You don’t often see a book launch feel like a collective exhale.

This recording is from the Montreal launch of The Forgiveness Experiment, featuring the author Rabbi Yisroel Bernath in conversation with Ilana Zackon.

Ilana Zackon, an award-winning actor, writer, and filmmaker. Together, they dive into the heart of the book: why forgiveness matters, how it changes us, and what it means to live with open hearts even in a fractured world. Expect laughter, honesty, vulnerability, and plenty of inspiration.

Held in the days leading up to Yom Kippur, this wasn’t just a discussion about forgiveness, it was an exploration of freedom. Together, Rabbi Bernath and Ilana unpack the heart of The Forgiveness Experiment:

Why forgiveness isn’t about excusing harm. Why it’s not spiritual bypassing. And why, sometimes, forgiveness is the bravest form of self-respect.

What unfolds is honest, funny, vulnerable, and deeply human. Stories are shared. Assumptions are challenged. And the room slowly softens.

This conversation and the book weaves together Jewish wisdom, lived experience, and psychological insight, offering a grounded, compassionate approach to letting go of pain without losing your truth.

If you’ve ever wondered: Why is forgiveness so hard? Is it possible to forgive without minimizing what happened? What if forgiveness is something I do for myself, not for them?

This conversation is for you.

Since that night, The Forgiveness Experiment has become a #1 bestseller on Amazon, and Rabbi Bernath has traveled across North America sharing its message.

Recorded live at the Montreal Book Launch at Rohr Chabad NDG on September 28, 2025

Filmed and recorded by Yehuda Chiche

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

It's also available on Amazon just about everywhere else, UK, Australia, Europe...

The audiobook is on the way and will be released next week.

If you’d like to take this work a step further check out www.forgivenessbook.org

If this conversation resonates, consider subscribing, sharing, or leaving a review. Your voice helps this message travel further.

#Forgiveness #Judaism #theology #Rabbi #chabad #theforgivenessexperiment #EmotionalHealing #selfforgiveness #Jewi

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

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Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

One of the first things we did together as a people wasn’t march, organize, or strategize. We sang. Standing at the edge of the sea, fresh from fear, not yet healed, still unsure where we were going the Jewish people lifted their voices in song. But the Torah leaves us with a mystery: how did three million people sing one song together? Was it led by Moses? Echoed by the people? Or did each person discover the song within themselves?

In this class, Rabbi Bernath explores an ancient debate that turns out to be a timeless conversation about leadership, growth, and personal responsibility. Is a leader meant to be followed, echoed, or outgrown? And what does it mean to stop repeating someone else’s song and finally sing your own?

Key Points

The Song at the Sea as the birth moment of the Jewish voice.

Three models of leadership hidden in one ancient song

The difference between submission, discipleship, and empowerment.

Why real transformation doesn’t come from echoing, but from ownership.

What it means to be given a match, not a melody.

Takeaways

True leadership doesn’t create followers, it awakens leaders.

Unity isn’t sameness; it’s shared purpose with individual voice.

You don’t need permission to sing what’s already inside you.

The most enduring influence is what continues after the leader steps back.

Your voice matters, not later, not someday, but now.

#Jewish #Judaism #Bible #Torah #chabad #Rebbe #YudShevat #SongAtTheSea #Leadership #FindingYourVoice #ShiratHayam #personalgrowth #JewishWisdom #ParshatBeshalach #Beshalach#InnerFreedom #EmpoweredLiving #SingYourSong #RabbiBernath

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

In Parshat Bo, G-d tells Moses something unexpected: “Come to Pharaoh.” Not go… but come.

In this episode Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores a profound teaching from the Zohar and Chassidic thought: when we face a “Pharaoh” in our lives… fear, resistance, heartbreak, failure, or a person who seems to block our freedom… we are never sent alone. G-d says: Come with Me.

Even more startling, G-d adds: “Because I hardened his heart.” The resistance itself is Divine. Not to stop redemption, but to reveal it.

Through Torah, Kabbalah, psychology, and powerful stories (including the donkey in the pit and a letter from the Rebbe), this class reframes life’s hardships as portals, not barriers. What feels like opposition is often the very force meant to uncover our deepest strength, courage, and soul-power.

This is a class about fear, faith, resilience and discovering that the path forward is often a winding one, but it always leads upward.

Key Takeaways

You never face adversity alone. “Come to Pharaoh” means G-d walks with you into your hardest moments.

Resistance is not random. Some of the strongest opposition in life is part of the redemption process itself.

Pharaoh is not in control. What looks overwhelming is often a tool, not a tyrant.

Obstacles are portals. Life’s blockages are invitations to excavate hidden strength.

Growth is uncomfortable by design. Muscle only grows by tearing and so does the soul.

