Rabbi Fishel's Blog - Chabad of Naples

or simply have a cup of coffee

Tuesday, September 30, 2014 - 10:00 AM

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Dear Friends,

As the Day of Atonement approaches, allow us the opportunity to wish you and your family a sweet, new year. May you and your family be inscribed in the Book of Life for goodness, kindness, health and prosperity.

Please accept our personal invitation to you and your family to join us for Yom Kippur services. There will also be a special kids program!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and supporters for their generosity during this past year. As you may know, Chabad Jewish Center Naples is entirely funded through donations from the local community. It is this unique partnership that has allowed us to create a center where you are welcome to join us any time for joy, laughter, and friendship in a warm setting. Here is a place for you and your entire family to nourish your souls, study and pray, celebrate holidays and lifecycle events, or simply have a cup of coffee while chatting with friends.

Chabad Naples is bursting with energy and enthusiasm for our expanded Synagogue, award-winning Preschool of the Arts, banquet hall, new outdoor playground and Hebrew school classrooms that are full of activity.

This past year was particularly meaningful as we celebrated our 10th anniversary and announced the naming of our Chabad Center as the "Alex and Carol Glassman Chabad Jewish Community Center".

There has never been a better time to join the Chabad Naples family!

As we approach this special day of Yom Kippur, please consider partnering with us generously by way of your tax deductible donation.

On the holiest night of the year, we want to tell each and every one of you: We need you. We love you. We embrace you. We want you. We cherish you. None of us are complete without you. We are all part of one team, and each player has an indispensable role to play.

With the deepest and most sincere appreciation for your support and with best wishes for an easy fast and a year of much health and happiness,

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

A Holiday Message from Rabbi & Ettie Zaklos

Friday, September 12, 2014 - 5:19 PM

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A Holiday Message from Rabbi & Ettie Zaklos

As we look forward to sharing our High Holiday services with the Naples Chabad family and all of our friends, we look forward to count you among us. Each year we try to conduct meaningful, uplifting services so that everyone will feel at home celebrating with the Chabad family, regardless of his/her knowledge of Hebrew.

Watch the timeless prayer book come alive with heart warming stories, commentary and down to earth applications.

Of course, each service is followed by Kiddush and holiday delicacies.

We treasure your friendship and support throughout the year. In addition to our warmest blessings and wishes for the New Year, we would like to extend this warm and sincere invitation to you and your family.

The Alex & Carol Glassman Chabad Center is open to welcome everyone at any level where he or she feels comfortable. We are always interested in hearing from you and answering any questions you might have.

Do not hesitate to call us for further information or check our website if you have any questions.

Welcome home for the holidays -- or any time!

Shanah Tovah!

Don't be stingy with your love

Friday, September 12, 2014 - 4:01 PM

So often, maybe too often you may feel people toss off the phrase "I love you", at times when it seems a little out of place or irrelevant. It's my opinion that we cannot say it often enough, and that it's never out of place. Love isn't something that we want to share with just anyone or everyone, but at the same time, are we taking advantage of opportunities to share it with those who are really important to us? Why wait and make it a 'special event' - declare your love now!
On September 11, 2001, one of the saddest days in our history, many people used their last moments to send a message to those who were near and dear to them: "I love you". It's a small, but nevertheless unbelievably valuable legacy that many treasure to this day and will continue to hold in their hearts all their lives.
Love is simple, and at the same time, love is complicated. One of the most meaningful ways we can commemorate all those precious souls that were lost, is to say a prayer for these special souls, spend quality time with your family, keep the spirit of love alive, and live life to the fullest.

With love from the Zaklos family

We can eat and still be hungry.

Friday, September 5, 2014 - 6:43 PM

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Dear Friends,

I had the privilege this week to present a class on Judaism to college level students. It was amazing to note, by their questions, just how much they wanted to learn about tefillin, the shofar, Israel and Judaism. We often think today's students are perhaps a little superficial, but so many present asked for more information, commented that, "You uplifted me", and demonstrated a true desire and need for knowledge. It was a room full of thirsty sponges.

As we begin a new year, we must remember to provide our children with these precious values that we hold so dear, always delivering them with more than they need to know so that they too will be challenged to rise and ask questions, and never be satisfied with the minimum.

Good comedians 'always leave them laughing’: good teachers always leave them reaching for more, giving them a taste and challenging them to go for the whole meal.

A local food purveyor issued a pamphlet that claims, “People who do not eat healthy foods may look well-fed but they cannot do their best work and get the most pleasure out of living because of hidden hunger." It is a powerful idea, since the truth is that even if we do consume super organic edible foods, we can still suffer from a hidden hunger. It is not a hunger for food, or other physical appetites, but a hunger of the spirit - - a hunger of the soul.

Someone once said: “I eat at this German-Chinese restaurant and the food is great. The only problem is that an hour later you're hungry for power!”

You see, we can eat and still be hungry. We can learn a little,but that's only the beginning.

As the Torah puts it, “Man does not live by bread alone.” If it is solely our physical appetites that are satisfied, we will still be hungry. All of us have a desire, a hunger, to be greater than we are. But we don’t know how to do it. So we get better gadgets, and a new car, and we strive for a bigger home, but these possessions don’t enlarge our lives.

There is only one thing that will truly make you bigger, and that is answering the call of a cause greater than yourself.