Laughing Into the Future: The Promise of Rosh Hashanah | Rabbi Bernath's Rosh Hashana Sermon 2025

Rabbi Yisroel Bernath recorded this sermon before Rosh Hashana as he was preparing and we are sharing it with you... of course its nothing close to the magic of Rosh Hashana at Chabad NDG in Montreal. 

In this Rosh Hashanah sermon, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath weaves humor, Torah, and Jewish resilience into a message of hope and renewal. Beginning with laughter, he acknowledges the fears weighing on the Jewish heart today, rising antisemitism, uncertainty, and the heaviness of history. But he reminds us that the Jewish story begins not with despair, but with laughter: the birth of Yitzchak to Abraham and Sarah. Through a transformation of identity and vision, G-d teaches them, and us, that our destiny is not defined by the past but pulled by the promise of the future.

The sermon moves through stories of Jewish survival, historical cathedrals, personal anecdotes, and Sheldon Adelson’s shoes in Jerusalem, all to paint a vivid picture: we are builders of a spiritual architecture that spans generations. Each mitzvah is a chisel, each act of faith a brick, each Jew a builder. And above all, our answer to fear and hatred has always been joy.

Key Takeaways

1. Identity Shapes Destiny
   Abraham and Sarah became parents only after G-d changed their names, showing us that how we see ourselves changes how we live.
2. History Pulled by Promise, Not Pushed by the Past
   Jewish survival isn’t logical, it’s miraculous. Our story isn’t driven by yesterday’s pain but by tomorrow’s promise.
3. Laughter as Our Legacy
   The first Jewish child was named Yitzchak, laughter, teaching us that joy and hope are the foundation of Jewish life.
4. Generational Builders
   Like the cathedrals built over centuries, Jewish life is a project carried forward by every generation. Each mitzvah is part of a vast spiritual architecture.
5. Joy as Resistance
   When the world says to give up, we laugh. When it says to despair, we believe. Our answer to hatred has always been love, laughter, and building.

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