Dear Friends,
What a month it has been, overflowing with Jewish 
holidays and inspiration. From Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to Sukkot and Simchat Torah, the season was a whirlwind of meaning, reflection, forgiveness, joy, and renewal. We prayed, sang, gathered, and felt deeply connected to our community, to our purpose, and to something higher.
The feedback has been enormous. It’s been the largest ever, and also one of the most beautiful. The overflowing crowds, the camaraderie, the friendships, the singing, the gatherings together at the Sukkot festival, and then, to top it all off, one of the most amazing Simchat Torah celebrations with a huge, joyous crowd.
I want to take this moment to express our heartfelt thanks to every sponsor and to every volunteer who worked tirelessly behind the scenes. A special shout-out to our incredible security team, Tricorps Security, JVAC and Alex Marlowe, and to the Naples Police Department. And to my dear wife, Rebbetzin Ettie Zaklos, who always makes sure that every detail is done in the most incredible way. From meals and lunches to buffets and full set-ups, all while directing our preschool and managing everything with love and devotion.
And then, suddenly, it’s over. The decorations come down, and life slides back into routine. But this is where spirituality is tested, and where it truly comes alive. The holidays were never meant to lift just a day, they were meant to elevate the entire year. Their purpose isn’t to help us escape daily life, but to transform how we live it: how we speak to our children, treat our coworkers, handle stress, and show up for others.
There’s a beautiful teaching I love. When the High Priest concluded the Yom Kippur services, the law states he washed his hands and feet, removed the gilded vestments, dressed in his own clothes, and then he had to go home.
The question is, why does the law state he must go home? Where should he go? To a movie, a bar, the opera, the gym? The profound message is this: holiness is not withdrawal. Holiness is not stepping away from the physical world, it’s returning to it and transforming it. By going home, he carried the holiness of Yom Kippur into everyday life.
This is the true art of integration. Some people are holy in the synagogue but forget it at home, they insult, they denigrate, they act selfishly. Real holiness changes how we treat our family, how we conduct business, how we interact with others. It’s lived, not just observed.
Now comes the work, the real work: to turn inspiration into action. To let the compassion we felt in prayer become the patience we show in daily life. To let the unity we felt in celebration become the empathy we extend every day.
Keep the light of the holidays shining throughout the year. Continue the inspiration by joining us for Shabbat services. Come at 10:30, when the prayers are in full swing, and at 11:00 join as the Torah is carried out. Stay for the uplifting service and celebrate with our beautiful community lunch.
Most of all, come and join the ark, be part of the world-famous Chabad of Naples (many even say our building looks like an ark, albeit an upside-down ark, a reminder that sometimes the world and our blessings need a new perspective). Here you will find joy, connection, love, and family. Let this be your spiritual home in this challenging world and carry the spirit of the holidays into every day of the year. Translate that inspiration into daily practice, whether a few minutes of prayer, a thoughtful reflection, or a mitzvah.
Finally, I encourage you to consider joining the upcoming JLI adult ed course entitled: The Kabbalah of Meaning (how to live a life filled with meaning, joy and inspiration). Click here to register. Course starts NEXT Monday. We invite you to our upcoming Kabbalah course, as well as the celebrations and events we have coming up.
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Fishel & Ettie Zaklos