Jewish Thailand

10/11/2025

Some people enter adulthood and ‘real life’ as kind, giving and sharing people.

To navigate the complexities of the ‘real world’ where not everyone is good, they will need to learn how to be strict, firm and protective.

Other people grow up tough and protective people.

They need to learn how to be more kind and giving people.

Truth be told, we don’t have much choice about our natural dispositions.

Whether it is ‘nature’ or ‘nurture’ (there is probably a combination of both), what happened to us in our formative childhood years is what color and molds the people we are.

I want to discuss what should be our chosen response to other people and events in our lives.

To put it simply:

Do we say NO first and then ‘but if you meet this and this condition then YES’.

Or do we say YES first and then qualify our yes by adding ‘this only applies if you are not violating this and this red line’.

The Torah seems to be firmly on the side of yes first and no second.

To rephrase it. Light first and then darkness.

At the beginning of creation, the first thing Hashem created was ‘and G-d said let there be light; and there was light’.

Kindness – Chessed is the foundational basis of all of life. The Zohar emphasizes this.

The very formation of the Jewish people happened this way.

Avraham who is described in our Parsha as being the paradigm of kindness which is called ‘chesed’, gives birth to a son Yitzchak who is representative of a more reflective approach which is called ‘gevurah’ strictness.

It is clear that the G-dly way is to begin with positivity and kindness and only then balance it with strictness and judgment.

The Talmud says about a guest who we don’t really know yet. ‘Honor him and suspect him’. In other words, start off with positive treatment but balance it with healthy suspicion till you get to know the person better.

If this is the way we ought to treat strangers, it is quite obvious that when it comes to our loved ones we certainly need to be kind and compassionate as a default and only inject strictness as needed.

The Torah says very clearly that ‘your own family comes first’ when it comes to Tzedaka.

Your own extended family – the Jewish People come first when you are choosing who to help.

I noticed a headline about the wealthiest people in the world. Baruch Hashem there are several Jewish people in the list. Some of them give to Jewish causes. If we could inspire more of them to prioritize tzedakah for Jewish causes that would be amazing.

Here is a recent story where a young law student, a guest at the university of Ottawa’s Chabad House made good on a promise he made in 2008 (which was more like a ‘throwaway comment’), to help buy a building for Chabad’s campus location.

In 2018 Harley Finkelstein, now the president of the online shopping platform Shopify, made good on his promise. Now a beautiful Chabad student center stands firm and tall being a beacon of light and inspiration to the young Jews at the university. Click here for full story.

Giving and kindness needs guidance as well.

In this week’s Parsha Sarah who guides her husband Avraham to remove the destructive presence of Yishmael from the environment in which Yitschak is growing up. After she sees Yishmael trying to shoot arrows and kill Yitschak she realizes that while Avraham is hopeful that Yishmael can be rehabilitated into being a morally sound person, firm action must be taken to protect Yitschak.

As the Midrashic saying goes, ‘one who has mercy on the cruel, is being cruel to those who deserve mercy’.

To leave Yishmael in the home because of compassion, may well have led to the death of the saintly Yitschak.

Saying yes to what you should say no to is saying no to what you should be saying yes to.

Sarah was firm and unyielding in her demand that for the protection of Yitschak, Yishmael must leave. Immediately.

Hashem told Avraham to listen to Sarah who is more prophetically endowed than him.

My friends, we live in a confusing world.

Kindness to dangerous people means danger to kind people.

Let us follow the path of the Torah.

Be respectful and kind.

Responsibly.

Which includes being suspicious.

If someone asks you to take a suitcase for them to another country. If you know them well enough to entrust your life to them, go ahead.

However, at the same time consider that some people have been used to be unwittingly as smugglers of severely illegal items.

Give the matter some thought and be generous and helpful when possible.

And be totally unyielding when needed.

When facing a dilemma?

Remember the teaching of Torah that because we are all subjective must ‘assei lecha rav’ make for ourselves a teacher/mentor.

We all need someone who can help us see beyond our own biases and natural dispositions.

Sometimes being nice is being cruel.

At other times, being harsh is being kind.

May Hashem grant each and every one of us the wisdom to use our attributes of kindness and strictness in the correct balance.

And may we be recipients of G-d’s blessing to live in a world where everything is good, kind, peaceful and secure.

Mashiach Now!

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

07/11/2025

Rabbi Wilhelm of Chabad of Bangkok was honored to meet with the Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Thai Police and other top commanders this week.

They discussed guiding the young Israeli tourist population toward more respectful behavior as guests, following negative media coverage regarding Israeli travelers.