The dirt can bury you or elevate you. Shake it off. Step up. Rise.

Your hardest challenges may reveal your greatest light. You discover who you truly are not when life is easy, but when it demands more of you.

#Judaism #chabad #Kabbalah #ParshatBo #Torah #TorahPortion #TorahLessons#ComeToPharaoh #NotAlone #FaithOverFear #KabbalahForLife #SpiritualResilience #PortalsNotBarriers #InnerFreedom #DivinePlan #SoulStrength #JewishWisdom #TheZigZagPath #Redemption #chassidus #RabbiBernath #lubavitch #Rebbe

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

One of the most surprising details in the Exodus story is that Moses, the redeemer of Israel, did not grow up as a slave, but in Pharaoh’s palace.

In this morning’s Kabbalah class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores why Divine Providence chose such an unlikely path for Israel’s future leader and what it reveals about the nature of freedom.

Drawing on Chassidic insights into the word sivlot“ burdens” that also mean tolerance, this class reframes redemption as a psychological and spiritual awakening. True liberation begins not when suffering becomes unbearable, but when we refuse to accept it as normal.

Through the lens of Moses’ outsider perspective, the Israelites’ cry in Egypt, and our ongoing experience of personal and collective exile, the class challenges us to examine what we’ve learned to tolerate in our own lives. With warmth, depth, and practical reflection, this session invites participants to rediscover holy dissatisfaction, reclaim dignity, and begin their own daily Exodus from narrowness to possibility.

Key Takeaways

Redemption begins internally: Before freedom can happen externally, we must stop tolerating what diminishes us.

Tolerance is not always a virtue: Sometimes patience becomes a prison that keeps us stuck in unhealthy patterns.

Moses could lead because he never internalized slavery: Growing up in Pharaoh’s palace gave him the clarity and courage to challenge injustice.

The cry matters: Change begins when we allow ourselves to feel the pain we’ve been numbing and cry out honestly.

Exile becomes dangerous when it feels normal: Personally and collectively, redemption starts when we remember that brokenness is not the natural state.

Standards shape destiny: What we accept defines what we become, raising our inner standards opens the door to transformation.

Every day is an Exodus: Leaving Egypt isn’t a one-time event; it’s a daily practice of refusing limitation and choosing growth.

#Jewish #Kabbalah #Torah #Exodus #TorahPortion #Bible #BibleStudy #Moses #moshe #ParshatVaera #SlaveMentality #Mitzrayim #Tolerance #freedom #PersonalRedemption #chassidus #SlaveMentality #innerExile #EmotionalHealing #spiritualgrowth #Moshiach #Geulah #humandignity #BreakingPatterns

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

Moses had every reason to stay comfortable: palace roots, a peaceful life in Midyan, and an age where most people stop reinventing themselves. Then a bush burned and refused to go away.

In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores the moment that changes everything: not charging forward, not fixing the world, but simply turning your head. Through the burning bush, the Midrashic debate, and Moses’ three objections, we uncover how purpose actually shows up, why resistance is part of the calling, and how your deepest struggles may be the doorway to your greatest contribution.

This isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about finally noticing what’s been calling you all along.

Key Takeaways

Calling begins with attention, not action. G-d speaks when we notice, not when we’re ready.

Purpose doesn’t consume you; it sustains you. A real mission burns without burning out.

You don’t need five steps, sometimes a turned head is enough.

Insecurity, blame, and perfectionism are spiritual disguises for fear.

Your thorn bush is not your weakness, it’s your credential.

Redemption starts when someone says “Hineni” before knowing how it ends.

#Jewish #Judaism #Torah #TorahPortion #Bible #BibleStudy #Moses #moshe #mosesleadership #BurningBush #purpose #calling #hineni #Midrash #destiny #perfectionism #insecurity #Responsibility #soulmission

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

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Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

The moment Joseph reveals himself to his brothers is not just a family reunion, it is a soul disclosure. In this class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explores why Joseph repeats himself, why he asks his brothers to come closer, and why he insists on reminding them that they sold him into Egypt. Drawing from Torah, Midrash, and Kabbalah, we discover that Joseph’s greatest holiness was not forged in comfort, but in confrontation with darkness. His life teaches us that our deepest light often emerges not despite our struggles, but because of them. This is a class about identity, resilience, and the sacred fire hidden within every human journey.

Key Points

Light isn’t proven in comfort. It is revealed in contrast. Joseph’s greatness emerged not in his father’s home, but in Egypt’s darkness.

Your story is not a detour. The very chapters you wish you could erase are often the ones that unlock your deepest purpose.

What looks like a mask may be protection. Joseph wasn’t hiding his soul, he was carrying it through hostile terrain until it was safe to reveal.

Stop living in “if only.” Joseph teaches us that spiritual greatness is not about ideal circumstances, but about faithfulness where you are.

