Rabbi Shaya's Thoughts

Thursday, October 30, 2025 - 10:05 AM

On Monday morning, I returned from a trip to Israel together with men from our community. We witnessed firsthand the joy of the hostages’ return and the incredible resilience of the Jewish people.

As we toured the Land, we experienced how Israel exists not only in our modern times but as a living continuation of a story that began more than 3,000 years ago. We even had the chance to “visit” Abraham, our father! Click here to see some pictures.

Our history, and our story today, truly come alive when visiting Israel. Yet one might wonder, why do we need to see ancient ruins or walk the paths of our forebears? Does it really affect our lives today to know that the Jewish people once traveled on a road called the “Way of the Patriarchs,” now called Route 60?

Looking into this week’s Torah portion for insight, we learn about the mitzvot that Abraham and Sarah performed. Why do we need to know this? After all, we only became a nation after the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah at Mount
Sinai. Those same mitzvot are commanded again later, so why mention them here?

The answer is powerful. True, we fulfill mitzvot today because G-d commanded us to do so at Sinai. But knowing that Abraham and Sarah performed these same mitzvot before they were commanded to do so, inspires us to make them our own.

We can act out of obligation, because G-d commanded us to do something, or out of inspiration, because we are following in the footsteps of those who came before us.

G-d’s will tells us what to do; our history helps us understand why we do it. When we connect the two, every mitzvah becomes deeply personal.

Israel is not just a country far away, it’s a part of our heart and soul.

Let’s transform history to our story!

We’ll be returning to Israel again soon. If you’re interested in learning more about future trips, please let me know.

Shabbat shalom

The Art of Holy Delays

Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 4:25 PM

If G-d told you to do something, especially something that would save your life, wouldn’t you work as quickly as possible?

Why is it that so many people have a tendency to procrastinate? Shouldn’t we think of life as being filled with opportunities to make our world better?

We see this question played out in this week’s Torah portion of Noach. G-d gives Noach the command to build an Ark so that his family can be saved. Yet, it takes him a long time to get the job done.

Why?

There are several possible reasons:

Practical: Noach was building it alone. It was simply a massive job that took time.

Command-based: G-d told him the Ark should be ready at the end of 120 years, not before. Therefore, there was no rush.

Spiritual: The command wasn’t only that the Ark exist, but that Noach build it. Every moment he spent building was part of fulfilling G-d’s command, so he stretched it out, cherishing every step of the process.

But on a deeper level, there’s something more.

G-d could have saved Noach from the impending flood in a hundred different ways—sheltered him in a cave, surrounded him by a cloud, performed a miracle. Why use an Ark? Because the process itself was the mission. Each hammer strike, each plank fitted, was like a public sermon. It was meant to awaken curiosity, spark questions, and give Noach a chance to urge people to do Teshuva. To come closer to G-d.

Noach didn't procrastinate; his plan was purposeful. The “delay” itself was part of the mission. Sometimes doing is even more important than done.

In our own life, we, too, can and should make the distinction. Some things should get done right away, while for other things, it is important to cherish the process.

We Come Alive in Israel

The Art of Holy Delays