Watch Rabbi Wilhelm's message to visitors to Thailand here.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1DUeaSfLSZ/

26/10/2025

What world do YOU live in?

Here is what I mean by the question.

Some people tell me that they love living in Thailand because... listen to this, ‘there is no politics in Thailand’.

Well, that is not exactly the case. Just do a google search on ‘Thai politics’ and you will see that politics is alive and well here as much or more than anywhere else in the world.

I know what they mean. They are living in Thailand as guests and don’t read or hear about the local politics. Even if they hear about it they are not perturbed or disturbed by it.

Like some people are not very perturbed about the elections for mayor of New York.

Anyone I know who has an interest in Jewish life in the USA is deeply concerned about the upcoming mayoral elections in NY.
The candidate who seems to hold a large lead in the polls is open and clear about his support of efforts delegitimizing Israel’s right to exist. He refuses to condemn the terrorists who massacred our brothers and sisters on October 7th. He uses the term genocide for a war that of self defense that was thrust upon our people.
Many people in New York who are usually much more blasé about local politics are galvanizing their efforts about this unwelcome development.

Yet, as much as some have severe angst over this surprising development, many other Jews around the world are not even aware of this.

And so it goes with many other topics.

Tariffs for example. My business friends who import goods from Asia are following the USA tariff rules obsessively. Those who are in other lines of work don’t seem to pay much attention to it. It is just another line in the news feed that they skim over.

As Jews we live in many different countries.

We have many different interests. Depending on where we live.
Israel is our G-d granted inheritance and is the largest Jewish community in the world. What goes on in Israel interests the vast majority of Jewish people.

Yet, many Jews, including some of those living in Israel, do not follow the news in Israel on an hourly or daily basis.

They are ‘living’ in their ‘own world’ so to speak. Consumed with taking care of themselves, their loved ones and simply surviving. There are myriads of tasks that vie for our attention and we don’t all engage in the same issues.

There is one unifying ‘world’ though, that every Jew ought to live in.

The world of the Parshat Hashavua – Weekly Parsha.
The ‘world’ of G-d’s relationship with him or her.
This ‘world’ is communicated by G-d to each of us via the Torah.

The Torah has been transmitted to us from G-d via Moshe who also gave us a systematic way of studying the Five Book of Moses during the course of one year in the form of the ‘Parshat Hashavua’ the portion of the week.

We read a portion from the Sefer Torah publicly in the shul every Shabbat. In the course of the year, ending in Simchat Torah, we finish the Torah cycle. And promptly start again. Which we did last week.

In a deeper dive, each portion is subdivided into seven portions.
Hence, we have the parsha of the day withing the overall parsha of the week.

Rabbi Shneur Zalman – the Alter Rebbe – said that a Jew must live with the ‘times’.

This means to ‘live’ with the weekly and daily parsha.

A Jew can choose how updated he wants to be in world news, but one thing he should not forego, is to be updated with the ‘G-dly news’ – the Torah portion of the week.

This week’s portion is a turbulent one. Literally.

The corruption and moral depravity of the world lead Hashem to bring a massive flood in which the entire humanity is wiped out, leaving only Noach and his children who are saved.

Quite depressing.
But don’t stop at this point in the story. Soldier on.
Avraham was born at the end of this week’s Parsha.
A ray of light enters the world injecting hope and optimism that Hashem's presence will become known again after the many generations of idolatry.
Indeed, Avraham and Sara changed the world for ever. Belief in one G-d becomes popular and the default belief throughout the thousands of years of life since then.

Essentially, we are on a bit of a roller coaster.
The Torah begins with a description of an idyllic life in the Garden of Eden.
The end of the first parsha is not so exciting (an understatement) as it is the prelude to the Flood.
Notwithstanding that, we call it a ‘happy parsha’ as we choose to focus on the good beginning.
The second Parsha – Noach, starts with a destructive flood but ends with a beam of light entering the arena, the birth of Avraham.
Again, we choose to focus on the good and allow ourselves to be swept away by the cheerful happy outcome.
Next week in the third Parsha it is a truly joyful parsha. The whole week is spent talking about Avraham, Sara and their achievements and accomplishments. While they too had their ups and downs, at all times they were consciously one with their Creator and witnessed many miracles from Hashem.
(see Hayom Yom 3 Cheshvan).

To me this is a reminder on how to live our lives today in 2025.

