Rabbi's Sermons

A man came up to a rabbi, "Rabbi , can I ask you a question? If someone does not believe in G-d, is that person still Jewish? The rabbi said, "Since Jews tend to answer a question with another question, I'll ask you: Have you either converted to Judaism or was your mother Jewish?" "Yes" he replied, "Okay" said the rabbi, "then you are a thousand percent Jewish, no matter what. Now, regarding the issue of belief, the Talmud says that all Jews are believers. Furthermore, the great rabbi known as the Alter Rebbe wrote that our ancestors passed on a "gene of faith" to everyone of their offspring. So even if you say that you don't believe in G-d, you really do." "Rabbi!" the man exclaimed with excitement, "that's unbelievable.!"

 

I preface tonight's teaching with the caveat that I do not have answers, but I do have questions. Perhaps you will have some insights you can share with me as we journey together on the topic of challenging the Pharaohs and dealing with difficult people.

 

"Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely God was in this place, and I did not know it.” (Genesis 28:16)

 

A Chassidic rabbi was once challenged by a student, “Tell me Rebbe, you teach that you can learn something holy from everything, but really, what can you possibly learn from a telephone, telegraph or airplane?” To which the Rebbe replied, “From a telephone we learn that every word you utter here will be heard over there; from a telegraph we learn that every word counts and we pay for each letter; and from the airplane, a minute late means you've missed the flight. Being prompt matters.”