, the stigma issues often associated with Mental… Read More »

Last night Dr. David Rosmarin gave a fascinating interactive lecture and presentation on the topic of Spirituality & Mental Health and what Science has to say about this. The lecture was extremely informative with lots of evidence based data and anecdotes on this important topic and how it plays out in one of the most foremost issues facing our communities in the 21st century.

We thank Dr. Rosmarin as well as everyone who made the effort to join us for this important evening on such a frigid and icy night. 

David H. Rosmarin, PhD, ABPP is director of the Spirituality and Mental Health Program at McLean Hospital and an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He supervises the provision of… Read More »

Do you like the movies of Issur Danielovitch Demsky (Kirk Douglas)? Were you fascinated by the tricks of Ehrich Weiss (Harry Houdini)? Did you enjoy Lawrence Harvey Zeigler Live on CNN (Larry King)? Do you like any of the films directed by Allan Stewart Konigsberg (Woody Allen)?

The short list of famous personalities who have stage names which are different than their original names is part of a much longer list of many people that have spanned recent American History. The truth is, that some of them might actually have three layers to their names, as their Hebrew names may not have been part of their original legal name, but one that was given at birth and used at the Synagogue or for other ritual and religious purposes.

Many of us… Read More »

This morning as I was wrapped in my Talit and Tefillin and doing my morning prayers, my little two year old daughter got out of bed and came downstairs. Instinctively she came over to me and without saying a word, she raised both her arms and I bent down and picked her up and put her on my lap. She just wanted a simple morning cuddle and hug while I swayed back and forth and prayed and thanked G-d for moments like these and for all the blessings that we have in our lives.

Within a few short minutes she was done, and off she went to play and I was left to contemplate the moment as I finished my prayers.

I thought about her world through the perspective of a two year old, where life is a series of beautiful and happy playful moments with… Read More »