Breish*t: Even if your life is a ‘Garden of Eden’ right now, don’t become complacent. Keep on your toes to ensure that your moral and spiritual compass and sensitivity stay healthy and alive. And watch out that your inner ‘drives’ (yetzer harah) don’t allow you to fall into the wrong places.

Noach: Don’t ever give up. Even if you are G-d forbid in a scenario that is so immoral that it is facing a ‘flood’. When the entire society around you are doing the wrong thing and heading in the wrong moral direction, stay the course. An ‘Avraham’ may be born. A transformational beam of light can result from your unyielding commitment to Hashem’s code of conduct.

Lech-Lecha: Once you have an Avraham and Sara in your life, when you have found moral clarity and connection to G-d, follow the path of Hashem with joy and enthusiasm. Even when there are challenges, stay the course, as our great ancestors did. You will see that the light will dispel the darkness. It always does. Hashem ensures that.

This is the ‘world’ that Jews live in. The weekly Parsha.
Once you learn to look at the Torah as your ‘world’, the lessons from the Parsha will jump out at you.
If you need help to make the Parsha relatable just ask Ai… there is so much Torah information out there that something pertinent is bound to show up.
Or you can use the ‘classic’ ‘old-fashioned’ way and go to www.Chabad.org/parsha for a treasure trove of materials discussing the parsha.

Happy learning,
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Yosef Kantor

23/10/2025

06/10/2025

03/10/2025

26/09/2025

This week’s parsha of Vayelech ends with a promise made by Hashem that the Torah will never be forgotten by the Jewish People.

The Talmud (Bava Metzia 85, b) tells about the great efforts of Rabbi Chiya in ensuring that the Torah not be forgotten.
Rabbi Ḥiyya elaborated: What do I do to this end? I go and sow flax seeds and twine nets with the flax, and then I hunt deer and feed their meat to orphans. Next I prepare parchment from their hides and I write the five books of the Torah on them. I go to a city and teach five children the five books, one book per child, and I teach six other children the six orders of the Mishna, and I say to them: Until I return and come here, read each other the Torah and teach each other the Mishna. This is how I act to ensure that the Torah will not be forgotten by the Jewish people.

Last Friday night I shared the following similar story (without yet realizing the connection to the upcoming Parsha, thank you Hashem for showing me your detailed Divine Providence):

My wife’s paternal great grandfather R’ Chayim Yehuda risked his life in Soviet Russia to collect money to support the underground network of Lubavitch yeshivas. Literally he provided bread to the starving yeshiva boys so that they could continue studying Torah.
When asked why he was risking arrest by the communist regime that was actively trying to stamp out Jewish religious life in Russia, he responded ‘I hope that in the merit of my supporting the study of Torah by the yeshiva boys, my own grandchildren will merit to be students in the yeshiva and study Torah’.
The Torah will not be forgotten by the Jewish People is a promise made by G-d. R’ Chayim Yehuda was actively making efforts that his own progeny would be part of that group who doesn’t forget Torah.

My father-in-law and his brother were those grandchildren he was talking about.
Indeed, against all odds, after losing their father who was drafted to the Russian army and sent to the front, their mother managed to escape Russia with them. They grew up to be yeshiva students and raise large Torah true Chassidic families.
(This story and many other twists and turns was recently printed in a riveting book about my wife’s late grandmother ‘I’m not Alone’)

The next day a woman came to my wife and told her that she was so deeply touched by the story that she could not get it off her mind all night.
‘Do you think I had an ancestor who prayed and did good deeds for their progeny that will spark Jewish observance in the heart and soul of my children’ she asked?

My wife shared this feedback with her father. Her father responded that she could share with this woman, that regardless of her ancestry, she can start the chain and initiate spiritual energy by praying and doing mitzvahs for her progeny.
I think this message resonates loudly during these days of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. One the one hand we do a lot of recalling the merits of our forefathers. At the same time, we should be mindful that our actions also hold immense powers to influence our offspring, current and future generations.

On Rosh Hashanah (and daily) we remember the binding of Yitschak by Avraham and call on this sacrifice as an everlasting merit that shields us and brings us blessing as direct descendants of Avraham.
Additionally, one of the meanings attached to the blowing of the Shofar is the connection between Shofar blowing and our receiving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai accompanied by the sounds of the blowing of the Shofar.

There is a parable from Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev that gives context to our being judged on Rosh Hashana and what the Shofar contributes to clemency being granted:
A king was once traveling in the forest and lost his way, until he met a man who recognized that he was the king and escorted his master out of the forest and back to his palace. The king later rewarded him with many presents and elevated him to a powerful minister's post.
After a while, however, the man committed an act which was considered rebellious against the king, and he was sentenced to death. Before he was taken out to be executed, the king granted him one last request.
The man said: “I request to wear the clothes I wore when I escorted His Majesty when he was lost in the forest, and that His Majesty should also wear the clothes he wore then.”

The king complied, and when they were both dressed in the garments they wore at the time of their meeting, he said, “By your life, you have saved yourself,” and called off the ex*****on.
The meaning of the parable is that when G-d gave the Torah to Israel, he offered it first to all the nations of the world. They all refused, except the people of Israel, who willingly accepted the yoke of Heaven and fulfilled the commandments of the Creator.
But now we have transgressed and rebelled, like the man in the parable, and with the arrival of the Day of Judgment we are fearful indeed. So we blow the shofar to recall the shofar blowing that accompanied our original acceptance of the Torah and coronation of G-d. This merit stands by us, and G-d forgives us all our sins and inscribes us immediately for a year of goodness and life.

The great deeds by our ancestors as they stood at Sinai 3337 years ago, stand us in good stead till this very day.
During these days of Teshuva when we focus on getting closer to Hashem, we have two modes. One is ‘steering away from bad’ i.e. not doing something that is anathema to Hashem’s divine will.
This is often what we think about when we talk about ‘Teshuva’. Not speaking lashon hara. Not eating what we shouldn’t. Not violating Shabbat.

The other side of doing ‘Teshuva’ is about returning to Hashem via ‘doing good’. Fulfilling the instructions of the mitzvot that Hashem has commanded us to do. Donning Tefilin, lighting Shabbat candles, keeping kosher, family purity, mezuzah, Torah study etc.

The most potent energies of closeness to Hashem are to be found in the fulfillment of the positive commandments.
If we limit our observance to only not doing what is forbidden, we may as well have stayed in Heaven. Our souls in Heaven could not do anything wrong either.

The great gift of creation and life is the proactive actions that we carry out. This highlights our ability to be partners with Hashem by doing actions that he has asked for. The mitzvot are G-d’s way of allowing us the epic gift of partnering with Him in creation.
When we joyously and energetically do acts of connection to G-d we create a desire in our families and environments to connect to G-d via mitzvahs.

Especially when we talk about the effect it has on our children.
And it doesn’t stop at the immediate effects on our children here and now. Nor is the impact limited to the near future.
Remember that by doing more Mitzvahs our deeds have a ripple effect and influence multiple generations of our offspring.

Just as we are still beneficiaries of the good deeds of our ancestors, our deeds will have an impact on our future progeny.
This makes an even more compelling case to expend every effort to do the best you can to do more mitzvahs and good actions.

May you be successful in the work of Teshuva, returning to Hashem and to your true self. Deep down at the core of our existence we yearn and crave connection with Hashem. Sometimes the outer layers of resistance need to be peeled away so that the inner core can take its rightfully central place in our life.

Yom Kippur is the day that the deepest quintessential spark of G-d which is at the epicenter of the neshama, comes out in a more revealed way.

We nurture it by refraining from food and drink and other bodily activities (Click here for a guide to observing Yom Kippur).
With blessing for a Shabbat Shalom and a Chatima uGmar Chatima Tova (to be signed into the books of a good year).
And much success in adding one or more positive mitzvahs to your life this year.

Rabbi Yosef Kantor

21/09/2025

19/09/2025

By the Grace of G-d
Dear Friend,

It dawned on me as I read the following verse in Tehillim 124.
'Our soul escaped like a bird from the hunters' snare; the snare broke, and we escaped.'

It sounds wonderful to escape and be free to soar high like a bird.
But I wonder.

If the trap indeed breaks, would we soar free like a bird or remain in our constricted zone as limiting as that may be.

There is a concept called the elephant mindset.
How is it that huge mighty elephants are tethered to their place with a paltry rope? Why doesn’t the elephant give a yank on the rope and break free?
Here is how it is explained.

At birth the elephant is held down by a rope tied to a peg in the ground. As much as it yanks and pulls, it cannot break free. At that tender age, the elephant is still rather weak. Once the beast grows up to be a strong and mighty creature that could easily break free, it no longer tries to break free. The elephant has learned in infancy that it is helpless against the strong rope.

Although as we know, once an elephant is fully grown it would be impossible to hold him down without huge force.
It is called ‘learned helplessness’.
Is it possible that we too have fallen into the elephant trap?
Could it be that the ‘trap is broken’ but we have not escaped?
Let me give you an example of what I mean.

