Daily Jewish Thought
Thoughts on spirituality, Kabbalah, Jewish thought, Judaism and Relationships. Rabbi Yisroel Bernath is the Senior Rabbi at Rohr Chabad of NDG and the Director of Chabad on Campus at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. Cherished for his incredible warmth and non-judgmental personality, this hipster is not your typical rabbi. In 2012, Rabbi Bernath founded the smashing success JMatchmaking International, a network of Jewish dating sites. He has made 104 matches (that he knows of) to date! In addition to being a matchmaker and dating coach, Rabbi Bernath is also the author of three books, and continuously produces engaging content on his many social media & podcast platforms. As a professional voice-over artist, screen-writer, and actor, he has been a part of dozens of productions, including the hit CBC Documentary "Kosher Love".
Episodes
1158 episodes
AMA: Am I less of a Jew because I was raised Reform?
In this heartfelt Ask Me Anything, Rabbi Bernath responds to someone from the Kabbalah for Everyone Community, a lifelong Reform Jew who asks a question many have quietly carried: “Am I less of a Jew because I was raised Reform?”
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18:53
Do I Hear the Call? Lech Lecha.
This morning, Rabbi Bernath explored a fascinating question raised by the great medieval sage Nachmanides (the Ramban): Why does the Torah introduce every major biblical figure with their background—except Abraham?Why does G-d sud...
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42:38
The Hero for the Simple People: Turning the Story of Noah on it’s Head
This morning, Rabbi Bernath explored one of the most misunderstood heroes in Torah, Noach. While the Torah calls him a tzaddik, some sages question whether he was truly righteous or simply better than those around him. Why would our tr...
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29:54
The Divine Split: How Genesis Reveals the Secret to Love, Gender, and G-d
In this morning’s class, Rabbi Bernath explored one of the most profound paradoxes in the Torah, the two seemingly contradictory accounts of Adam and Eve’s creation. Far from a textual flaw, this duality encodes the deepest truths about relatio...
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59:02
The Dance of Return: Joy That No Enemy Can Steal
Rabbi Yisroel Bernath delivers a moving Simchat Torah sermon celebrating the miraculous return of the hostages, a moment when prophecy, pain, and prayer converge into pure joy. He draws a profound parallel between this homecoming and the essenc...
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15:24
Building Joy in a Shaky World | Rabbi Bernath’s Sermon for Sukkot 2025
When Rabbi Yisroel Bernath spotted a superyacht with an infinity pool merging into the sky, it sparked a journey through one of the most powerful Talmudic stories, Rabbi Akiva’s “sukkah on a ship.” From that image of faith floating on waves, th...
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38:27
Be the Breeze: The Power of One Soul on Rosh Hashanah
Rabbi Yisroel Bernath recorded this sermon before Rosh Hashana as he was preparing and we are sharing it with you... of course it’s nothing close to the magic of Rosh Hashana at Chabad NDG in Montreal. Rabbi Yisroel Bernath’s Rosh H...
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21:25
Laughing Into the Future: The Promise of Rosh Hashanah | Rabbi Bernath's Sermon for the Rosh Hashana 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, R...
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27:29
Who Are You Meant to Be? | Rabbi Yisroel Bernath Rosh Hashanah Sermon
Sometimes it takes a crisis to stop us in our tracks and ask: Who am I? What kind of spouse am I? What kind of person am I becoming?On Rosh Hashanah, Judaism invites us to ask these very questions. And at the heart of the holida...
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1:00:18
Make a Confession: Reclaiming Judaism’s Lost Art of Owning Our Goodness
In this class, Rabbi Bernath reframed the very idea of confession in Judaism. While most people think of confession as listing sins and failures, the Torah introduces Vidui Ma’aser, a “confession” where the farmer proudly declares to G...
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51:02
Finding G-d in Our Struggles: The Firstborn of the Unloved
In this week’s Torah portion, Ki Seitzei, we learn the law of the firstborn: even if the firstborn son comes from the “unloved” wife, he must be given the double portion. Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explored the deeper Kabbalistic meaning be...
