Dear Friends,
Do you know how the Jews reacted when Moses came to tell them the news that they will be leaving Egypt? Think they partied and danced? Not quite… “And they did not listen to Moses out of shortness of breath.”
The Hebrew word for breath is Ruach. But Ruach also means “spirit”. This passage can be translated as "And they did not listen to Moses out of lack of spirit."
In the history of Egypt not a single slave had ever escaped. How could an entire nation ever walk free? Moses was a dreamer, they thought. It is just not realistic to hold out such high hopes, only to have them dashed yet again. And so the people were utterly despondent and spiritless and, therefore, they could not hear, i.e. absorb, Moses’ message.
It happens all too often. People become so set in their mediocrity that they give up hope of ever achieving the breakthrough. This is true for marriages, careers or our spiritual aspirations, we lose the desire to dream.
The Torah is teaching us never to lose our ‘spirit’, our hopes, our dreams and resolve!
If you’re ever feeling like your Ruach—your spirit—needs a boost, I have the perfect remedy. Come to the world-famous Chabad of Naples on Shabbat. Join us at 11 a.m. for the Torah reading, and experience an atmosphere like no other.
Here, you’ll feel the warmth of community, the connection of family, and the love that transcends barriers. You're sure to leave with a renewed sense of spirit—a Ruach unlike anything you’ve felt before.
Let the incredible energy of Chabad of Naples remind you that your spirit can always soar.
Wishing you a Shabbat of inspiration and renewal,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos