Rabbi Fishel's Blog

Dear Friends,

Rosh Hashanah is around the corner. And let’s be clear. It’s not the warm-up. It’s the moment.

We stand at the edge of a new year. More than a new date. A new chapter. And this time, more than ever, we feel the weight of it. The past twelve months have been some of the most unpredictable in recent memory.

The trauma of October 7 is still fresh. War continues to rage in Israel, and it's erupted in Iran. We’ve seen floods, wildfires, heatwaves, hurricanes, mass shootings, political unrest, and a culture increasingly confused about truth and morality. And antisemitism? It’s no longer hiding. It’s marching on college campuses, shouting in the streets, and growing louder every day. In so many ways, it feels like the world is out of control.

So where do we turn?

Of course! Rosh Hashanah.

At first, that may not sound helpful. After all, Rosh Hashanah is about the cosmos. The King of the universe. The creation of the world. The fate of nations. Big, sweeping realities. What does that have to do with me, with my home, with the challenges I face every day?

The deeper truth is this: the grandeur of Rosh Hashanah isn’t meant to make us feel small. It’s meant to remind us that the same Hashem who creates galaxies also cares about the choices we make in our kitchens and classrooms. If He renews the entire universe on this day, surely, He renews the strength within each of us to live with purpose. Rosh Hashanah proclaims His majesty over the world. And in that very moment, it calls on us to claim responsibility over our own lives.

We don’t control global policy, inflation, weather patterns, or breaking news. However, we do control something much greater than all of that: how we live.

We decide how we speak and listen. How we treat one another. What values we uphold. What we chase. What we cherish. Hashem gives us life. We choose what we do with it.

I can’t stop the storms, but I can bring calm into my home.

I can’t stop hatred online, but I can create warmth and connection at my Shabbos table.

I can’t erase suffering from the headlines, but I can choose to be honest, kind, compassionate, and rooted in truth.

That’s the essence of Rosh Hashanah. More than crowning Hashem as King, it’s about renewing our role in His kingdom. If He runs the world, then we must run our lives. If He holds the universe, then we must hold ourselves accountable.

There’s a joke I’ve always loved:

A wife tells her husband, “You take care of the big decisions. I’ll handle the small ones.”

He beams with pride. Finally, some recognition.

She continues: “You can decide whether the country should go to war with Iran, or what the global economy should look like. I’ll decide where we live, how to raise the kids, and what school they’ll attend.”

Hashem runs the big decisions. The little decisions are ours. And the truth is, those so-called “small” decisions are the ones that shape everything.

So, this Rosh Hashanah, here’s the real question:

Am I going to waste energy fretting about the global issues I cannot control? Or will I focus on what Hashem has placed in my hands: the choices I make, the relationships I build, the values I live by, and make those the very best they can be?

That is the call of Rosh Hashanah: to live with clarity, strength, and purpose. And one of the beautiful choices you can make is to celebrate it with your Chabad of Naples family. Together we create a soulful, joyful, uplifting environment. Filled with meaning, song, prayer, and of course, plenty of good food. It’s more than a holiday. It’s your holiday. It's more than a home. It's your home.

May this year bring clarity to the confused, strength to the weary, and freedom to the captive.

May every hostage return home.

May Am Yisrael and the world know peace.

כתיבה וחתימה טובה

May you and your family be inscribed for a good, sweet, and meaningful year.

Rabbi Fishel and Ettie Zaklos

Please accept our sincere best wishes for a SHANA TOVA, a Healthy and Happy New Year for 5786, a year filled with an abundance of G-d's blessings of good health, happiness, prosperity, meaning and fulfillment. And of course, peace and only good news from Israel and the world over.  

Shabbat Shalom, Chag Someach, Shana Tovah!
 

 Dear Friends,

Right now, we all feel the question: Where were you on September 11, 2001? 

I remember clearly. 

I was in Chicago, in yeshiva, together with my friend Levi Chanowitz. When we heard what was happening, we rushed over to a hotel lobby to see the news on TV. Like everyone else, I can still see those moments in my mind. The New York skyline, once crowned by two proud towers, was suddenly filled with smoke and fire. The world stood still.

Until then, we believed our safety was unshakable. As Americans, we carried a sense of invincibility, certain that nothing could pierce the security of our lives. And in a single morning, that illusion was gone.

But when we ask, "Where were you on September 11?" it’s not just about geography. It’s a deeper question. Where were you emotionally? Mentally? Where were we as a society? And perhaps more importantly, where are we now?

Today is Chai Elul, a very special day in the Chassidic calendar. It is the birthday of the Baal Shem Tov, founder of the Chassidic movement, and of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe, founder of Chabad. The Alter Rebbe once asked: why does G-d call out “Ayeka? which means “Where are you?” to Adam in the Garden of Eden. Surely, G-d already knew. 

His answer was that every person must hear this question. It is a timeless question that goes beyond physical location and asks us to reflect, where are you in life? How are you using the time you have been given? What is happening inside you?

When tragedy strikes, when unrest unsettles us, when violence shocks society, when the world feels unsteady, that question returns. Just yesterday, the shocking and horrific assassination of Charlie Kirk shook us deeply. Our hearts go out to his family, to America, and to our nation. Whatever our politics, moments like this call us to step back, to recognize the sanctity of life, and to come together as one nation. We feel this even more deeply on September 11, a day that reminds us how fragile life can be and how deeply we need compassion and unity.

Where are we? Do we grow numb, or do we rise? Do we let darkness define us, or do we respond with light?

One of the things I remember hearing most from the days following September 11 was how New Yorkers were different. People on the subways and in the streets were a little kinder, more open, more willing to exchange a friendly word. 

Being married to Ettie, who was born and raised in Crown Heights and still knows the subways like the back of her hand, I hear from her just how striking the shift was.  

There was heroism beyond measure. First responders who saved so many, ordinary people who helped strangers, and families whose lives were forever changed. Americans stood together. Strangers became brothers and sisters. 

That spirit is not gone. It lives in us, waiting to be awakened again.

So let us rekindle that sense of obligation to the people around us. Start with family, relatives, and even those who are difficult to love. Carry it into our neighborhoods, communities, and country. This is the true American spirit, and it is also the essence of the Chassidic message: bring more light, more kindness, more love into the world.

The greatest tribute to September 11 is to practice simple acts of kindness. Not as naïve optimism, but as the deepest necessity. That is what our world needs now more than ever.

So let us each ask: Where am I? Where do I stand on September 11, 2025? And let us answer by standing a little taller, speaking a little kinder, and bringing a little more light into the world.

May the memory of all those lost be a blessing. May their families find comfort. May the hostages be returned safely, and may G-d bless Israel, America, and the entire world with a true and lasting peace. May we all be written and sealed for a year of life, peace, and revealed goodness.

With love and blessings,

Rabbi Fishel and Ettie Zaklos