Rabbi Fishel's Blog

Dear Friends,

We hope your Pesach was beautiful, inspiring, and filling in both body and spirit.

Thank God at Chabad of Naples we were blessed with so many beautiful people joining us together for our BIG Family Seder at the Chabad Naples, well attended services, and many Yom Tov meals together sharing words of Torah, song and celebration.

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As we approach the final days of the festival, here’s a powerful reminder rooted in our earliest history.

When G‑d promised Abraham and Sarah a child, it seemed completely impossible. They were old, long past the age of parenthood. But then G‑d took Abraham outside and said: “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. So shall your descendants be.”

Now pause and imagine that moment. Faced with a sky full of stars, Abraham could’ve laughed. He could’ve walked back inside. He could’ve said, “This is ridiculous.”

But he didn’t.

He looked up and he began counting.

One. Two. Three…

In response, G‑d said:

“כֹּה יִהְיֶה זַרְעֶךָ — So shall your children be.”

Not just as numerous as the stars, but like Abraham himself: the kind of people who begin counting, even when the task seems impossible.

That has always been the spirit of the Jewish people. In every generation we end the Seder with the words: “לשָׁנָה הַבָּאָה בִּירוּשָׁלָיִם — Next year in Jerusalem.”

This wasn’t just a hope; it was a declaration, a commitment to making the impossible possible. And then, miraculously, the dream that seemed so far away was realized. The stars were counted.

As we head towards the final days of Pesach, and ask for our final redemption remember: impossible is just an idea. Inside it lives a promise: I’M POSSIBLE.

Keep counting. Keep believing. We are the children of Abraham and Sarah.

And we must keep believing—not just in the promises of the past, but in the hope of today. In the face of darkness, in the face of what feels impossible, we must hold onto faith and action. Just as Abraham looked up and began to count the stars, we must continue to count every soul, every prayer, every act of courage, and never give up hope that all the hostages will return home to freedom, to life, to light.

Which brings us to this moment of strength and clarity:

Mazal tov to former hostage Noa Argamani, named one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2025.

Recognized in the “Leaders” category, Noa’s strength and advocacy have captured hearts around the world. Abducted from the Nova music festival and held in Gaza for 246 days, her rescue by Israeli forces last June was a moment of national and global relief.

Since then, she’s refused to stay silent. She’s become a fierce voice for the 59 hostages still in captivity, including her partner, Avinatan Or. In February, she made history as the first released hostage to brief the UN Security Council. And she hasn’t stopped since.

Sharing the TIME honor, she wrote:

“I made a promise to bring them home, including my love, Avinatan. We must not stop. Bring Them All Home Now.”

Noa’s story is more than one of survival—it’s a testament to resilience, purpose, and the power of one voice.

Even in the darkest moments, she reminds us that strength can be found, hope can be shared, and action can ripple outward. As Noa said: “We must not stop.”

Because each of us, wherever we are, can choose to be a light. We all have the power to be “most influential” in our own corner of the world.

Chag Sameach!

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos

Dear Friends,

As the holiday of Passover descends upon us, Ettie, Mendel, Yitzi, Chaya and Hinda join me in wishing you and yours a truly joyful Passover holiday. 

We are thinking of family and friends far and near and wishing you a very special holiday full of quality time and traditional experiences creating lifelong memories with family and friends.

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A Path to True Happiness: The Jewish Way

Almost every young person begins life thinking happiness is about getting. If I get the right job, the right house, the right approval, or the right recognition, then I’ll be happy. But then life pulls you aside and teaches you something different.

True happiness, the kind that lasts, doesn’t come from what you get. It comes from what you give.

In Jewish tradition, we have a word for happiness: simcha. And what’s fascinating is that in all the pages of the Torah, you’ll never find simcha happening in isolation. Joy in Judaism is never about one person alone. It’s always something shared.

Let me give you two brief examples.

First, when a man gets married, the Torah exempts him from military service for an entire year. Why? To stay home and bring joy to his wife. Not so he can be happy or go on a honeymoon, but so he can make someone else happy. Because joy in Judaism doesn’t begin with me—it begins with you.

Second, the great festivals of the Jewish year—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot—are called zman simchateinu, “seasons of our joy.” But listen carefully to who is invited. The Torah says, “You shall rejoice, you, your sons and daughters, your servants, the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow”. This is not just a guest list, it’s a worldview. Everyone belongs—the powerful and the vulnerable, the insiders and the outsiders.

If your joy isn’t big enough to hold someone else, it’s not joy yet.

As we prepare for Passover, let’s take a moment to see who we can invite or assist to help make their holiday joyful. It’s in the giving that we truly experience simcha.

And most of all, as we recount the story of our liberation, we cannot forget the 59 hostages still held in Gaza. We hold them deeply in our hearts. We will pray for them, cry out for them, and do everything we can—through mitzvot, through support, and through unity—so that they are reunited with their families now, this Passover. And then, together, we will all experience the truest and greatest joy.

Wishing you a meaningful, happy, and kosher Passover.

Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos