Congregation Anshai Torah - Plano, Texas

06/25/2026

Some of the best Torah conversations don't happen on the bimah. They happen over a cup of coffee, in the car, in the everyday moments when life hands you a question.

That's the idea behind Torah Unfiltered, Anshai Torah's new Summer Podcast Series. Each episode, host Staci Diamond King asks a member of our clergy a real-life question, and they get 90 seconds to answer. In this first one, Rabbi Kushnick takes on whether Jews believe in coincidence, what Judaism says about burnout, and whether our phones have quietly become modern-day idols.

The part that stayed with us: you don't have to chase the perfect spiritual moment. As the rabbi puts it, connect with God even 30% of the time and you're a Hall of Famer. The pressure comes off, and the real moments have room to happen.

Give it a listen, and if an episode speaks to you, share it with a friend. What's a question you'd love to hear our clergy tackle? Drop it below, we just might use it.

Some of life's biggest questions don't come to us in the sanctuary....

06/25/2026

Our kids are having great days at summer camp! Here are some pics of Rabbi Kushnick and our students making great memories this year!

06/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who participated in and led Hazak this year. What an amazing year it has been! If you haven't made it to a Hazak event yet, you are going to want to grab one next year. You won't want to miss it!

06/23/2026

We have all been there.

Chasing the numbers, measuring the metrics, convinced we were winning.

But what if we have been staring at the wrong scoreboard the whole time?

This week's Dvar Torah on Parashat Korach asks a question that cuts right to the heart of how we measure our lives. Korach wanted the position.

Moses wanted the responsibility.

They are not the same thing, and the difference matters more than most of us realize.

Success in business is measured in profits. Success in life is measured in purpose. That shift changes everything.

Most of Us Are Chasing the Wrong ScoreboardWe've all felt it at s...

06/23/2026

Comparison Is Lying to You

We all know this feeling.

We scroll through our feeds, glance around at what everyone else seems to be doing, and before we know it we are down on ourselves.

The comparison trap is quiet.

It does not announce itself.

It just slowly convinces us that our ordinary life is not enough.

But comparison is lying to us.

Not everyone in the wilderness was Moses. Not everyone led. Not everyone was visible. But every tribe, every family, every individual contributed something indispensable.

The community flourished because each person embraced their own role, not someone else's.

Our lives are not lacking. Our lens is off.

06/22/2026

A perfect way to start our week.

A colleague gets recognized and our own work suddenly feels a little smaller. A friend hits a milestone and we start quietly questioning our own progress. We have all be there.

Nothing actually changed. But it felt like everything did.

That's the trap Korach fell into. He was a Levite, a man of real purpose and standing, and he lost everything because he couldn't stop measuring himself against Moses. Their story is our story.

This week's sermon is about what happens when we finally stop asking "why do they have what we don't?" and start asking "how can we best use what we've already been given?"

Why You Keep Feeling Behind (Even When You're Not)There's a quiet...

06/20/2026

Shabbat Shalom from Camp Ramah Darom in North Georgia!

Don't miss this special message from Rabbi Kushnick as he spends time with our Anshai Torah campers.

06/18/2026

Before You Hit Send

One of the greatest responsibilities we have is not what we know, but what we choose to pass along.

A rumor. A headline. A workplace story. A social media post.

Every day, we make decisions that shape how other people see the world.

Before hitting "send," what if we asked ourselves: Am I helping spread clarity or confusion? Is it true?

The words we share have power. They can build trust, strengthen relationships, and inspire growth. Or they can do the opposite.

06/16/2026

One word cost a generation forty years.
In Parshat Shelach, the spies used the word efes, nothing, to describe what God had promised. Fear turned possibility into zero. And that fear spread like a meme until an entire nation talked itself out of its own future.
We do the same thing.
When life feels uncertain, we reach for words that shrink the possibility. Words that feel safe but quietly close doors.
Realism is good. But realism without hope becomes cynicism and cynicism cuts you off from who you were created to be.
The right word changes everything. So does the wrong one.
Choose carefully. 🙏

06/16/2026

Was Monday one for the ages? Did you wake up this morning already feeling behind, already feeling like the week is too much and you and God are not quite enough?

This sermon is only a few minutes, but it might shift something for you before Tuesday gets away from you. We talk about what happens when we see ourselves and God as smaller than we really are, and what it looks like to choose a different story.

Watch it here 👇

The Grasshopper Mentality: How Doubt Makes Us Live SmallerWe all ...