Dear Friends, 
There are weeks when a simcha belongs to one couple, and there are weeks when that joy belongs to all of us.
This week, as Sasha Troufanov and Sapir Cohen stood beneath the chuppah, people around the world were moved. For Am Yisrael, it reached even deeper. We rejoiced with tears of joy. After so much pain, prayer, and waiting, their wedding became a moment of celebration for the entire Jewish people.
Their story is known to so many of us. They were taken hostage on October 7. Sapir was released after 55 days in captivity. Sasha remained in Gaza for 498 days. His father, Vitaly, was murdered on October 7. And now, after everything they endured, Sasha and Sapir have begun building a Jewish home together.
There is another part of their story that moved me deeply. Sapir had spoken openly about faith. Sasha was on his own journey. Then everything changed. In captivity, something opened inside Sasha. He began to pray. He became stronger in faith. And when he was finally released, one of the first things he asked for was to pray with tefillin.
That detail says so much.
Even in the darkest place, a spark of G-dliness can be revealed. Even when someone is torn away from home, faith can remain alive. And after enduring what no human being should endure, Sasha and Sapir chose to build, to love, and to bring more holiness into the world.
All of Am Yisrael feels connected to this joy. For our Chabad Naples community, there is also a special closeness. One year ago, in April, Sasha and Sapir came to Naples and spoke to more than 400 people in our community. We heard their story. We saw their courage. We felt their love, their faith, and their strength. And during that conversation, right here in Naples, they shared their engagement.
The room erupted with joy.
So our mazal tov this week comes from a place of deep connection. We rejoice with Sasha and Sapir, with their families, with Am Yisrael, and with our own community that was blessed to hear their story firsthand.
These are the moments when the Jewish people are reminded of who we are. We are bound together in prayer, in pain, in hope, and in joy. Seeing Sasha and Sapir stand beneath the chuppah reminds us of the power of a Jewish home, of faith, of love, and of Am Yisrael continuing forward.
This week’s Torah portion is Matot-Masei, מטות־מסעי.
Matot, מטות, comes from the word mateh, מטה, a staff. Chassidic philosophy explains the difference between a mateh and a shevet. A shevet is a branch, fresh and flexible because it still draws life from its source. A mateh has been separated from where it once belonged.
At first, that separation feels like a loss. Yet the mateh carries its own unique quality. It becomes firm. It stands strong. It becomes something a person can lean on, something that helps another person walk forward.
There are times in life when a person is torn away from everything familiar. From home. From safety. From the people and places that give life comfort and stability.
Most of us cannot begin to imagine what they went through. But we saw what they carried with them. Sapir never gave up. Sasha returned with a faith and quiet strength that moved everyone who heard him. Together, they showed us what a mateh can mean: the ability to stand firm, to hold on to Hashem, and to help others stand taller too.
Masei, מסעי, means journeys. The Torah recounts the travels of the Jewish people through the desert, step by step. Every stop mattered. Every stage became part of the path that brought them closer to the Promised Land.
Sasha and Sapir’s journey is one we can never fully understand. But we can be inspired by what they chose next. They chose to build a Jewish home and bring more life, faith, and light into the world.
King David says: לֹא אָמוּת כִּי אֶחְיֶה וַאֲסַפֵּר מַעֲשֵׂי יָ-הּ
“I will not die, but I will live and tell of the deeds of Hashem.”
That is the message we take from this simcha. We build. We tell the story of Hashem’s kindness. We hold tightly to faith, to Torah, to life, and to one another.
This Shabbat, let us celebrate Sasha and Sapir, and the enduring spirit of Am Yisrael. Let us take inspiration from their courage to live with more faith, more love, and more light in our families, our community, and the world.
May Hashem bless Sasha and Sapir to build a בנין עדי עד, binyan adei ad, an everlasting Jewish home, filled with health, happiness, healing, and only open and revealed good. May all those who returned from captivity find healing and strength. And may we merit to see only simchas, only comfort, and only good news for all of Am Yisrael.
With love and blessings,
Rabbi Fishel and Ettie Zaklos