I recently met a Jewish man in his fifties, who told me very clearly that at the age of 8 he formed his relationship (or lack thereof) with religion.
Tragically his father passed away at a very young age, when he was but six years old. His grandmother who was a great influence in sculpting his personality, was a Jewishly observant woman. Yet, upon the tragic death of her son she was wont to say to her grandson ‘if there is a G-d how did he let this tragedy happen to your father’.
The young boy repeated this to his Hebrew school teacher one time too many and the teacher got exasperated. He sent him out of class and told him to go ask his grandmother and not burden him with sacrilegious complaints.
That rejection by his Hebrew school teacher was the end of the young boy’s relationship with organized Judaism.
I found all this out because after having a friendly conversation with him about his field of expertise in antique art, I offered him the opportunity to put on Tefillin. He rejected the offer. I saw there was something troubling him. When he saw that I genuinely wanted to learn more about him, he told me his story.
As he grew up and matured he had many differing experiences that led him to recognize the unity within creation and the obvious presence of the One G-d.
‘I now believe in G-d’ he told me, but not in the ‘organization’ and ‘politics’ of religion.
Clearly, he saw doing the mitzvah ritual of Tefillin as being part of an organized religion that had caused him emotional hurt as a small child.
Drawing on the theme I shared two weeks ago, I explained how the deed of a mitzvah is a stand alone act of expression of connection to G-d. It is the same act that was done since Exodus and is done in the exact same way by Jews the world over.

After listening intently to what I explained, he said ‘thank you for sharing this perspective. Based on my new understanding, I withdraw my previous rejection of your offer and would be willing to put on Tefilin’.
We then proceeded to lay tefillin for possibly the first time in his life.

Let us ponder this.

At the tender age of 8, someone irresponsibly and tragically rejected this young boy from his Hebrew class. The young boy thought he was not wanted. He grew up since to be a very sophisticated man and an accomplished expert in his field. Yet, his relationship with Judaism remained ensnared in this early childhood experience.
In this case, the adult version of this young child was honest and authentic. I am awed by his courage to revisit what had become a personal ‘policy’. Once he realized that he could free himself of this childhood trauma he chose to escape and fly and connect to G-d through the mitzvah.
This is a story that repeats itself too often. Not always with the happy ending of become free.
It is indicative of our being caged and restricted in our own minds to things that have happened to us in our formative years.
Parents and teachers must pay more attention and realize their power and how impressionable young children are. If you tell a child ‘you are not good in mathematics just like I was not good’ it is almost guaranteed that the child will grow up not good in math.
On the other hand, your words have the power to self-fulfill in a positive way. Children whose parents believe in their ability to succeed, indeed succeed more in life.

Let us self-examine with the agenda of growth and not fall into the trap of blaming someone else for our own limitations.
Yes, your parent, teacher, peer or society may have wronged you. But right now, you are exactly who you are. You are currently the sum total of everything G-d has given you that brought you to this day and to this state of being with these opportunities.
Look at yourself in the proverbial mirror and try to become the best version of you that you can be. So that you can contribute what G-d wants you to contribute to His world.
Don’t think disparagingly about yourself. Don’t look at yourself G-d forbid as a lost case. Recognize that with G-d’s help the ‘trap’ is broken and you can fly out and be free.
Even if you may have made mistakes, (and who hasn’t), Hashem gives us opportunities to pick ourselves up and return to Him.
That is the greatest gift that Hashem gives us. Teshuva. The ability to return and reframe the past as we rectify the present and future.

Let us not squander the opportunities that are available to us during this special and holy time period.
This year as we come closer to Rosh Hashana let us break free of our self-imposed limitations.
The trap is broken. The sky is the limit.
Take on a new mitzvah observance.
Schedule a Torah study regimen and master a book of Torah or Talmud.
Open your heart and wallet and help someone else in need.
Say nice and uplifting things to those around you.
Recognize the great kindness that the Almighty does for you and express your gratitude.

Spread your wings like a bird and soar into the beautiful blue sky dotted with serene white fluffy clouds.
Feel the nearness of Hashem, His love and adoration and surrender into His embrace.
Know and feel that Hashem believes in you and chooses and empowers you to be His emissary here on earth.
To bring the awareness of Hashem, morality, goodness and kindness to yourself, your family, your community and thus tilt the balance of the world for the good.
Sounds Messianic? It is. If we each do what we are empowered to do, presto, Mashiach is here!
Amen.

Shabbat Shalom,
Shana Tova
Rabbi Yosef Kantor