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50:32
One G-d, Many Voices: How Diversity Makes Us Whole
Rabbi Yisroel Bernath unpacks a fascinating teaching: why does G-d reject the idea of a single-stone altar? At first glance it’s just about ancient rituals, but the deeper message is timeless. Real faith and real life can’t be built on “one sto...
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30:23
Rebroadcast: Elul & High Holidays - Our Marriage with G-d
The 5-Step Program of Spiritual Courtship, Engagement, Marriage, Honeymoon, and Real Life: Discovering the Divine Romance in Our LivesIn this sermon, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores the deep and mystical relationship between G-d...
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22:14
Integrity & Ambition: The Torah’s Blueprint for Shining in a Broken World
In this class, Rabbi Bernath drew a powerful line from Hitler’s Germany to Hamas today, using a hidden diary entry of the Lubavitcher Rebbe dated September 11, 1941. The Rebbe reflected on why kosher fish require both fi...
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26:50
Life, Love, and Everything in Between | A Conversation with Jeffrey Warner
I just returned from the JLI Retreat in Washington DC, at retreat at around 1:30am on Saturday night, I sat down with Jeffrey Warner, a university student from Arizona who has been listening to my podcasts for a long time. Our conversation abou...
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1:02:08
Why Joseph Got In and Moses Didn’t: Unpacking a Story of Loyalty, Land, and Leadership
Why was Joseph, the viceroy of Egypt, buried in the Land of Israel, while Moses, the greatest Jewish leader in history, was not?In this timely and emotionally-charged class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath unpacks a Midrashic conversation between ...
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47:15
Eicha by Candlelight - Tisha B’Av 5785 (2025)
onight, in a darkened room lit only by the soft flicker of individual candles, over a hundred souls gathered in sacred stillness for Eicha by Candlelight. This was not just an event, it was a ritual of remembrance, a meditation on exil...
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1:04:25
Vain Tears: Reclaiming Our Power After Generations of Silence
On the night of the 9th of Av, our ancestors cried tears of despair—tears the Talmud calls “בכיה של חנם”, baseless weeping. G-d’s response wasn’t punitive, it was prophetic: “You wept in vain, and this da...
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42:06
Moses’ Rebuke & the Art of Receiving Criticism: A Parsha Perspective on Self-Esteem
This class explores one of the Torah’s most striking rebukes, Moses’ fiery confrontation with the tribes of Reuben and Gad and uncovers why they chose silence over self-defense. Through this encounter and a powerful Chassidic story about the Se...
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46:39
The G-d Question: Beyond the Bearded Man in the Sky | A Candid Discussion.
In this eye-opening session, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores one of the most profound and misunderstood topics of all time: What is G-d? Moving beyond simplistic childhood images of a supernatural sky-being, we delve into Jewish, Chassi...
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1:04:43
Cursed to Bless: The Unlikely Prophet and the Eternal People - An Overview of Parshat Balak
In this gripping journey through Parshat Balak, Rabbi Bernath reveals the hidden spiritual war behind the political drama. Balak, king of Moav, turns to the infamous prophet Bilaam to curse Israel—but instead, Bilaam becomes an unwitting condui...
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31:51
Who Really Wrote the Torah? A Conversation on G-d, Truth, and the Power of Ideas
In this heart-open, mind-stretching class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath dives headfirst into one of the most profound questions ever asked: Who wrote the Torah and what do we mean by G-d? Sparked by a challenge from Ilana, a thoughtful soul w...
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58:39
A Personal Message from Rabbi Yisroel Bernath
Purchase a raffle ticket here (there's 32 hours left!) http://www.charidy.com/ndg-I hope you are well. This Wednesday marks something deeply personal for me an...
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9:35
The Serpents: When the Poison Becomes the Cure: Finding Healing in the Very Place You Were Hurt
In this deep and soulful journey through Parshat Chukas, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath unpacks one of the most perplexing and powerful moments in the Torah: the copper snake on a pole.Why did G-d command Moses to use the very symbol of suffering...
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39:47
The Mutiny: Moses, Korach, and the Relentless Pursuit of Peace
In this gripping class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath delves into the tragic and turbulent rebellion led by Korach, Dathan, Abiram, and On ben Peles against Moses and Aaron. The narrative unveils not just a mutiny, but a masterclass in leadership, humi...
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28:59