Darkness can be a catalyst, not a contradiction. The pit, the prison, and the palace were all part of one divine choreography.

You are more than how you appear. Others may misread you, but your soul is not confused about who you are.

True brotherhood begins with seeing. Healing starts when we learn to recognize the divine light in one another, even when it’s hidden.

Your struggle did not weaken you, it refined you. Fire doesn’t destroy the coal; it reveals what was already burning inside.

#LightOverDarkness #chabad #Torah #TorahPortion #Bible #BibleStudy #Joseph #LightFromDarkness #TheFireInTheCoal #HiddenLight #Kabbalah #chassidus #PurposeThroughPain #NoIfOnly #SpiritualResilience #SoulIdentity #FromPitToPalace #DarknessToLight #InnerFire #GrowthThroughStruggle #torahwisdom #SeeingTheSoul #RedemptiveJourney

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi

This Shabbat, as Chanukah and Parshat Miketz converge, our hearts are heavy and our calling is clear. From the moment the Maccabees discovered a single cruse of oil in the desecrated Temple, Jewish history hinged not on what was found, but on what was done. They could have preserved the oil as a relic. Instead, they used it and ignited a light that has burned for 2,200 years.

In the shadow of the tragic attack at the Chabad Chanukah celebration in Bondi Beach, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath delivers a sermon that explores a timeless Jewish truth: Judaism does not survive through museums or memory alone, but through lived action. Like Joseph in Miketz, who steps forward from darkness with faith and purpose, we are asked to respond to pain not by retreating, but by lighting, loving, and living more Jewishly than ever before.

Key Takeaways

The miracle of Chanukah was not the oil, it was the choice to use it.

Judaism survives not by being preserved, but by being practiced.

Darkness is real, but it never gets the final word.

Every mitzvah, no matter how small, carries generational power.

In moments of pain and fear, our response is not silence, but light.

Honoring tragedy in Jewish history means responding with deeper Jewish life.

Like Joseph in Miketz, we don’t need to know the ending, we just need to show up with what we have.

Help the families of Sydney Attack: https://www.charidy.com/supportsydney

#BondiBeach #chabad #Judaism #hanukkah #LightOverDarkness #Chanukah #ParshatMiketz #LiveJewish #RespondWithLight #JewishResilience #AmYisraelChai #Rabbi #Sermon

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

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In this morning’s class, Rabbi Yisroel Bernath explored the baffling, almost mythical global obsession with Israel and the Jewish people, a tiny nation that somehow takes up an outsized share of the world’s attention. Drawing on the teachings of Rabbi Simon Jacobson, Rabbi YY Jacobson, and Rabbi Manis Friedman, Rabbi Bernath unpacked the spiritual roots behind antisemitism and the world’s fixation on Jews.

We confronted the paradox: being “chosen” doesn’t raise us above others, it humbles us beneath the weight of responsibility. Using the Alter Rebbe’s 1798 letter after his release on Yud Tes Kislev, we learned that true chosenness shrinks the ego while expanding the soul’s mission: to illuminate the world with goodness, moral clarity, unity, and love.

When Jews embrace who we are… Divine ambassadors of light, we trigger the world. But we also transform it.

Key Takeaways

The obsession is ancient and irrational — Jews are less than 0.25% of the world, yet remain humanity’s main character.

Reason alone cannot explain Jewish influence and survival — only our mission as bearers of ethical monotheism can.

Chosen-ness ≠ superiority — it’s a call to responsibility, growth, and humility.

Closeness to G-d shrinks the ego, not inflates it — “Katonti,” like Jacob said: “I am made small by Your kindness.”

Anyone can join the Jewish people — chosenness is a spiritual calling, not a biological club.

The world senses Jewish holiness — sometimes more than Jews do — and reacts intensely, for better or worse.

Our role is universal — to be a moral lighthouse, not a fortress of self-importance.


#Israel #Jewish #Chosen #chosenpeople #chosenness #alterrebbe #yudteskislev #JewishSpirituality #Rebbe #Antisemitism #LightOverDarkness #humility

Available now:

Paperback (US): https://www.amazon.com/Forgiveness-Experiment-What-Would-Your/dp/1069217638

Paperback (Canada): https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1069217638

Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FR2QNJL6

Support the show

Got your own question for Rabbi Bernath? He can be reached at rabbi@jewishndg.com or http://www.theloverabbi.com

Single? You can make a profile on www.JMontreal.com and Rabbi Bernath will help you find that special someone.

Donate and support Rabbi Bernath’s work http://www.jewishndg.com/donate

Follow Rabbi Bernath’s YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/user/ybernath

Access Rabbi Bernath's Articles on Relationships https://medium.com/@loverabbi